The Spitzenorganisation der Filmwirtschaft e.V., SPIO, represents the interest of the German film industry. It was registered in Wiesbaden in 1950 and is the umbrella organisation of currently 19 motion picture, video und television trade associations representing over 1,100 member companies. The association’s executive bodies are the General Assembly and the Executive Board.

In addition to the association’s activities in the fields of film policy and industry matters, the SPIO also looks after further duties: The FSK Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft GmbH, the Organisation for the Voluntary Self-regulation / Film Classification Board of the German Film Industry is a subsidiary of SPIO. As the oldest German self-regulatory body, the FSK enforces the legally regulated protection of youth and minors by denoting the age restrictions for films, videos and digital image carriers which will be publicly screened to children and young people or made available to them. The age limits are: no age limit, 6 years and above, 12 years and above, 16 years and above, and not passed for under 18 years. The FSK-Classifications are found at www.fsk.de.

The SPIO also compiles an extensive register of titles. A title’s precedence can be proven through the publication of an entry’s registration.

The SPIO’s Statistical Department gathers all available data in the field of the German film and video industry. It publishes the following publications: release schedule, production roundup, quarterly report (overview of all of the feature films premiered in Germany). Feature Films on Television database; Film Statistical Yearbook. It will also prepare individual analyses on request.

SPIO is a provider of administrative services for numbers of other institutions. These services are undertaken by a subsidiary, the S.M.S. SPIO Management Service GmbH. The SPIO is a member and co-supporter of the German Film Institute – DIF e.V., founder of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Foundation, administrator of the charitable foundation Stiftung Deutsche Filmkünstlernothilfe, coshareholder of the International Munich Film Weeks and organiser of the German Film Ball.