Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth wants to establish new ecological minimum standards for the German film industry. From 2023 there should be binding rules.
Berlin – Films in Germany are to meet more environmental criteria in the future.
“We need minimum ecological standards,” said Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth on the fringes of the Berlinale during an event with the Green Shooting working group, film funding from the federal states and the film funding agency in Berlin. From the point of view of the Green politician, there is a great willingness for sustainable production, which is also economically worthwhile in the medium term.
How it is produced also determines the value of a film, said the Greens politician. Correct and important changes had already been initiated. Now it is a matter of “installing permanent and binding structures for sustainable production”. There should be no so-called greenwashing. Roth announced that he intends to promote the topic internationally at EU and G7 level.
The aim is to standardize the minimum Green Shooting standards that have been in force since January with the sustainability criteria of federal and state film funding. From 2023 onwards there should be illustrative regulations. Only films that meet the relevant criteria for sustainability will then be funded.
Possibilities for sustainable productions are, for example, switching to LED headlights, increased use of public transport by film crews, the use of environmentally friendly vehicles or the abandonment of diesel generators, short-haul flights and disposable tableware.
Carl Bergengruen, spokesman for Green Shooting, pointed out that many investments depend on decisions for common standards. In addition, a changeover can only succeed if the film crews are taken along. The actress Maria Furtwängler reported that at first privileges had to be renounced. “It’s the little things where we all have to ask ourselves, am I ready for change?” At the same time, she sees artistic challenges: “As storytellers, we have the opportunity to bring new narratives forward.”
“Uniform standards are an incredibly important sign for the industry,” said Helge Albers from the Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein Film Fund. The ARD chairwoman and RBB director Patricia Schlesinger pointed out that the broadcasters are committed to the common good. “Minimum standards are a first step, we have to continue there.” In the first step, it costs one to four percent for the productions.
Sascha Schwingel, Managing Director of VOX Television, pointed out that the infrastructure for sustainable productions is not yet available everywhere. But if a corresponding demand arises, service providers would react to it.
UFA boss Nico Hofmann reported that it was mainly younger employees who called for sustainable productions and discussed possibilities for this. Philip Gassmann, an expert for such productions, reported that up to 40 percent of carbon dioxide can be saved with a film planned accordingly. Initial investments bring savings after two to three years that “can be put back into creativity”. dpa
