Film production in Germany
Germany is covered here with 58 locations. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 9h 50min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.
Locations at a glance
The table shows June and December daylight for each location — the two numbers a schedule hinges on across the year.
| Location | Daylight June | Daylight December | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiel | 17h 11min | 7h 21min | 9h 50min |
| Rostock | 17h 08min | 7h 24min | 9h 44min |
| Lübeck | 17h 05min | 7h 27min | 9h 38min |
| Hamburg | 17h 01min | 7h 30min | 9h 31min |
| Bremen | 16h 55min | 7h 35min | 9h 20min |
| Oldenburg | 16h 55min | 7h 35min | 9h 20min |
| Berlin | 16h 48min | 7h 42min | 9h 06min |
| Wolfsburg | 16h 47min | 7h 43min | 9h 04min |
| Hannover | 16h 46min | 7h 43min | 9h 03min |
| Potsdam | 16h 46min | 7h 43min | 9h 03min |
| Braunschweig | 16h 45min | 7h 44min | 9h 01min |
| Osnabrück | 16h 45min | 7h 44min | 9h 01min |
| Magdeburg | 16h 43min | 7h 46min | 8h 57min |
| Bielefeld | 16h 42min | 7h 47min | 8h 55min |
| Münster | 16h 41min | 7h 47min | 8h 54min |
| Cottbus | 16h 39min | 7h 50min | 8h 49min |
| Dortmund | 16h 36min | 7h 52min | 8h 44min |
| Bochum | 16h 36min | 7h 52min | 8h 44min |
| Halle (Saale) | 16h 36min | 7h 52min | 8h 44min |
| Essen | 16h 36min | 7h 53min | 8h 43min |
| Duisburg | 16h 36min | 7h 53min | 8h 43min |
| Leipzig | 16h 34min | 7h 54min | 8h 40min |
| Kassel | 16h 34min | 7h 54min | 8h 40min |
| Wuppertal | 16h 34min | 7h 55min | 8h 39min |
| Düsseldorf | 16h 33min | 7h 55min | 8h 38min |
| Mönchengladbach | 16h 33min | 7h 55min | 8h 38min |
| Görlitz | 16h 32min | 7h 56min | 8h 36min |
| Dresden | 16h 31min | 7h 57min | 8h 34min |
| Erfurt | 16h 31min | 7h 57min | 8h 34min |
| Cologne | 16h 30min | 7h 58min | 8h 32min |
| Jena | 16h 30min | 7h 58min | 8h 32min |
| Chemnitz | 16h 29min | 7h 59min | 8h 30min |
| Aachen | 16h 28min | 7h 59min | 8h 29min |
| Bonn | 16h 28min | 8h 00min | 8h 28min |
| Koblenz | 16h 24min | 8h 03min | 8h 21min |
| Frankfurt am Main | 16h 21min | 8h 06min | 8h 15min |
| Wiesbaden | 16h 21min | 8h 06min | 8h 15min |
| Offenbach am Main | 16h 21min | 8h 06min | 8h 15min |
| Mainz | 16h 20min | 8h 07min | 8h 13min |
| Darmstadt | 16h 19min | 8h 08min | 8h 11min |
| Würzburg | 16h 18min | 8h 08min | 8h 10min |
| Trier | 16h 18min | 8h 09min | 8h 09min |
| Mannheim | 16h 15min | 8h 11min | 8h 04min |
| Nuremberg | 16h 15min | 8h 12min | 8h 03min |
| Saarbrücken | 16h 13min | 8h 13min | 8h 00min |
| Heilbronn | 16h 12min | 8h 14min | 7h 58min |
| Regensburg | 16h 11min | 8h 15min | 7h 56min |
| Karlsruhe | 16h 11min | 8h 16min | 7h 55min |
| Ludwigsburg | 16h 09min | 8h 16min | 7h 53min |
| Stuttgart | 16h 08min | 8h 18min | 7h 50min |
| Ingolstadt | 16h 08min | 8h 18min | 7h 50min |
| Baden-Baden | 16h 08min | 8h 18min | 7h 50min |
| Ulm | 16h 05min | 8h 21min | 7h 44min |
| Augsburg | 16h 04min | 8h 21min | 7h 43min |
| Unterföhring | 16h 03min | 8h 23min | 7h 40min |
| Munich | 16h 02min | 8h 23min | 7h 39min |
| Freiburg im Breisgau | 16h 01min | 8h 24min | 7h 37min |
| Grünwald | 16h 01min | 8h 24min | 7h 37min |
What that means for planning
Kiel has the widest swing at 9h 50min, Grünwald the narrowest at 7h 37min. The wider the spread, the more a schedule has to differ between summer and winter — same setup count, different hours to fit it in.
Concretely: in December, the sun in Kiel sets at 15:56, with golden hour starting as early as 14:45. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.
TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.
Film incentives and rebates
Since January 2025 the DFFF reimburses 30 % of approved German production costs (previously 20/25 %). Apply to the FFA before principal photography. Germany stacks the federal fund with regional funders (FFF Bavaria, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, MOIN, MFG), which can add grants on top. Studios: Babelsberg, Bavaria, MMC Cologne, Penzing.
What that means in practice depends on the qualifying share: on a €1m budget with 60 % qualifying spend, the 30 % rate returns roughly €180,000. Provided without warranty. Permit and incentive conditions change; the responsible authority is always the binding source.
- DFFF I/II (German Federal Film Fund): 30 % of qualifying spend (as of 2025-01, ffa.de (DFFF-Richtlinie))
- GMPF (German Motion Picture Fund, high-end series): 30 % of qualifying spend (as of 2025-01, ffa.de (GMPF-Richtlinie))
As of: 2025-01 · Source: ffa.de (DFFF-Richtlinie)
Permits and local requirements
Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.
File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.
Frequently asked
How many locations in Germany are covered here?
58. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.
Which location in Germany has the longest shooting days?
In June, Kiel with 17h 11min of daylight. In December that drops to 7h 21min.
When is the best time to shoot in Germany?
On daylight length alone, June. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.
Do I need a separate permit for every location?
As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.