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Stars, filmmakers and industry reps gathered at Soho House for Studio Babelsberg’s annual Berlinale bash on Friday, celebrating the renowned company’s cinematic legacy and its central role in Germany’s bustling film and TV sector.

Recent productions shot at the storied studio, part of the Cinespace Studios group, include Tom Tykwer’s Berlinale opener “The Light” as well as Wes Anderson’s upcoming “The Phoenician Scheme” and Robert Schwentke’s thriller “Control,” starring James McAvoy and Julianne Moore.

Ken Duken, Volker Schlöndorff and Detlev Buck

Among this year’s high-profile guests at the Cinespace x Studio Babelsberg Night were Lana Wachowski, Toby Onwumere, Aaron Altaras, Anika Decker, Volker Schlöndorff, Julia von Heinz, Jeanne Goursaud, David Schütter, Lars Kraume, Detlev Buck, Heiner Lauterbach, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Malick Bauer, Florence Kasumba, Hannah Herzsprung, Marie Mouroum, Klara Lange, Dani Levy, Oliver Masucci, Lea van Acken, Sabin Tambrea and Pheline Roggan.

Lana Wachowski

Speaking to Variety,...

If we know anything, it’s that Viking movies and shows can certainly fit into many genres but if we are talking about it seriously, Vikings on its own is a separate genre because there is a different feel to any Viking-related movie or show that can only come from this specific genre. So, if you like Vikings-related movies or shows here are the absolute best movies and shows you can find on Netflix right now.

Norsemen (Series) Credit – Netflix

Norsemen is a Norwegian historical comedy series created by Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen. The Netflix series is set in the 8th century and it follows the Vikings village people as they experience political rivalries, social change, and the deaths of their fellow warriors in a pretty comedic manner. Norsemen stars Jon Iver Helgaker, Silje Torp, Kåre Conradi, Nils Jørgen Kaalstad, Kristine Riis, Trond Fausa Aurvåg, Jon Øigarden, Marian Saastad Ottesen,...

Exclusive: As the Cannes market kicks into gear, leading German producer Christian Becker, How to Be Single bilingual writer-director Christian Ditter and international sales agent Rocket Science are landing on the Croisette with Momo, one of their most ambitious projects to date.

The big-budget project, which is currently filming in Croatia, is the English-language adaptation of one of Michael Ende’s most beloved fantasy novels. Most will be familiar with Ende as the writer of The Neverending Story, which was adapted for the big screen in 1984 and became a cult classic in the U.S. and internationally (that title is currently getting a big new screen adaptation with See-Saw Films). But Momo is one of the German novelist’s most beloved stories, especially in Europe, and has been translated into more than 50 languages and has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.

The story focuses on Momo (played by A Gentleman...

Exclusive: The English-language adaptation of Momo, one of the best-loved fantasy books by The Neverending Story writer Michael Ende, has set a buzzy cast, with Alexa Goodall (A Gentleman In Moscow) taking the lead role of the young orphan girl Momo.

The main cast is completed by Araloyin Oshunremi, Kim Bodnia, Claes Bang (The Square), Laura Haddock, Jennifer Amaka Peterson (The Sandhamn Murders), David Schütter (Charlie’s Angels) and Martin Freeman.

Deadline can also reveal an exclusive first look of Goodall in Momo, which is currently filming in Croatia and Slovenia.

The film is produced by prolific German producer Christian Becker and written and directed by bilingual writer-director Christian Ditter (How To Be Single), who both snagged rights to the popular novel a few years ago and an under-the-radar deal.

Alfred Herrhausen, born in 1930, was the chairman of Deutsche Bank. But to the team behind German series “Herrhausen – The Banker and the Bomb,” premiering at Series Mania, he was a “visionary.”

“He was a humane banker, always looking into the future. What you see in this show is a person who tries to do something new and others prevent him from doing it. They say: ‘We have never done it before.’ He says: ‘Well, that’s the definition of the word ‘new,’” says actor Oliver Masucci.

The show, written by Thomas Wendrich, premieres the trailer in exclusivity with Variety.

Before taking on Herrhausen, Masucci gained prominence thanks to Netflix’s “Dark.” Next, he will be seen in the BBC and CBS Studios show “King and Conqueror” alongside Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William the Conqueror.

“When we think of bankers now, we think of absolute capitalists. But he kept saying we needed to shift our perspective.

