World Cinema Fund
The World Cinema Fund (WCF) is a grant programme run jointly by the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) and the German Federal Cultural Foundation (Kulturstiftung des Bundes), with additional partners contributing to specific strands. WCF Classic supports the production and distribution of feature-length fiction and creative documentary films by directors and producers from regions where a strong national infrastructure for auteur cinema is absent: Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Mongolia, and Pacific Island states. Support is awarded in two annual calls on the basis of artistic quality, cultural relevance and the feasibility of the proposed production structure. A German co-producer is required for production support; distribution support is awarded to German distributors releasing eligible films theatrically.
Industry standing
The World Cinema Fund is one of the most prestigious non-commercial grants available to filmmakers from the Global South. Backed by the Berlinale brand, a WCF award is routinely read by international festivals, sales agents and co-financiers as a marker of world-class auteur ambition, and WCF-backed projects feature prominently in Berlinale selections and other A-list festivals.
Programmes
1Funding tracks administered by this body.