Two heavyweights of German television and film are uniting.
Nico Hofmann and Jan Mojto are teaming with Jan Wünschmann, a producer at Mojto’s company Beta, to create films and TV series in Germany and Europe. Projects will be targeted at the international market.
Hofmann, was the longtime boss of German production giant UFA, and Mojto said they are “connected by half a lifetime of producing” title such as TV event series The Tunnel in the early 2000s and newer series such as Generation War, Dresden, The Tower and The Same Sky.
“Jan Mojto and I have been close colleagues and friends for more than 20 years – our eye for programming, uncompromising quality, and passion for our profession unites us,” said Hofmann. “It is the next logical step in my career to join forces and produce together with Beta Film. The individuals and their creativity are the building blocks for a long-lasting bond.
Nico Hofmann and Jan Mojto are teaming with Jan Wünschmann, a producer at Mojto’s company Beta, to create films and TV series in Germany and Europe. Projects will be targeted at the international market.
Hofmann, was the longtime boss of German production giant UFA, and Mojto said they are “connected by half a lifetime of producing” title such as TV event series The Tunnel in the early 2000s and newer series such as Generation War, Dresden, The Tower and The Same Sky.
“Jan Mojto and I have been close colleagues and friends for more than 20 years – our eye for programming, uncompromising quality, and passion for our profession unites us,” said Hofmann. “It is the next logical step in my career to join forces and produce together with Beta Film. The individuals and their creativity are the building blocks for a long-lasting bond.
- 2/14/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Iconic German film and TV executive Jan Mojto is launching a partnership with longstanding friend and UFA head Nico Hofmann that will produce German and European series and films for the international market.
They are joined in the unnamed venture by Beta producer Jan Wünschmann.
The partnership was announced Wednesday, on the eve of the annual Berlin Film Festival. No projects were disclosed.
Hofmann and Mojto are connected by half a lifetime of producing. With “The Tunnel”, the duo pioneered the TV event genre in Germany in the early 2000s. Since then, two dozen collaborative and internationally successful television and film productions have followed. These include hits “Generation War,” “Dresden,” “The Tower” and “The Same Sky.”
“This partnership is the fulfillment of a long-held wish. Nico Hofmann is one of the best German producers; He is a gifted storyteller. His professional and personal qualities, which I have known for more than 25 years,...
They are joined in the unnamed venture by Beta producer Jan Wünschmann.
The partnership was announced Wednesday, on the eve of the annual Berlin Film Festival. No projects were disclosed.
Hofmann and Mojto are connected by half a lifetime of producing. With “The Tunnel”, the duo pioneered the TV event genre in Germany in the early 2000s. Since then, two dozen collaborative and internationally successful television and film productions have followed. These include hits “Generation War,” “Dresden,” “The Tower” and “The Same Sky.”
“This partnership is the fulfillment of a long-held wish. Nico Hofmann is one of the best German producers; He is a gifted storyteller. His professional and personal qualities, which I have known for more than 25 years,...
- 2/14/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Nico Hofmann, the long-time CEO and current chair of German production giant UFA, maker of Generation War, Deutschland 83 and Charité, is leaving the Fremantle-owned company to go solo, setting up his own production house and joining forces with long-time collaborator Jan Mojto of Beta Film.
Hofmann will be stepping down as chairman of UFA on March 1 and has signed an exclusive first-look deal with Mojto’s Beta Film, producer of Babylon Berlin, that will see Hofmann, Mojto, and Beta producer Jan Wünschmann co-produce German and European series and films for the international market.
Hofmann and Mojto have a history going back decades. The duo pioneered event television and helped elevate German drama to international prominence with such limited series, as The Tunnel (2001), The Tower (2012) and Generation War (2013). These award-winning dramas, co-produced between Mojto’s Beta and Hofmann’s UFA-owned production group TeamWorx (now UFA Fiction), were also ratings hits in Germany and internationally.
