The academy was founded in 2003 in Berlin, on the initiative of
Helmut Dietl,
Bernd Eichinger, and Ulrich Felsberg. It initially comprised 100 members— and was intended as a way to provide native filmmakers a forum for discussion and a way to promote the reputation of German cinema through publications, presentations, discussions, and regular promotion of the subject in schools. Since 2005, the winners of the
Deutscher Filmpreis (colloquially known as the
Lolas) have been elected by members of the Deutsche Filmakademie. In 2007, a group of academy critics—including filmmakers
Hans-Christian Schmid,
Andres Veiel, and
Hans Weingartner, several film festival directors, and the German association of film critics—opened talks with German culture minister
Bernd Neumann, in an effort to return to the previous system and have politicians and critics, not academy members, decide who gets the Lolas. In 2008, the academy's internet service
24 – Das Wissensportal der Deutschen Filmakademie was launched. The portal provides an insight into the creation of a movie, with the hope of making the work of independent filmmakers more transparent and accountable. The Deutsche Filmakademie is not to be confused with the 1938 Deutsche Filmakademie, founded in
Babelsberg. ==Membership==