Sebastian Stan, whose “A Different Man” screens in the Berlin Film Festival, Christoph Waltz and Tom Wlaschiha, the “Faceless Man” in “Game of Thrones,” were among the guests at Studio Babelsberg Night, the historic Berlin film studios’ party at Soho House Berlin held to celebrate the 74th edition of the festival. The event was supported by Mexican tequila brand Don Julio, the Motion Picture Assn. and Little Moons. Variety was the media partner.

Among the leading filmmakers welcomed by Babelsberg were Fatih Akin, who won Berlin’s Golden Bear in 2004, Julia von Heinz, whose film “Treasure,” starring Lena Dunham, plays at the Berlinale, and Tom Tykwer, who shot series “Babylon Berlin” at Babelsberg and recently shot feature film “The Light” there.

Christoph Waltz

Other directors and writers at the party included “Dark” creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, who shot Netflix’s “1899” at Babelsberg, Lars Kraume, Detlev Buck and David Wnendt.

Barbarians season 2 explores the tensions between the Romans and the Germanic tribes, with the Roman Empire launching a full-scale invasion to end the rebellion once and for all. Arminius forms an alliance with Marbod, the leader of the Macromanni tribe, but their conflicting principles on dealing with the Romans create further conflict between them. Thusnelda and her son Thumelicus are taken as prisoners of war to Rome, while Arminius's brother Flavus and son Gaius seek revenge by plotting against him.

Following the success of its first season, Barbarians season 2 expands upon the characters while also adding more tension between the Romans and the Germanic tribes. Streaming on Netflix, Barbarians is a fictionalized retelling of Germanic tribes' rebellion, led by Arminius, during the Roman Empire's occupation of Germania. The show has established itself as an epic drama that, like other great historical TV shows, intertwines history and myth. The Romans have...

Thusnelda in Netflix's Barbarians is based on a real-life Germanic noblewoman from the Cherusci tribe, but her portrayal as a warrior and powerful figure is fictionalized for the series. Barbarians incorporates real historical figures like Thusnelda, Arminius, Segestes, and Segimer to bring authenticity to the story, despite some inaccuracies in the facts. Though the real Thusnelda was a victim of war and violence, her fictional counterpart in Barbarians portrays her as a strong and influential character, playing a significant role in the depicted history and relationships.

The Germanic warrior Thusnelda (Jeanne Goursaud) in Netflix’s Barbarians is actually based on a real-life figure. Barbarians is a German-language historical war drama that takes a fictionalized look at the Roman Empire’s invasion of Germania at the start of the first millennium. Arminius (Laurence Rupp) is a member of the Cherusci tribe but was sent to Rome as a hostage when he was young.

"You just make sure the murderers eat well." Cohen Media Group has revealed another official US trailer for the German WWII drama Persian Lessons, made by Ukrainian filmmaker Vadim Perelman. This first premiered back in 2020 just before the pandemic at the Berlin Film Festival, before getting lost in all the shutdowns. It played at various fests over the next few years, and opened in Germany in late 2020 already. The US release has finally been set - over three years later - for this June in select theaters. Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) is arrested by Nazis alongside other Jews and sent to a camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, but Gilles gets assigned a life-or-death mission: to teach Farsi to the Head of Camp Koch. Through an ingenious trick, he manages to survive...

Munich-based sales agency Beta Cinema has launched the international trailer (below) for “In a Land That No Longer Exists,” which has its international premiere on Oct. 21 in the competition section of the Rome Film Festival.

Aelrun Goette’s feature debut, which was released in Germany on Thursday by Tobis, is inspired by the director’s own experiences in East Germany during the late 80s, when she worked as a model for fashion magazine Sibylle, the so-called “Vogue of the East.”

The action takes place in East Berlin in the early summer of 1989, a few months before the fall of the Wall. Eighteen-year-old Suzie is thrown headfirst into the vibrant fashion scene in socialist East Germany when a photograph of her ends up on the cover of Sibylle.

Together with the glamorous Rudi, she dives into the underground subculture working on their own fantastic fashion designs. When she falls in love...

Season Two of  action drama series "Barbarians", starring Laurence Rupp, Jeanne Goursaud and David Schütter, set during the 'Roman Empire' occupation of 'Germania', streams October 21, 2022 on Netflix:

"...in 9 Ad, Germanic tribes are oppressed by the empire's heavy taxes and demands for tribute. 

"Attempts to form a unified resistance are hampered by petty in-fighting between the tribal chieftains...

