Of wild horses and humpback whales

In the animated filmThe last singer of the whales (600,000 euros, Telescope Animation Studios, Hamburg), Directors Reza Memari takes the audience into the world of Vincent, a young humpback whale. He must find a mystical song in the depths of the oceans in order to save the seas from a terrible monster. The German lead roles are played by Jella Haase, Nina Hoss and Benno Fürmann, among others.

Fundings from the FFHSH also support the establishment of Telescope Animation Studios in the Hanseatic city. Telescope produces story universes centred around films, series, games and VR. Memari and Hamburg film producer Maite Woköck are one of the first studios in Europe to work with the "Unreal Engine" - a technology that has so far been established primarily in the computer games sector. With the Unreal Engine, otherwise complex processes and rendering times can be greatly reduced, leading to greater efficiency and more creative freedom.

Further production funding goes toPony heart (400,000 euros, Riva Filmproduktion, Hamburg) by Directors Markus Dietrich and Script Writer Peter Freund. The film is based on the successful children's book series by Usch Luhn and tells the story of eleven-year-old Anni, who has to find her way in a completely new environment after moving to the countryside. She gets help from the wild horse Ponyherz, with whom she feels an almost magical connection. Around three weeks of shooting are planned for the film in Schleswig-Holstein, with Dieter Hallervorden and Nilam Farooq confirmed as cast members so far. Due to its special significance for the region, the Nordbuster committee has increased the funding for "Ponyherz" by a further 250,000 euros.

WithWhen Will It Be Again Like It Never Was Before (300,000 euros, Komplizen Film, Berlin) by Sonja Heiss and co-author Lars Hubrich is a film adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name by actor Joachim Meyerhoff: Insanely funny and deeply touching, Meyerhoff tells the story of how difficult it is to be a family. As the director's son, he grows up on a sprawling psychiatric ward near Schleswig. The film will be shot over a total of nine days in Schleswig-Holstein.

The Norwegian seafarer Alfred and his family get caught up inWar Sailor (300,000 euros, Rohfilm Factory, Leipzig) by Director Gunnar Vikene takes us into the turmoil of the Second World War. The family fights for their lives and for everything that means something to them. The German-Norwegian co-production will shoot for around two and a half weeks in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein in the spring.

Behind the seriesReturn of the men are two big names from Hamburg: Tatort director Mia Spengler and renowned Script Writer Ruth Toma ("Der Junge muss an die frische Luft") will receive 55,000 euros in screenplay funding for their joint project. A further 30,000 euros will go to the scriptHere are lions by Script Writer Miraz Bezar and Fatih Akin's production company bombero international. The film is based on the novel by Katerina Poladjan and tells a story of exile, of being lost and of pain that still resonates generations later.

The adventure dramaIf there is a war, we will go into the desert (Cuckoo Clock Entertainment, Hamburg) by Marc Brummund and Raoul Reinert will receive project development funding totalling 20,000 euros. A distribution grant of 40,000 euros is available for the children's filmLaura's star (Warner Bros, Hamburg).

TheHigh End Committee is responsible for films and series with production costs of over 3.5 million euros. The funding decision was made on 18 November by Christian Granderath, Murat Isgüder, Wenka von Mikulicz, Caroline von Senden, Ipek Zübert and Helge Albers.

TheNordbuster Committee is responsible for films that are of particular cultural and economic importance to the region. The annual funding sum of one million euros is provided by Warner Bros. in the form of a trust fund. The funding decision was made on 20 November by Maike Haas, Benjamina Mirnik-Voges and Peter Preisser.

A detailed overview of all funded projects is available here.