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Exclusive: German Films, the agency that promotes German cinema globally, has revealed the seven participants for its annual Face to Face campaign, which include talents who have worked on projects such as Unorthodox, We Children From Bahnhof Zoo and Tides.

This year, which marks the 10th anniversary of the Face to Face initiative, will see German Films introduce seven burgeoning talents from the German film and TV industry to the international film community at the Berlin Film Festival next month. The initiative has long been considered a significant platform for showcasing German talents to the wider film and television spheres.

This year’s selection includes actors Aaron Altaras, Lea Drinda and Thea Ehre, writer-directors Leonie Krippendorff and Mariko Minoguchi, as well as director Mala Reinhardt and Director of Photography Tim Kuhn.

They are following in the footsteps of filmmakers and stars Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel, Burhan Qurbani, Saskia Rosendahl, Alexander Fehling,...

Christiane F. is a harrowing anti-drug film based on a true story, showcasing the devastating effects of heroin addiction on a young girl. The movie's unflinching realism portrays graphic drug scenes and withdrawal, urging viewers to stay away from drugs at all costs. Christiane's haunting story is depicted authentically, without judgment or glorification, leaving audiences with a sobering caution against drug use.

Released in 1981, Christiane F. is the most harrowing and horrifying anti-drug movie ever made. Directed with unflinching realism by Uli Edel, the movie tells the crushing true story of Christiane Felscherinow (Natja Brunckhorst), a 13-year-old girl looking to escape her life of boredom in West Berlin in 1975. Upon frequenting a local disco with her friends, Christine's recreational drug use soon devolves into a destructive heroin addiction that she can neither resist nor get a hold of despite knowing better.

In what plays out like an anti-drug PSA for young adults,...

Constantin Film has released the first images from Hagen, its hotly-anticipated new fantasy drama, which is looking to tap into the global Game of Thrones and Vikings fan base with a swords-and-magic tale inspired by the Teutonic Nibelungen saga.

Fremantle has picked up worldwide distribution rights outside German-speaking territories to the series from Constantin. Fremantle parent Rtl Group holds German streaming and free TV rights.

The series is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s Hagen von Tronje, a reimagining of the Niebelungen saga, the medieval German folk tale considered the inspiration for such modern-day fantasy epics as J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings.

Hagen follows the story of the soldier Hagen, the legendary dragon slayer Siegfried, the princess warrior Kriemhild, and the magical Valkyrie queen Brunhild in a tale of love, family, power and war that ends —this is a Germanic tale after all — catastrophically.

Gijs Naber (The Story of My Wife...

Fremantle has acquired worldwide rights, excluding German-speaking territories, to Constantin Film’s fantasy drama Hagen (working title) that is being made as both a feature and a six-part TV series.

The Rtl group, also Fremantle’s parent company, holds German streaming and free TV rights.

Hagen is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s novel Hagen von Tronje and is styled as a reimagining of the medieval Nibelungen folk saga. The story is widely considered to be one of the inspirations behind J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings.

The epic adventure centres on the titular soldier and commander...

Fremantle has acquired worldwide rights excluding German-speaking territories to Constantin Film’s fantasy drama Hagen (working title) and released first-look images.

The deal will see Fremantle produce a feature film and a television series of six one-hour episodes. Rtl group holds German streaming and free TV rights.

Fremantle will showcase Hagen as one of its key scripted drama titles at Fremantle Presents on Friday (March 1) as part of London TV Screenings 2024.

Hagen is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s novel Hagen von Tronje and is styled as a reimagining of the medieval Nibelungen folk saga. The story is widely considered...

Here’s a first look at Hagen (working title), the German-Czech fantasy drama epic, which now counts Fremantle as its worldwide distributor.

Based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s bestselling novel ‘Hagen von Tronje’, the series is a reimagining of the medieval Nibelungen folk saga, which is widely considered as an inspiration behind modern fantasy franchises such as George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings.

