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There's an odd sense of optimism in Germany.

Thanks to a great World Cup, a monthlong party where Germany's team played exciting and, yes, optimistic soccer, it seems the whole country has stopped complaining.

Just a few days before the final game, Culture Minister Bernd Neumann released his plan to "invigorate" the German film industry and bring big-budget shoots into the country.

In essence, the plans are a copy of the U.K.'s new tax incentives with one big difference. The difference is that Germany has capped the total refund at €60 million ($75 million) per year for the next three years. This new system will replace the cash-rich but legally dubious film fund model.

Like the Brits, Germans shooting at home, or international producers shooting in Germany, will receive a tax refund of between 15%-20% of the cash spent in country.

As expected, German producers embraced Neumann's proposal. Georgia Tornow, general secretary of producers association Film20, says it will allow filmmakers to pick up the pace of production and "intensify international cooperation."

But exactly who will benefit from the new system is still an open question.

It is hard to imagine Hollywood rushing to shoot in Munich or Berlin on the back of a 15% tax break. The €60 million cap also limits the number of tentpoles Germany can accommodate. One "Mission: Impossible III" or "Superman Returns" would bust Berlin's bank.

In fact, it is expected that non-Germans will have to have a German producer on board in order to access the tax rebate. There is also talk of setting an upper rebate limit of €4 million per production. Tiny for a $100 million-plus blockbuster.

Another problem with the cap is that it means there will likely be a selection process to determine which films get rebates. This risks turning the system into a back-door subsidy for producers who already tap state cash to bankroll their movies.

Genre filmmaker Uwe Boll argues the new model will force German producers to shoot outside the country. He points out that for his new horror feature "Seed," he is getting a 38% tax break by shooting entirely in Canada.

Robert Strasser, head of the German association of film funds, says that by shutting out private capital, Berlin is missing out on "up to €200 million ($253 million) a year that could be going to local films."

Strasser also worries that Germany's public broadcasters will move in to claim the bulk of the €60 million benefit and cut back on their real production budgets as a result.

So what started as an optimistic vision for the future of the German film industry has turned into a good old German moaning match.

Maybe the Berlin boys should just stick to soccer.

Scott Roxborough can be reached at sroxborough@yahoo.de