Bavarian Bankers' Fund

The Bayerischer Bankenfonds (Bavarian Bankers' Fund, BBF) is a supplementary film-financing instrument established in 2000 in Bavaria, Germany. It was created as a cooperative vehicle in which four financial institutions — Bayerische Landesbank, LfA Förderbank Bayern, UniCredit Bank AG and Bankhaus Donner & Reuschel — pool resources to co-finance cinema films alongside the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern (FFF Bayern). With a financing volume of 10 million euros dedicated to the production and distribution of cinema films, the BBF allows larger financing packages to be assembled at the Bavarian location by combining its funds with FFF grants. The fund operates through a recommendation-and-financing model. After FFF Bayern issues a funding recommendation, films expected to achieve particular commercial success can be co-financed with BBF resources. The financing takes the form of a conditionally repayable loan carrying a market-standard interest rate, and the loan is issued by LfA Förderbank Bayern. Financing can cover up to 100% of the FFF funding recommended for a given project, with a maximum of 1 million euros for production funding and 200,000 euros for distribution funding. In addition to direct loans, the BBF operates a guarantee model for productions by students and graduates of the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (HFF) and Hochschule Macromedia in Munich. For these productions — final, debut and combined final/debut films, as well as HFF/Macromedia co-productions with Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) — the BBF provides guarantees for the respective broadcaster contribution (advance payments) of BR. Applications may be submitted with a broadcaster contribution of up to a maximum of 300,000 euros, and a fee of 2% of the guarantee amount is charged for assuming the guarantee. The BBF is closely tied to FFF Bayern, the central point of contact for film, games, XR and film-festival funding in Bavaria. FFF Bayern operates with a funding volume of more than 40 million euros and strengthens an established film, games and XR industry at one of Germany's leading media locations. Within this ecosystem, the Bayerischer Bankenfonds serves as a complementary financing layer that helps FFF-supported cinema films in production and distribution access additional capital. The fund is not a standalone company with publicly traded shares; it is a cooperative financing instrument among the participating banks, administered in connection with FFF Bayern's funding activities.

The Bayerischer Bankenfonds (BBF) was founded in 2000 as a supplementary financing instrument for the Bavarian film industry. It was established through cooperation among four financial institutions: Bayerische Landesbank, LfA Förderbank Bayern, UniCredit Bank AG and Bankhaus Donner & Reuschel. The fund was endowed with a financing volume of 10 million euros dedicated to the production and distribution of cinema films. Its purpose was to enable larger financing volumes at the Bavarian location by combining its resources with grants from the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern (FFF Bayern). From its inception, the BBF operated on a recommendation-and-financing basis. Films that received a funding recommendation from FFF Bayern and were expected to achieve particular commercial success could be co-financed with BBF resources. The financing was structured as a conditionally repayable loan bearing a market-standard interest rate, with the loan issued by LfA Förderbank Bayern. The maximum financing could reach up to 100% of the FFF funding recommended for the project, capped at 1 million euros for production funding and 200,000 euros for distribution funding. Over time, the BBF added a guarantee model aimed at emerging filmmakers. Under this model, the fund provides guarantees for the broadcaster contribution (advance payments) of Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) for productions by students and graduates of the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (HFF) and Hochschule Macromedia in Munich. These include final films, debut films, combined final/debut films, and HFF/Macromedia co-productions with BR. Applications may be submitted with a broadcaster contribution of up to a maximum of 300,000 euros, and a fee of 2% of the guarantee amount is charged for assuming the guarantee. The BBF remains closely associated with FFF Bayern, which is the central point of contact for film, games, XR and film-festival funding in Bavaria. FFF Bayern operates with a funding volume of more than 40 million euros and supports an established film, games and XR industry at one of Germany's leading media locations. Within this framework, the Bayerischer Bankenfonds continues to function as a complementary financing layer for FFF-supported cinema films in production and distribution.

• 2000

  Bayerischer Bankenfonds founded by four banks with a financing volume of €10 million for cinema film production and distribution.

A supplementary, bank-backed film financing instrument complementing FFF Bayern's public funding to enable larger financing volumes for Bavarian cinema productions.

• Conditionally repayable production loan

  Loan for cinema film production, up to 100% of recommended FFF funding, capped at €1 million, issued by LfA Förderbank Bayern at market-standard interest.

• Conditionally repayable distribution loan

  Loan for cinema film distribution, up to 100% of recommended FFF funding, capped at €200,000.

• Guarantee for broadcaster contributions

  Guarantee for Bayerischer Rundfunk advance payments for HFF/Macromedia student and graduate productions, with applications up to €300,000 and a 2% guarantee fee.

1. 1Bayerischer Bankenfonds - FFF Bayernfff-bayern.de
2. 2Über uns - FFF Bayernfff-bayern.de
3. 3Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4BBF acquires tart and pie specialist Sargents Bakeriesbakeryinfo.co.uk
5. 5BBF and Waitrose roll out four celebration cakesbakeryinfo.co.uk
6. 6BBF teams up with Nestlé for Rolo cupcakes launchbakeryinfo.co.uk
7. 7Doncaster-based Sargents Bakeries is acquired by BBF creating a £200m turnover businessyorkshirepost.co.uk