Super-indie Fremantle has jumped to acquire rights outside of German-speaking territories, with the agreement covering the six-part series and accompanying feature film. Fremantle’s stablemate at German conglomerate Bertelsmann, Rtl, has German streaming and TV rights.

Fremantle plans to launch the series at its Fremantle Presents showcase this Friday (March 1) at the London TV Screenings. This follows an agreement between Rebecca Dundon on behalf of Fremantle and Friedrich Radmann on behalf of Constantin Film.

The series is billed...

Fremantle revealed Wednesday that it has secured worldwide distribution rights, outside of German-speaking territories, to the premium fantasy drama “Hagen” — a working title — from Constantin Film. The deal includes rights to a six-part series and a feature film for theatrical release. Rtl Group holds German streaming and free TV rights.

Fremantle will be showcasing “Hagen” as one of its key scripted drama titles at Fremantle Presents this Friday as part of London TV Screenings.

“Hagen,” which is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s bestselling novel “Hagen von Tronje,” is a reimagining of the medieval “Nibelungen” folk saga. The story is considered to be one of the inspirations behind modern fantasies such as “Game of Thrones” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”

The show centers on dutiful soldier Hagen and Siegfried, the legendary dragon slayer. Hagen, bound by loyalty to the kingdom, is Lord Commander, ready to serve and stand by his king.

Veteran exec will be replaced by deputy chairman Oliver Berben.

Veteran German producer Martin Moszkowicz is to step down as chairman of Constantin Film.

In a statement today, Constantin said that Moszkowicz will let his contract expire as planned and at his own request on February 29, 2024 and will continue to work as a producer for Constantin Film from March 1.

Constantin has appointed deputy chairman, Oliver Berben, to be chairman of the company from March 1, 2024.

Moszkowicz has been part of the Constantin management team since 1990, and is responsible for the company’s film business, including worldwide production and distribution, world sales,...

Respected German industry veteran Martin Moszkowicz is stepping down as chairman of Resident Evil producer Constantin Film.

The independent film and TV production company announced that Moszkowicz will let his contract expire as planned and at his own request on February 29, 2024. He will continue to work as a producer for Constantin Film from March 1, 2024.

Current Deputy Chairman Oliver Berben has been appointed as his replacement in the chairman role with effect as of March 1 2024. In other board news, Hanns Beese has extended his contract.

“We are very grateful to Martin Moszkowicz for his many years of professional and loyal leadership and cooperation. Under his guidance, Constantin Film has developed sustainably into one of the most successful independent film and television production companies in Europe,” said Bernhard Burgener, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Constantin Film.

“We wish him the very best for his future and...

Martin Moszkowicz is to step down as chairman of the executive board of Constantin Film, the producer of the “Resident Evil” franchise and one of Germany’s leading distributors, with deputy chairman Oliver Berben taking over the role.

At his own request, Moszkowicz is to let his contract expire on Feb. 29, 2024, and he will then continue to work as a producer for Constantin Film from March 1, 2024. The company’s supervisory board has approved his request and has appointed Berben to be chairman of the executive board as of March 1, 2024. Additionally, Hanns Beese, the member of the board in charge of finance, has extended his contract.

Moszkowicz is one of the leading producers in the independent film and television sectors worldwide. Constantin Film has achieved major successes on his watch and has established itself as a leading media company both at home and abroad.

“We are very grateful to Martin Moszkowicz...

If Hollywood writers go on strike — a possibility as we close in on the May 1 deadline without a new deal between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — the impact will be felt far beyond New York and Los Angeles. Around the world, producers and distribution companies, not to mention non-wga affiliated writers, are closely watching the ongoing negotiations, with an expectation that a WGA walkout could mean a boost in demand for new international content.

“As with previous WGA strikes, we’d expect there will be an increased demand for content from outside the U.S., particularly from English-speaking countries like the U.K. and Australia,” says Martin Moszkowicz and Oliver Berben of German mini-major Constantin Film, producers of the English-language Resident Evil horror franchise as well as German films and series including We Children From Bahnhof Zoo, which streams on Amazon,...

