RTL Group | Potsdam, 05/17/2023

UFA Launches ‘#PerspectiveMatters’ Competition

Subject: Society
Country: Germany
Category: Project

UFA aims to increase the number of people with disabilities in films, series, and other entertainment formats. For this purpose, it has launched the competition “#PerspectiveMatters’, which seeks ideas for a TV series. The best idea will win €3,000 and the chance to be filmed.

UFA is launching an initiative to increase the number of people with disabilities in films, series and other entertainment formats. The aim is to gradually represent the real diversity of society in TV and streaming to a greater degree, according to the company. As part of the UFA series call for tenders published yesterday and titled “#PerspectiveMatters’, a fictional series with 15 to 45 minute episodes is sought. Documentary and docutainment formats are also encouraged.

The tender addresses film creatives and authors who have disabilities or close, personal experience with people with disabilities. The best idea will receive €3,000 and the chance to develop the material with the aim of being produced by UFA. The best idea for a series will be selected and honored by a jury consisting of members from all UFA units in cooperation with author and activist Raul Krauthausen and the “Rollenfang” platform for inclusion in film and television.

“Increase visibility”

“As program makers for millions of people, we carry a responsibility,” said Juliana Maug, Diversity Manager and Story Editor at UFA Serial Drama. “This includes showing the society in which we live in our programs as it is. In addition to other underrepresented groups, this also applies to people with disabilities. We want to clearly increase their visibility with the assistance of our competition, and we look forward to many exciting submissions and the cooperation of our top-notch expert jury.”

As part of its stated commitment to diversity, UFA has been the first production company in the German language market to document the development of the visibility of thus far underrepresented groups since 2020 – including women, People of Color (PoC), LGBTIQ+, and people with disabilities in lead and supporting roles of its self-produced series and films, as well as shows and documentaries. The production company plans to publish figures about the current development this summer. More information about the UFA series tender “#PerspectiveMatters’ is available at the attached link.