The Contact Point of the KFA (KurzFilmAgentur Hamburg e.V.) has been in existence since 1996. It was initiated by the KFA with the support of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Arts Council of Hamburg in 1996, and is financed by both bodies. Its main aim is to enhance marketing and commercial possibilities for short films as well as to offer advice to new film talent.

The increasingly established nature of the Contact Point has enabled it to significantly raise public awareness of short films in Germany. At the same time, it has profited from the experience and professional expertise of the KFA staff which have been instrumental in promoting and laying the foundations for the heightened profile of short film in Germany.

Our main focus throughout has been on raising public awareness of German short film productions. In addition, the KFA was significantly involved in founding the AG Kurzfilm e.V. – Bundesverband deutscher Film (German Short Film Association) and cooperates with it on numerous levels. This includes active work as a board member, as well as participation in the compilation of film titles for the “German Short Films” annual catalogue, which contributes significantly to the awareness of German short films at home and abroad.

Initially, our main task was to provide feature film distributors with acclaimed German short films (in accordance with the guidelines of the German Federal Film Board) to comply with former § 20 of the Federal Film Funding law, which stipulated that a short film had to be shown together with a full-length film. The KFA is continuing with this work.

The modification of § 20, dramatic changes in both the economic environment and, especially, new media technology (digitalization, online distribution, social networks, etc.) in the last ten years have led to an expansion of our areas of responsibility.

Our new goals are to introduce measures to improve access to information relevant for the production and utilization of short films by young German film talents. Closely connected to these aims, is the goal of improving the underlying conditions for a market-oriented utilization of German short films, indeed, beyond the realm of cinemas.