Exclusive: A backpacker’s battle to escape the locked boot of a car and regain her memory is to be the plot of Amazon Prime Video’s latest German movie.

In high-octane thriller Trunk (working title), Sina Martens will play Malina, who wakes up disoriented to discover to her horror that she is missing more than her memory. With her mobile phone as her only link to the outside world, she wages a desperate battle for survival as the vehicle races inexorably towards a terrible mystery. Even if she makes it – she will never be the same.

The movie has echoes of claustrophobic single-location action features such as Ryan Reynolds’ Buried and is being produced by German indie Outside the Club. Marc Schießer is writing, directing and producing and Tobias Lohf will also produce.

Amazon Head of German Originals Philip Pratt said Trunk will “take viewers on...

Comedy actors Anke Engelke and Bastian Pastewka will star in a new German original series for Amazon Prime Video to be produced by Bildundtonfabrik.

The series is due to appear on the platform next year. Further details on the show have yet to be announced.

“Anke Engelke and Bastian Pastewka are a real dream team in front of the camera. Viewers can look forward to their first series project together on Prime Video,” said Philip Pratt, head of German originals for Prime Video.

News of the show was revealed by Pratt on Tuesday at a panel during the Berlin Film Festival about Prime Video’s international content strategy. Other speakers included head of Nordic Originals, Karin Lindström, and head of Nigerian Originals, Amazon Studios and Prime Video, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu.

Amazon’s German shows have included thrillers such as the Matthias Schweighöfer starrer “You Are Wanted” and “Beat,” with Jannis Niewöhner,...

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The term “mini-major” gets bandied around a lot in the world of international film and television, but if the label applies to anyone, it applies to German group Constantin Film.

The producer-driven powerhouse is one of Germany’s, and thus Europe’s, leading independent producers of big- and small-screen content, with a deep slate that runs, on the film side, from video game adaptations, such as Monster Hunter and the juggernaut Resident Evil franchise, to the Oscar-nominated WWII drama Downfall, and in high-end TV from period dramas KaDeWe – Our Time Is Now and We Children From Bahnhof Zoo, produced for German public channel Ard and Amazon Prime, respectively, to YA fantasy series Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments and upcoming series on the events of the Nuremberg trials, produced with Frank Spotnitz’s Big Light Production (The Man in the High Castle), and Smilla’s Sense of Snow,...

Exclusive: Amazon and German production and distribution force Constantin Film are teaming up on YA fantasy feature Silver (working title), based on the popular novel series of the same name by Kerstin Gier.

Silver will chart the story of 17-year-old Liv who moves to London with her mother Ann and little sister Mia. When Liv meets the mysterious Henry, everything changes. He belongs to a secret circle that possesses the ability of ‘lucid dreaming’. But little do they know that the fulfillment of their dreams comes with a high price.

The cast, largely made up of emerging and breakout actors and actresses, includes Jana McKinnon (We Children of Bahnhof Zoo) as Liv, Riva Krymalowski (When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit) as Mia, Rhys Mannion (It Is In Us All) as Henry, Chaneil Kular (Sex Education) as Arthur, Efeosa Afolabi as Jasper, Théo Augier as Grayson, Josephine Blazier as Anabel, Samirah Breuer...

Georgia Brown, head of Amazon Studios in Europe, is stepping down after five years in the role, Variety can reveal.

The executive’s last day at the business is Wednesday (Aug. 31), though her departure is understood to have been in the works for some time. Brown is believed to be moving on to another opportunity, though it’s not yet clear what or where her new role will be.

Brown has been a strong and prominent ambassador for Amazon Studios in Europe, and was the first executive hired to lead originals for the continent. In the 2016 to 2018 period, when a number of the global streaming services were first setting up shop internationally and kept their executives largely out of view, Brown was always front and center for Amazon, keen to discuss her local-first strategy.

