German animated films and TV series disproportionately successful in Germany and Europe / Nearly 40 million admissions since 1997 / VdAP Board of Directors Spokesman Michael Schmetz: "Time to pool the special interests of the branch" / Push to establish both national and international networks

Pau/Berlin, 22 September 2006 – "Werner", "The Little Polar Bear", "Felix" – since 1997 approximately one in nine tickets purchased for German films in Germany has been for an animated film – despite the proportion of animated movies barely reaching three percent. And when measured against other European countries, German animated feature films ranked second to British productions (39.59%) between 1999 und 2003, taking a market share of 37.45%. In recent years, almost 40 million European filmgoers have chosen to see animated films from Germany. This popularity is echoed on the German and European television markets.

German animation does not just include film and television productions, they also encompass areas such as special effects, gaming and mobile applications to include almost all media and copyrighted materials. They reap revenue, earn profits, generate jobs, transfer cultural identity and, in addition, provide exceptional entertainment. Yet policymakers lack awareness of industry needs, framework conditions for international co-productions must be improved and public perception of German animation is not commensurate with the industry's achievements. The VdAP will change this in its role as lobbyist for German animation.

"The conditions of our branch are, in part, very unique," said VdAP board of directors spokesman Michael Schmetz today at the European TV co-productions market "Cartoon Forum" in Pau, France. "We have much longer production times than live-action film, we have to make more precise plans and obtain significantly more funding. Our success proves that we are doing many things right, but we'll be able to achieve much more with a sound lobby. It is time to pool the special interests of the branch." Doing this requires political lobbying, to improve the basic conditions for international co-productions, for example. Fostering talent, organizing education and further training and, finally, networking the industry internationally and nationally are also essential factors.