Theater and cinema
Federal government agrees on Corona aid for actors
– A member of a film team holds a clapperboard. Photo: Tobias Hase / dpa © dpa-infocom GmbH
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Theaters and cinemas have been closed again for weeks. The pandemic means difficult times for actors and actresses. Now the federal government wants to improve aid money.
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After a long struggle, the federal government has agreed on help for short-term employees in the cultural scene, such as actors.
In addition to the self-employed and the employed, the “short-term employees in the performing arts” should also be able to apply for assistance of up to 7500 euros for January to June 2021, as stated in a statement on Friday.
This also supports actors who are not permanently employed. So far they had fallen through the rust with the aid programs because they are only employed for guest performances at theaters or for films. Because of short periods of employment, there is no entitlement to unemployment benefit or short-time work benefit. At the same time, many job opportunities were lost in the pandemic.
“In this crisis we must not give up our cultural identity and we have to support the people who embody it,” said Federal Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU). Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) was delighted that “we can also provide targeted financial help for the actors who have been hard hit by the pandemic”.
From the point of view of Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters (CDU), “those in the cultural sector who are suffering the most from the pandemic, personally and economically, will now also receive a fair and generous offer”. Nationwide, for example, theaters and cinemas have been closed again for weeks due to the corona virus.
The Federal Drama Association (BFFS) welcomed the Federal Government’s decision. The association had long pointed out the problems in the crisis. According to board member Heinrich Schafmeister, Grütters had worked intensively within the federal government to ensure that, in addition to self-employed individuals, temporary employees also had access to bridging aid. “Politicians understood,” he said.
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