Bavarian fund backs Reynolds, Emmerich, Dietl

New films by Kevin Reynolds, Roland Emmerich and Helmut Dietl are among 12 projects awarded a total of Euros 6.6m by the Bavarian regional film fund FilmFernsehFonds Bayern (FFF Bayern) at its latest funding session.

Euros 1.1m in total was allocated by FFF Bayern and the Bavarian Bank Fund (BBF) to Reynolds’ comedy Learning Italian, starring Kevin Costner, which will be produced by Diplomat Films (Reynolds, Costner and Howard Kaplan)  with co-producer by Bavaria Film Partners to be shot mainly at locations throughout Bavaria as well as interiors in Bavaria Film’s Geiselgasteig studios.

The same amount went to Helmut Dietl for his next feature film, the satirical comedy Berlin Mitte, which he has written with novelist Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre and cast with Michael “Bully” Herbig, Senta Berger and Dieter Hildebrandt.

Meanwhile, Sony Pictures’ local production arm Deutsche Columbia Pictures picked up Euros 700,000 for its second feature film project, the comedy Resturlaub, to be directed by Gregor Schnitzler from a screenplay adapted by Tommy Jaud from his novel of the same name.

Backing was also forthcoming from the Bavarian fund for The Lives Of Others producers Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion for Jeremy Leven’s drama Girl On A Bicycle, Roland Emmerich’s Shakespeare mystery drama Anonymous, and Vivian Naefe’s bestseller adaptation Jesus Liebt Mich for UFA Cinema.

In addition, FFF Bayern  gave the greenlight for production support for three animation projects: Caligari Film’s 3D  production Ritter Rost, based on the children’s books of the same name; Papa Loewe Filmproduktion’s Komm, Wir Finden Einen Schatz; and Zipfelmuetzen Film’s cartoon version of the 7 Dwarfs franchise, 7 Zwerge – Der 7bte Zwerg, to be co-directed by actor Boris Aljinovic with Trixter Film’s Michael Coldewey.