News of her departure may come as a surprise to some in the U.K. who...

Pablo Larrain’s ‘Spencer’ has been nominated for best film.

Andreas Kleinert’s Dear Thomas has emerged as the front runner at this year’s German Film Awards, known as the Lolas, with 12 nominations.

The black-and-white biopic of East German poet, dramatist and filmmaker Thomas Brasch is nominated in the best feature film category, as well as for direction, screenplay, lead actor, cinematography and production design.

Andreas Dresen’s Berlinale competition title Rabiye Kurnaz Vs. George W. Bush is not far behind Dear Thomas with 10 nominations, the same number his Gundermann attracted in 2019.

Austrian director Sebastian Meise’s Great Freedom,...

Production has got underway in Germany and Poland on “Oderbruch,” a major thriller series produced by Paramount Global’s CBS Studios, Syrreal Entertainment and Ard Degeto, part of German public broadcast group Ard.

The previously announced drama stars Karoline Schuch (“Dark Woods”), Felix Kramer (“Dogs of Berlin”) and Lucas Gregorowicz and is a tale which begins with the discovery of multiple murder victims in a remote area near the German-Polish border.

The eight-part series is directed by Adolfo J. Kolmerer and Christian Alvart. Series creator and head writer Arend Remmers developed the series concept with Kolmerer.

Siegfried Kamml, Christian Alvart and Timm Oberwelland from Syrreal serve as producers. The executives overseeing the project are: Christoph Pellander, editor-in-chief of Ard Degeto; Sebastian Lückel, head of acquisitions and co-productions at Ard Degeto; Patrick Noel Simon, commissioning editor at Ard Degeto; and Meghan Lyvers, senior VP of international co-productions and development at CBS Studios.

Oderbruch (working title), the CBS Studios and Syrreal Entertainment supernatural mystery drama for Germany’s Ard Degato, has added four cast members, as principal photography begins this week.

André Hennicke (Pandorum), Alix Heyblom (Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo), Winfried Glatzeder (Die Legende von Paul und Paula), Robert Glatzeder (In Aller Freudschaft) and Jan Krauter (3 1/2 Hours) are onboard the eight-part series, which is currently filming in Görlitz, Germany and will also shoot in Poland.

The series follows Detective Roland Voit (Felix Kramer) on a serial murder case after after numerous victims shock the Oderbruch region of Germany. His former colleague and childhood sweetheart, Maggie Kring (Karoline Schuch), joins the police investigation when her family comes under immediate suspicion.

Adolfo J. Kolmerer and Christian Alvart are directing, with Siegfried Kamml, Christian Alvart and Timm Oberwelland from Syrreal producing. Overseeing the shoot are Ard Degato trio Christoph Pellander, Sebastian Lückel and Patrick Noel Simon and Meghan Lyvers,...

Presents “Dark Woods” A Topic Original Directed by: Sven Bohse (“Ku’damm 56”) Written by: Stefan Kolditz Starring: Matthias Brandt (“Babylon Berlin”), Karoline Schuch, August Wittgenstein (“Das Boot”), Silke Bodenbender, Nicholas Ofczarek (“Pagan Peak”), Jenny Schily (“Tatort”), Hildegard Schmahl (“We Children from Bahnhof Zoo”), Hanno Koffler, Anne Werner, Janina Fautz, and Mirco Kreibich Produced by: Maren Knieling In the …

The post Check out The Trailer! True Crime Miniseries “Dark Woods” | Streaming Exclusively on Topic in May appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

The production by Constantin Film subsidiary Rat Pack Filmproduktion will be shooting at locations in Cologne.

Martin Schreier’s comedy One Night Off is to become Amazon Studios’ first local feature film production in Germany.

The script by comedy specialists Murmel Clausen (Manitou’s Shoe) and Doron Wisotzky (What A Man) centres on 24-year-old music enthusiast Noah (Tribes Of Europa’s Emilio Sakraya) who must look after his baby overnight for the first time.