"...and aspirations of tribesmen desiring peace with Rome...

"...until events culminate in a massive ambush of three Roman legions at the 'Battle of the Teutoburg Forest'..." 

Click the images to enlarge...

Exclusive: The fight against Rome continues. Good news for Barbarians fans, cameras are now rolling on the second season of the historical action show, which is Netflix’s most successful German series.

Six 45-minute episodes will be filmed in Krakow, Poland, and its surroundings. Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters) is acting and showrunner and will direct episodes 1-3 and 6.

Returners in the cast include leads Jeanne Goursaud, Laurence Rupp and David Schütter. Joining in new roles are Daniel Donskoy, Murathan Muslu, Cynthia Micas, Katharina Heyer, Giovanni Carta and Alessandro Fella.

As per last season, Gaumont’s managing director, Sabine de Mardt, is in charge of the production, together with Andreas Bareiss and Rainer Marquass.

Barbarians was Netflix’s most successful German content, series or film, before it was recently topped by the feature Blood Red Sky, which was watched by north of 50 million households in its first 28 days.

Top of this...

"Barbarians", renewed for Season Two, is the historical TV series starring Laurence Rupp, Jeanne Goursaud and David Schütter, set during the 'Roman Empire' occupation of 'Germania' and the resulting rebellion of tribes led by 'Arminius:

"...in 9 Ad, Germanic tribes are oppressed by the empire's heavy taxes and demands for tribute. 

"Attempts to form a unified resistance are hampered by petty in-fighting between the tribal chieftains...

"...and aspirations of tribesmen desiring peace with Rome...

"...until events culminate in a massive ambush of three Roman legions at the 'Battle of the Teutoburg Forest'..." 

Click the images to enlarge...

Recently renewed for Season Two on Netflix, "Barbarians" is the German-produced historical TV series created by Andreas Heckmann, Arne Nolting and Jan Martin Scharf, starring Laurence Rupp, Jeanne Goursaud and David Schütter, set during the 'Roman Empire' occupation of 'Germania' and the resulting rebellion of tribes led by 'Arminius:

"...in 9 Ad, Germanic tribes are oppressed by the empire's heavy taxes and demands for tribute. 

"Attempts to form a unified resistance are hampered by petty in-fighting between the tribal chieftains...

"...and aspirations of tribesmen desiring peace with Rome...

"...until events culminate in a massive ambush of three Roman legions at the 'Battle of the Teutoburg Forest'..." 

Click the images to enlarge...

Just because Netflix viewers don’t live in a world where it’s acceptable to strip to the waist, smear ourself in blood and send a spear whistling through the neck of our enemy, doesn’t mean that we don’t want to watch other people doing it. We very much do.

Brutal historical TV drama is a holiday from our small lives. Olden-days mud and guts are an antidote to hours spent worrying about whether we offended Justin in accounts with that .gif, or if our dog is eating a sufficiently iron-rich diet. To the modern person, the life of a warrior has an attractive simplicity: Fight. Drink. Orgy. Usurp Enemy’s Throne. Drink. Fight. Die on your feet, in the rain, screaming in slow-motion. None of us, with our daily step goals and Deliveroo orders, can dream of such an existence. When we die, we know it’ll be at normal speed.

"You would die with that nameless horde?" "They're only nameless, because you don't know their names." Memento Films has released an official trailer for Persian Lessons (feat. English subtitles), a German-Russian WWII thriller from filmmaker Vadim Perelman (House of Sand and Fog). This premiered at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year. Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) is arrested by SS soldiers alongside other Jews and sent to a camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, but Gilles gets assigned a life-or-death mission: to teach Farsi to Head of Camp Koch. Through an ingenious trick, he manages to survive by inventing words of "Farsi" every day and teaching them to Koch. A harrowing story of survival during the Holocaust. The cast features Lars Eidinger as Koch, Jonas Nay, David Schütter, Alexander Beyer, Andreas Hofer,...

Barbarians Trailer — Netflix‘s Barbarians (2020) teaser trailer has been released and stars Gaetano Aronica, Bence Ferenczi, Jeanne Goursaud, Tibor Milos Krisko, Jeremy Miliker, Laurence Rupp, David Schütter, Bernhard Schütz, Eva Verena Müller, and Sergej Onopko. Crew Barbara Eder and Steve Saint Leger directed the episodes for this TV series. Plot Synopsis Barbarians‘ plot synopsis: “During the [...]

