Montreal: Quebec cultural funding and certification agency SODEC and the Bavarian state funding agency FilmFernsehFonds Bayern have signed a cooperation agreement covering film and audiovisual affairs.

The four-year agreement is intended to address a range of industry initiatives including coproduction, especially in the youth and animation sectors, professional meetings, improved distribution and international cultural diversity issues.

‘As there is no real [coproduction] agreement between Canada and Germany, we are somewhat ahead of our respective national governments,’ says Dr. Klaus Schaefer, president of FFF-Bayern, who was in Montreal for the May 16 signing. ‘The agreement is a source of great pride,’ adds Pierre Lafleur, SODEC president.

At the signing, Vivavision president and CEO Jean-Pierre Morin announced a new coproduction between Trixter Films of Germany and Magma Films of Ireland. The houses will coproduce 13 half-hours of the animated series Lilly the Witch, budgeted at $7.8 million and presold to BBC, WDR in Germany and TVOntario and Knowledge Network in Canada.

FFF-Bayern has invested $870,300 in the new production.

The protocol agreement between SODEC and FFF-Bayern follows an October 2002 Quebec industry mission to Bavaria, which included 10 production companies, a broadcaster and delegation head Joelle Levie, SODEC director-general of film and TV.

-www.sodec.gouv.qc.ca

-www.fff-bayern.de