Hofmann will be stepping down as chairman of UFA on March 1 and has signed an exclusive first-look deal with Mojto’s Beta Film, producer of Babylon Berlin, that will see Hofmann, Mojto, and Beta producer Jan Wünschmann co-produce German and European series and films for the international market.
Hofmann and Mojto have a history going back decades. The duo pioneered event television and helped elevate German drama to international prominence with such limited series, as The Tunnel (2001), The Tower (2012) and Generation War (2013). These award-winning dramas, co-produced between Mojto’s Beta and Hofmann’s UFA-owned production group TeamWorx (now UFA Fiction), were also ratings hits in Germany and internationally.
- 2/14/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Germany’s UFA Group has brought in a senior Netflix exec, as part of a management re-org.
Natalie Clausen has been named COO of the Fremantle-owned German production giant, and will join its management board on February 19.
She was most recently Senior Production Manager for German-speaking countries, working on productions such as The Empress, Kleo and Liebskind. Prior to Netflix, she worked on big-ticket German shows such as Babylon Berlin and UFA shows Charité and Deutschland 89.
She’ll report to UFA CEO Sascha Schwingel, who took on his role in September. Schwingel replaced Nico Hofmann, who had been with the Generation War maker for more than 25 years.
Clearly, the restructuring didn’t end there, and the addition of Clausen will “provide valuable input to create even more space for creativity in a flexible, lean organization and with the clever use of technology,” according to Schwingel.
Further changes will see...
Natalie Clausen has been named COO of the Fremantle-owned German production giant, and will join its management board on February 19.
She was most recently Senior Production Manager for German-speaking countries, working on productions such as The Empress, Kleo and Liebskind. Prior to Netflix, she worked on big-ticket German shows such as Babylon Berlin and UFA shows Charité and Deutschland 89.
She’ll report to UFA CEO Sascha Schwingel, who took on his role in September. Schwingel replaced Nico Hofmann, who had been with the Generation War maker for more than 25 years.
Clearly, the restructuring didn’t end there, and the addition of Clausen will “provide valuable input to create even more space for creativity in a flexible, lean organization and with the clever use of technology,” according to Schwingel.
Further changes will see...
- 2/9/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Sascha Schwingel has been named the new CEO of German TV production giant UFA, replacing Nico Hofmann, who will become chair of the Berlin-based company behind such series as Generation War, Deutschland ’83 and Ku’damm 56. UFA is part of global production giant Fremantle.
Hofmann, who has been CEO of UFA since 2017, joined the company in 1998, setting up UFA’s serial fiction group teamWorx (now UFA Fiction). He is largely credited with helping turn UFA into Germany’s leading television producer, with shows across all genres and on air on virtually every German channel and streaming service.
The group consists of four production units: UFA Fiction, which produces high-end drama such as Deutschland ’83, Charité and the recent Disney+ series Sam – A Saxon; soaps division UFA Serial Drama, whose long-running serials include Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten and Unter Uns; UFA Show & Factual, which produce shiny floor shows including the local versions...
Hofmann, who has been CEO of UFA since 2017, joined the company in 1998, setting up UFA’s serial fiction group teamWorx (now UFA Fiction). He is largely credited with helping turn UFA into Germany’s leading television producer, with shows across all genres and on air on virtually every German channel and streaming service.
The group consists of four production units: UFA Fiction, which produces high-end drama such as Deutschland ’83, Charité and the recent Disney+ series Sam – A Saxon; soaps division UFA Serial Drama, whose long-running serials include Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten and Unter Uns; UFA Show & Factual, which produce shiny floor shows including the local versions...
- 9/19/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
UFA’s long-serving CEO Nico Hofmann is stepping down from his post and becoming Chairman of Fremantle’s German powerhouse, with former Rtl and exec Sascha Schwingel replacing him.
Hofmann has been chief exec of the Deutschland 83 and Generation War maker since 2017 but has been with the company for more than a quarter of a century. In that sense, his exit from the CEO post marks the end of an era.
Hofmann had joined in 1998 to set up TeamWorx, which is now UFA Fiction, and went on to produce many of Germany’s best-travelling drama series. Notably Deutschland 83 was the first from the country to air on a U.S. network.
