Leading German bank HypoVereinsbank has been joined by Bavaria Film and public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk for an expanded version of its Director's Support Award which is presented during the next Munich Filmfest at the beginning of July.

Now in its 14th year, the Euros 40,000 prize for directors is to be renamed Support Award for German Cinema ("Foerderpreis Deutscher Film") and will be joined by two Euros 20,000 awards for screenwriters and actors of German films screening in the programme of the Munich Filmfest.

Since its founding in 1989, the HypoVereinsbank's Director's Support Award has been presented to several young filmmakers who have gone on to become leading lights in the German film industry, ranging from Wolfgang Becker (Life Is All You Get) and Hans-Christian Schmid (Crazy - pictured, left) through Vanessa Jopp (Forget America) and Oskar Roehler (No Place To Go) to Peter Thorwarth (Bang Boom Bang) and Benjamin Quabeck (No Regrets - pictured, right).

The winners of the Support Award for German Cinema will be announced in a gala ceremony at the Munich Filmfest on July 5.