The production by Constantin Film subsidiary Rat Pack Filmproduktion will be shooting at locations in Cologne. The cast also includes Milena Tscharntke as Noah’s girlfriend...

With global screen sectors increasingly in flux thanks to the aftershocks of an unprecedented pandemic coupled with intensifying streaming wars, it would be easy to see why execs in the business could feel a little on the apprehensive side. But for Oliver Berben, deputy CEO and deputy chairman of German production and distribution powerhouse Constantin Film, this is the golden age of international content production.

“If I could have chosen the time in the whole industry of moviemaking to be working, I would have absolutely chosen this time to live and do my work,” enthuses the well-respected exec. “It’s the perfect time to challenge yourself. I love situations where everything is questioned and I think for us working in a creative business, to be in a situation where you’re not sure is a good thing because you question yourself constantly. The moment you lean back and say ‘ok,...

Exclusive: Narcos, Lupin and Barbarians producer Gaumont is teaming up with author and screenwriter Annette Hess on a likely in-demand miniseries adaptation of Hess’s 2018 bestseller The German House.

The German House, which is being made by the studio’s German division, tells the coming-of-age story of a young woman set against the 1960s backdrop of post -World War II Frankfurt. The compelling story focuses on Eva Bruhns, a fun-loving, naive and smitten twenty four-year-old who’s life takes an unexpected turn when she is hired as a translator for the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials. Caught between societal and familial expectations and her unique ability to speak truth to power, she fights to expose the dark truths of her nation’s past.

In-demand German scribe Hess recently co-created and wrote the remake of Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (We Children From Bahnhof Zoo) as a series for Amazon Prime. She previously...

Amazon surpassed Wall Street’s expectations in its Q1 2021 earnings report, which included a rare spotlight on the company’s film and television assets.

The ecommerce company, which owns Amazon Prime Video, typically does not emphasize its streaming portfolio or Amazon Studio’s work during its quarterly earnings report. That wasn’t the case during the company’s Thursday presentation, where Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is expected to step down as CEO in Q3, praised Prime Video’s viewership successes during the last year.

“As Prime Video turns 10, over 175 million Prime members have streamed shows and movies in the past year, and streaming hours are up more than 70 percent year over year,” Bezos said in the company’s Q1 earnings press release.

Prime Video’s films and television shows are available to all Amazon Prime subscribers. Though Amazon is primarily an ecommerce business, the company has made significant headway...

Among its slate of MipTV presentations, The Wit hosted its first-ever Fresh TV Young Adult Content. After the last series of in-person sessions hosted by The Wit at MipCom, the importance and influence of YA drama was unmistakable, inspiring this year’s MipTV dedicated session hosted by The Wit founder-ceo Virginia Mouseler.

“It’s our mission at The Wit to give our subscribers information and inspiration for creation and acquisition,” she said, explaining the new session’s inspiration.

“In the world of YA drama, ‘Euphoria’ is the reference for the genre,” she started, before noting that fans of the HBO super-series were left without a new season in 2020, leaving many to turn to Warner Bros’ “Generation,” similarly on HBO Max. Describe by Mouseler as a post-“Euphoria” series, “Generation” is far less tragic and far more tongue in cheek. It features a group of high-school students exploring and learning about their sexuality,...

Although the Covid-19 pandemic forced a production slowdown in Hollywood, European shows are gaining unprecedented global traction, becoming a significant catalyst of an ongoing shifting dynamic in IP dominance.

Streaming giants have prompted a fundamental shift towards non-English scripted content conquering more global eyeballs, says Guy Bisson of London-based Ampere Analysis. Although he points out that this trend was “well underway before Covid came along,” within this scenario, shows from continental Europe are now making “unprecedented inroads.”

