New features by Soenke Wortmann, Urs Egger and Joseph Orr are among the projects awarded almost $2.4m (DM5m) production support by the Berlin-based German Federal Film Board (FFA) in its latest round of funding.

Wortmann's Cologne-based production company Little Shark Entertainment received $481,000 (DM1m) for his football film about the German team's victory at the 1954 World Cup - Das Wunder Von Bern. Hanno Huth's Senator Film will co-produce the project as part of its two-year "first-look" deal with Little Shark, sealed last February.

Meanwhile $481,000 (DM1m) was also granted to director-producer Niko von Glasow-Bruecher for his long gestating Edelweisspiraten project.

The FFA also allocated $384,800 (DM800,000) to Mathias Dinter's Feuer, Eis Und Dosenbier, from hot Munich production house Hofmann & Voges Entertainment, and to Urs Egger's Finkelstein, which will be produced by MTM Medien und Television Muenchen and distributed by Constantin Film.

In addition, Trains n' Roses producer Joern Rettig of Berlin-based Bosko Biati Film received $241,000 (DM500,000) for Joseph Orr's Ninas Geschichte; Jens-Uwe Scheffler $192,000 (DM 400,000) for Sturmflut 2; and Douglas Wolfsperger $13,000 (DM27,000) for Eine Kleine Sehnsucht.