Continue reading: Barbarians (2020) Teaser Trailer: The Teutoburg Forest Battle between Germanic Tribes & Rome is Brought to Life [Netflix]...

In “Schindler’s List,” most of the actors spoke English, using accents to indicate their characters’ origins. In “Son of Saul,” the cast struggles to communicate in a mish-mosh of languages, as Jews of different nationalities were thrown together in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Stories about the Holocaust — so vital in trying to reconcile the horrors of the past century — must at some point take a philosophical stand on how to deal with how their characters express themselves.

And then there is “Persian Lessons,” a most peculiar anomaly among tales of the Shoah: It tells of a Belgian Jew who invented a language in order to survive World War II. The film claims to be “inspired by a true story” but is really a parable in the tradition of “The Reader,” wherein a terrified prisoner (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) agrees to teach Farsi — a language he does not know and is therefore obliged to...

The Berlin Film Festival has added special screenings for Vadim Perelman’s Persian Lessons with Nahuel Pérez Biscayart and Lars Eidinger, and Anne Fontaine’s Police, starring Omar Sy and Virginie Efira. Both are world premieres.

The former, set in Occupied France in 1942, follows a man who is arrested by the SS alongside other Jews and sent to a concentration camp in Germany. Police focuses on three Parisian police officers charged with driving a stranger back to the border. Scroll down for more details.

There will also be a special screening of Jerry Lewis’s 1963 movie The Nutty Professor. Previously announced special screenings include Johnny Depp starrer Minamata and Roberto Benigni-voiced Pinocchio.

The festival has also revealed movies in the Berlinale Classics lineup, including Fellini’s Il bidone (The Swindle), and two of the earliest narrative films about the Holocaust, Ostatni Etap (The Last Stage) and Daleká Cesta (Distant...

Lars Eidinger, Nahuel Perez Biscayart lead the cast.

Clouds Of Sils Maria actor Lars Eidinger and Bpm (Beats Per Minute) actor Nahuel Perez Biscayart lead the cast of Persian Lessons, which Memento Films is launching at this week’s European Film Market in Berlin.

The film is from director Vadim Perelman, whose credits include House Of Sand And Fog, which was nominated for three Oscars in 2004, and The Life Before Her Eyes, which was at Toronto in 2007. Set during the Second World War, the story follows a Jewish man who avoids being sent to a concentration camp by claiming to be Persian.

Lars Eidinger, Nahuel Perez Biscayart lead the cast.

Clouds Of Sils Maria actor Lars Eidinger and Bpm (Beats Per Minute) actor Nahuel Perez Biscayart lead the cast of Persian Lessons, which Memento Films is launching at this week’s European Film Market in Berlin.

The film is from director Vadim Perelman, whose credits include House Of Sand And Fog, which was nominated for three Oscars in 2004, and The Life Before Her Eyes, which was at Toronto in 2007. Set during the second world war, the story follows a Jewish man who avoids being sent to a concentration camp by claiming to be Persian.

Selection includes TV series from UK, Sweden, Austria, France, Germany, Israel and Denmark.

The Berlin International Film Festival (February 7 – 17) has unveiled the seven TV titles set to be screened in this year’s Berlinale Series programme.

Among the line-up is Amazon’s Hanna written by David Farr, who co-wrote the 2011 film of the same name. It is directed by Sarah Adina Smith, whose film credits include Buster Mal’s Heart, which starred Rami Malek. Hanna stars Esmé Creed-Miles, Joel Kinnaman and Mireille Enos. NBCUniversal International Studios is producing alongside Working Title Television.

Also in the selection is Netflix’s first Swedish original series Quicksand,...

Name and focus changes for every section, which are now all competitive, resulting in the festival’s structure being “slimmer’.

The ninth Rome Film Festival (Oct 16-25) has revealed a diverse line-up including the Italian premieres for potential awards contenders including David Fincher’s Gone Girl. the world premiere of Takashi Miike’s As the Gods Will and Burhan Qurbani’s We are Young, We are Strong and European premiere of Oren Moverman’s Time Out of Mind, Toronto hit Still Alice and Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.

This year for the first time the award-winners in each section of the programme will be decided by the audience on the basis of votes cast after the screenings.

Each section has changed name and focus for 2014 and are all competitive, resulting in the festival’s structure being “slimmer’.

Italian comedies Soap Opera and Andiamo a Quel Paese bookend the line-up.

Full line-up

Cinema D’Oggi

World premiere

• Angely...