The most recent case in point is “Lupin,” which rapidly reached more than 70 million global households after its January premiere on Netflix, becoming the streamer’s biggest French original to date and marking the first time a French show appeared in the Netflix Top 10 in the U.S. on its launch date, in addition to scaling the top spot in dozens of other countries.

“Lupin,” which launched with just five episodes and will...

Philipp Kadelbach, director and co-creator of the series “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo,” says his initial impulse when approached to helm the series was to steer well clear of what he saw as a fool’s errand, given the iconic status in Germany and elsewhere of Uli Edel’s 1981 feature film “Christiane F.,” which – like the series – is based on the book “Christiane F.: Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo.”

“I said, ‘I’m not going to do this. I’m not crazy.’ Because it’s like a monument for so many people. And everybody would start attacking me because I’ve gone to tell this story again, and they really loved it,” he tells Variety.

However, having read Annette Hess’ scripts, he saw how she had approached the material in a different way. The film felt like it had a voyeuristic approach to the subject, he says. He resolved to...

It has also increased the total amount a series can receive to up to €10m.

The German Motion Picture Fund (Gmpf) has doubled its annual funding budget for 2021 to €30m ($35.2m) in a bid to attract more international film and high-end TV shoots to Germany.

It has also increased the total amount a TV series can receive from the previous cap of €4m to as much as €10m, if certain conditions are met.

A maximum of €2.5m can now be allocated to series with German production costs of up to €20m and of up to €4m for series with German productions costs exceeding €20m,...

Amazon Prime Video France today published details of its upcoming slate of productions, including four new originals:

Greek Salad is a contemporary sequel to the movie trilogy L’Auberge Espagnole (Pot Luck), 20 years after the originals. It follows the lives of Tom and Mia (the children of Xavier and Wendy from L’Auberge Espagnole) as they embark on a new adventure in Athens. The eight episode series is created by Cédric Klapisch, with Lola Doillon and Antoine Garceau (Call my Agent). The show will be co-produced by Bruno Levy for Ce Qui Me Meut and will launch exclusively on Prime Video in 2022.

Flashback is the second Amazon original movie produced in France. This one is a time travel comedy starring comedian Caroline Vigneaux, with Sophia Aram, Suzanne Clément, Lison Daniel, Gad Elmaleh, Lannick Gautry, Emy Ltr, Florent Peyre and Sylvie Testud. It is produced by Alain Goldman for Legende Films and...

Amazon Prime Video has snapped up the rights to German coming of age series We Children From Bahnhof Zoo for the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, and Benelux.

The Constantin Television and Amazon Studios series, co-produced by Wilma Film (Czech Republic) and Cattleya (Italy), will premiere globally on April 9 following its launch in Germany. It is a re-imagining of the best-selling autobiography by Christiane F. that also inspired the cult film of the same name.

Here’s the logline: “Christiane, Stella, Babsi, Axel, Michi and Benno find each other in the intoxicating clubs and underground parties of Berlin. They are strong, courageous and living wildly in ‘paradise’ – one that initially appears to be a riot of colour and excitement.

“As the group’s bond intensifies, they hedonistically chase the next thrill, navigating their way through euphoric highs and dark, dangerous lows. While their lives and relationships expand and unravel,...

Fremantle has near sold the world outside Asia on “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo” – thanks to a raft of sales that include a worldwide deal with Amazon Prime Video for the U.S., English-speaking territories and all Europe’s outstanding major markets.

Taking in further sales to HBO Europe, Nent Group and Russia’s More TV, the series, produced by Constantin Television and Amazon Studios and a modern reworking of the story of Christiane F., has currently closed more than 40 territories, Fremantle announced Monday.

Co-produced by the Czech Republic’s Wilma Film and Italy’s Cattleya, “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo” will open on Prime Video in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain and Benelux from April 9, and Italy on May 7.

HBO Europe has licensed 15 territories in Central and Eastern Europe, where it operates channels and streaming services, led by Poland and Hungary and the Baltic States.