Tom Tykwer's action thriller The International, which begins principal photography in Germany from September 15, has become the third project to be awarded more than the $5m (Euros 4m) 'cap' from the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF).

Originally, the German-UK co-production between Siebente Babelsberg Film and Columbia Pictures' Rose Line Productions had received $5m (Euros 4m) production support at the beginning of August.

A sitting of the DFFF's advisory committee in Berlin on 5 September 2007 allocated a further $2m (Euros 1.8m), bringing the total to $7.9m (Euros 5.8m).

The film, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, features German stars such as Armin Mueller-Stahl and Axel Milberg, and German crew including Tykwer's 'regular' collaborators cinematographer Frank Griebe and production designer Uli Hanisch.

According to the DFFF, 'the complete postproduction could be brought to the home location so that now more than two-thirds of the production costs are being spent in Germany.'

Followiing this latest funding decision, the DFFF has now paid out over $67.5m (Euros 49.7) to 77 projects, including 28 international co-productions, since January 1.

Meanwhile, the German Directors Guild Bundesverband Regie (BVR) has called for a rethink of the DFFF fund's criteria after last week's abrupt suspension to the production of Jan de Bont's action thriller Stopping Power before principal photography could begin today in Sachsen-Anhalt.
In an official communique, the BVR argued that the DFFF's production support should only be awarded to 'serious companies, who can already provide evidence of lasting production work, and no longer to so-called single purpose firms as here with 'IM Stopping Power GmbH'.'

Furthermore, the BVR warned that a situation should not be created where 'German tax money, lower safety standards as well as a weak insolvency law make Germany into an Eldorado for foolhardy US productions. Dozens of artistically valuable smaller German films with budgets like the one for the film The Lives Of Others could be made from the umpteen millions of Euros awarded so far to big international productions.'

Although the guild in principle welcomed the fact that international productions shooting in Germany could benefit from the new incentive scheme - citing the example of the Tom Cruise Stauffenberg film which had 'a clear cultural connection to Germany' -, it suggested that a consequence of the Stopping Power fiasco should see the DFFF's dwindling funds be used more for German and European film projects

According to the BVR, the insolvency of IM Stopping Power had not only resulted in 'numerous German service-providers being in difficulties, but, in particular, over 200 film personnel are left empty-handed. They had kept themselves free for the rest of the year for the shooting of the big American production and are now from one day to the next out on the street.'

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