My World Of Share

There was a catch to this week's decision of the German Federal Film Board to approve more funds to more screenwrights than usual: In average, most of them walk away with less money. No maximum subsidies (30,000, in exceptional cases 50,000) were given out to the 16 approved projects (out of 60). Instead, all screenplays were affirmed for support payments of either 18,000 or just over 14,500 Euros. Four treatments received 7,000 each. Of course, that group included some better-known names, such as Fatih Akin, director of Head-On and The Edge of Heaven, who has teamed up with journalist Hans Hielscher to write a script called Kämpfernatur (Born Fighter), a story based in the world of professional boxing. We also have Aliza Olmert, visual artist and wife of former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, who is trying to get her autobiographical novel A Slice of Sea on the big screen with the help of Brit writer/director Gareth Jones.