His replacement, Schwingel, was most recently Deputy Chief Content Officer of Rtl Deutschland, overseeing the likes of Rtl Television, Rtl+ and Vox, where he was previously CEO. He is well known to Hofman having started his career at TeamWorx.
Hofmann has been chief exec of the Deutschland 83 and Generation War maker since 2017 but has been with the company for more than a quarter of a century. In that sense, his exit from the CEO post marks the end of an era.
Hofmann had joined in 1998 to set up TeamWorx, which is now UFA Fiction, and went on to produce many of Germany’s best-travelling drama series. Notably Deutschland 83 was the first from the country to air on a U.S. network.
His replacement, Schwingel, was most recently Deputy Chief Content Officer of Rtl Deutschland, overseeing the likes of Rtl Television, Rtl+ and Vox, where he was previously CEO. He is well known to Hofman having started his career at TeamWorx.
- 9/19/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
‘In the Fade’ director is collaborating with Hamburg filmmaker Hark Bohm on the screenplay.
Fatih Akin’s next feature, Amrum, will be the first project to come under his multi-year, first look deal with Warner Media.
The In the Fade director agreed a multi-year deal with Warner Media in March covering German and Turkish language movies and series for theatrical release, TV and for HBO Max. Akin and WarnerMedia have previously worked together on three movies.
Amrum is a collaboration with fellow Hamburg filmmaker and mentor Hark Bohm, and is based on the veteran director’s childhood growing up on...
Fatih Akin’s next feature, Amrum, will be the first project to come under his multi-year, first look deal with Warner Media.
The In the Fade director agreed a multi-year deal with Warner Media in March covering German and Turkish language movies and series for theatrical release, TV and for HBO Max. Akin and WarnerMedia have previously worked together on three movies.
Amrum is a collaboration with fellow Hamburg filmmaker and mentor Hark Bohm, and is based on the veteran director’s childhood growing up on...
- 10/7/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
‘In the Fade’ director is collaborating with Hamburg filmmaker Hark Bohm on the screenplay.
Fatih Akin’s next feature, Amrum, will be the first project to come under his multi-year, first look deal with Warner Media.
The In the Fade director agreed a multi-year deal with Warner Media in Maruch covering German and Turkish language movies and series for theatrical release, TV and for HBO Max. Akin and WarnerMedia have previously worked together on three movies.
Amrum is a collaboration with fellow Hamburg filmmaker and mentor Hark Bohm, and is based on the veteran director’s childhood growing up on...
Fatih Akin’s next feature, Amrum, will be the first project to come under his multi-year, first look deal with Warner Media.
The In the Fade director agreed a multi-year deal with Warner Media in Maruch covering German and Turkish language movies and series for theatrical release, TV and for HBO Max. Akin and WarnerMedia have previously worked together on three movies.
Amrum is a collaboration with fellow Hamburg filmmaker and mentor Hark Bohm, and is based on the veteran director’s childhood growing up on...
- 10/7/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Five-parter will star Kruger as the cinema icon.
Golden Bear-winning director Fatih Akin is teaming with actress Diane Kruger for a five-part biopic of cinema icon Marlene Dietrich.
The series is being produced by Fremantle label UFA Fiction and Akin’s Bombero International.
The project, which is in development, is based on the biography of Dietrich written by her daughter Maria Riva, titled My Mother Marlene. Dietrich will be played by Kruger, while Akin has written the scripts and will direct.
It’s billed as a portrait of a woman who created her own rules and lived by them, whatever the cost,...
Golden Bear-winning director Fatih Akin is teaming with actress Diane Kruger for a five-part biopic of cinema icon Marlene Dietrich.
The series is being produced by Fremantle label UFA Fiction and Akin’s Bombero International.
The project, which is in development, is based on the biography of Dietrich written by her daughter Maria Riva, titled My Mother Marlene. Dietrich will be played by Kruger, while Akin has written the scripts and will direct.
It’s billed as a portrait of a woman who created her own rules and lived by them, whatever the cost,...
- 9/30/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Inglorious Basterds and National Treasure star Diane Kruger is set to play legendary German actress and singer Marlene Dietrich in a new biopic TV series from In the Fade director Fatih Akin.
Akin’s Bombero International are producing the five-part series, with the working title Marlene, together with German mini-major UFA Fiction, based on the biography of Dietrich, Meine Mutter Marlene (My Mother Marlene), written by Dietrich’s daughter Maria Riva. Akin will adapt the book for the screen in his first television project. Kruger will also executive produce.
Kruger starred in Akin’s In the Fade as a woman who takes revenge for the racially-motivated killing of her ethnic Turkish husband. The film premiered at Cannes in 2017, where Kruger won the best actress prize.
“With Fatih’s talent and ability to see inside the soul of every person, I’m certain that...
Inglorious Basterds and National Treasure star Diane Kruger is set to play legendary German actress and singer Marlene Dietrich in a new biopic TV series from In the Fade director Fatih Akin.
Akin’s Bombero International are producing the five-part series, with the working title Marlene, together with German mini-major UFA Fiction, based on the biography of Dietrich, Meine Mutter Marlene (My Mother Marlene), written by Dietrich’s daughter Maria Riva. Akin will adapt the book for the screen in his first television project. Kruger will also executive produce.
Kruger starred in Akin’s In the Fade as a woman who takes revenge for the racially-motivated killing of her ethnic Turkish husband. The film premiered at Cannes in 2017, where Kruger won the best actress prize.
“With Fatih’s talent and ability to see inside the soul of every person, I’m certain that...
- 9/30/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fatih Akin’s Marlene Dietrich Miniseries Starring Diane Kruger Goes into Production With UFA Fiction
Fatih Akin has teamed up with Berlin-based UFA Fiction on his miniseries about German star Marlene Dietrich, starring Diane Kruger.
Based on the biography “My Mother Marlene,” by Dietrich’s daughter, Maria Riva, the five-part series, tentatively titled “Marlene,” is produced by UFA Fiction and Akin’s Bombero International in Hamburg.
Currently in production, the miniseries chronicles Dietrich’s life as an artist, lover, German emigrant and mother as well as a woman who created her own rules and lived by them, whatever the cost.
“‘Marlene’ will be not only the first series I have written and directed but also the greatest challenge in my film career,” said Akin, the series’ creator.
“It is the continuation of my successful collaboration with Diane Kruger. Nobody is better cast than her. Marlene was not only a cinematic icon, but a woman in exile, German immigrant in America, resistance fighter and so much more.
Based on the biography “My Mother Marlene,” by Dietrich’s daughter, Maria Riva, the five-part series, tentatively titled “Marlene,” is produced by UFA Fiction and Akin’s Bombero International in Hamburg.
Currently in production, the miniseries chronicles Dietrich’s life as an artist, lover, German emigrant and mother as well as a woman who created her own rules and lived by them, whatever the cost.
“‘Marlene’ will be not only the first series I have written and directed but also the greatest challenge in my film career,” said Akin, the series’ creator.
“It is the continuation of my successful collaboration with Diane Kruger. Nobody is better cast than her. Marlene was not only a cinematic icon, but a woman in exile, German immigrant in America, resistance fighter and so much more.
- 9/29/2022
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Germany has been a source of shows for the international market for decades, but with series like “Deutschland 83” in 2015, and “Babylon Berlin” and “Dark” in 2017, the bar was raised and the sense of what constituted German drama shifted, and international buyers took note.
One of them was Christian Vesper, who bought “Deutschland 83” when he was drama chief at Sundance TV. Vesper remembers that at that time it was unheard of for a U.S. channel to buy a German drama. “That was an outlier. It was a really, really, really, really hard thing to get approval on, because it was a German show. Who buys a German show for American television?”
One of the issues was that German broadcasters and the producers who supplied them primarily focused on the local audience. “The difficulty was that they have such a big domestic market that they haven’t felt that...
One of them was Christian Vesper, who bought “Deutschland 83” when he was drama chief at Sundance TV. Vesper remembers that at that time it was unheard of for a U.S. channel to buy a German drama. “That was an outlier. It was a really, really, really, really hard thing to get approval on, because it was a German show. Who buys a German show for American television?”
One of the issues was that German broadcasters and the producers who supplied them primarily focused on the local audience. “The difficulty was that they have such a big domestic market that they haven’t felt that...
- 4/3/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Germany’s Zdf Enterprises has acquired global distribution rights to three-part period drama “Ku’damm 63,” the third instalment in one of Zdfe’s best-selling franchises, which has been licensed to more than 30 broadcasters around the globe.
Produced by UFA Fiction for German public broadcaster Zdf and made up of three 90-minute episodes, the miniseries will be presented shortly to select buyers.
Set to premiere on Zdf on March 21, 22 and 24, airing at a peak primetime time of 8.15 p.m., “Ku’damm 63” marks a followup to “Ku’damm 56,” which premiered on Zdf in 2016, reaching up to 6.35 million viewers and a 19.6% market share, and “Ku’damm 59,” which bowed in March 2018.
The series’ premise remains the same: the story of Germany’s halting evolution toward larger justice and liberty told through the loves, hard-won freedoms and suffering of three sisters, Monika, Helga and Eva, daughters of a conservative matriarch.
Time has moved on, creating a contrast.
Produced by UFA Fiction for German public broadcaster Zdf and made up of three 90-minute episodes, the miniseries will be presented shortly to select buyers.
Set to premiere on Zdf on March 21, 22 and 24, airing at a peak primetime time of 8.15 p.m., “Ku’damm 63” marks a followup to “Ku’damm 56,” which premiered on Zdf in 2016, reaching up to 6.35 million viewers and a 19.6% market share, and “Ku’damm 59,” which bowed in March 2018.
The series’ premise remains the same: the story of Germany’s halting evolution toward larger justice and liberty told through the loves, hard-won freedoms and suffering of three sisters, Monika, Helga and Eva, daughters of a conservative matriarch.
Time has moved on, creating a contrast.
- 2/24/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Joerg Winger, producer and co-creator of the hit three-season “Deutschland” Cold War spy series, has launched a new outfit aimed at developing, producing and distributing high-end drama formats, including English-language and international productions.
Berlin-based Big Window Productions, set up between original “Deutschland” producer UFA Fiction and parent group Fremantle, will focus “on a small portfolio of extraordinary stories with high entertainment value, often inspired by real events,” Winger said.
Projects currently in development include a limited series about a scandalous Covid-19 outbreak and an English-language thriller set in Berlin.
“Because our focus is so much on international and English-language productions, the relationship with Fremantle makes a lot of sense,” Winger told Variety.
Winger will head Big Window with UFA execs Sebastian Werninger and Philipp Driessen, who, among other duties, oversee UFA Distribution.
A longtime UFA producer, Winger will now be doing less managing and more storytelling and showrunning. While he...
Berlin-based Big Window Productions, set up between original “Deutschland” producer UFA Fiction and parent group Fremantle, will focus “on a small portfolio of extraordinary stories with high entertainment value, often inspired by real events,” Winger said.
Projects currently in development include a limited series about a scandalous Covid-19 outbreak and an English-language thriller set in Berlin.
“Because our focus is so much on international and English-language productions, the relationship with Fremantle makes a lot of sense,” Winger told Variety.
Winger will head Big Window with UFA execs Sebastian Werninger and Philipp Driessen, who, among other duties, oversee UFA Distribution.
A longtime UFA producer, Winger will now be doing less managing and more storytelling and showrunning. While he...
- 7/27/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
German entertainment giant Ufa is continuing its push into feature films with a slew of high-profile projects, including an upcoming Siegfried and Roy biopic and a sequel to the 2014 historical epic “The Physician,” starring Tom Payne (“Prodigal Son”).
The ramp-up follows the huge box office success last year of Oscar winner Caroline Link’s “All About Me,” based on the childhood memoir of German comedian Hape Kerkeling, which became 2019’s second biggest local box-office hit with €31.25 million ($35.34 million) via Warner Bros.
Other upcoming titles include Leander Haussmann’s highly anticipated Cold War laffer “A Stasi Comedy,” which Constantin Film is set to release next year. Set in the 1980s, the film centers on a young agent of East Germany’s infamous state security service, played by David Kross (“Balloon”), who is sent to infiltrate East Berlin’s counterculture scene and who, years later, is confronted with the possibility of his...
The ramp-up follows the huge box office success last year of Oscar winner Caroline Link’s “All About Me,” based on the childhood memoir of German comedian Hape Kerkeling, which became 2019’s second biggest local box-office hit with €31.25 million ($35.34 million) via Warner Bros.
Other upcoming titles include Leander Haussmann’s highly anticipated Cold War laffer “A Stasi Comedy,” which Constantin Film is set to release next year. Set in the 1980s, the film centers on a young agent of East Germany’s infamous state security service, played by David Kross (“Balloon”), who is sent to infiltrate East Berlin’s counterculture scene and who, years later, is confronted with the possibility of his...
- 6/26/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
German entertainment giant Ufa is continuing its push into feature film with a slew of high-profile projects, including an upcoming Siegfried and Roy biopic and a sequel to the 2014 historical epic “The Physician,” starring Tom Payne (“Prodigal Son”).
The ramp-up follows last year’s huge box-office success of Oscar-winner Caroline Link’s “All About Me,” based on the childhood memoir of German comedian Hape Kerkeling, which became 2019’s second biggest home-grown box-office hit grossing €31.25 million ($35.34 million) via Warner Bros.
Other upcoming titles include Leander Haussmann’s highly anticipated Cold War laffer “A Stasi Comedy,” which Constantin Film is set to release next year. Set in the 1980s, the film centers on a young agent of East Germany’s infamous state security service, played by David Kross (“Balloon”), who is sent to infiltrate East Berlin’s counterculture scene and who, years later, is confronted with the possibility of his secret Stasi past coming to light.
The ramp-up follows last year’s huge box-office success of Oscar-winner Caroline Link’s “All About Me,” based on the childhood memoir of German comedian Hape Kerkeling, which became 2019’s second biggest home-grown box-office hit grossing €31.25 million ($35.34 million) via Warner Bros.
Other upcoming titles include Leander Haussmann’s highly anticipated Cold War laffer “A Stasi Comedy,” which Constantin Film is set to release next year. Set in the 1980s, the film centers on a young agent of East Germany’s infamous state security service, played by David Kross (“Balloon”), who is sent to infiltrate East Berlin’s counterculture scene and who, years later, is confronted with the possibility of his secret Stasi past coming to light.
- 6/24/2020
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
The life story of magicians and entertainers Siegfried and Roy is coming to the big screen. German multihyphenate Michael Bully Herbig, one of Germany’s biggest stars and most successful directors, is partnering with Ufa Fiction to direct two feature film projects, including a biopic about the German-American entertainers, whose Las Vegas act with big cats made them world-famous.
Herbig most recently directed the 2018 real-life hit drama “Balloon,” about two East German families who tried to escape to West Germany in a hot-air balloon in 1979. The critically acclaimed film earned about $8 million at the German box office for Studiocanal last fall.
Long in development at Ufa originally as a TV production, the big-screen “Siegfried & Roy” will tell the story of Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Uwe Horn, who met on a cruise ship in 1960 and, driven by their common passion for the art of magic and illusion, went on to developed their famous act.
Herbig most recently directed the 2018 real-life hit drama “Balloon,” about two East German families who tried to escape to West Germany in a hot-air balloon in 1979. The critically acclaimed film earned about $8 million at the German box office for Studiocanal last fall.
Long in development at Ufa originally as a TV production, the big-screen “Siegfried & Roy” will tell the story of Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Uwe Horn, who met on a cruise ship in 1960 and, driven by their common passion for the art of magic and illusion, went on to developed their famous act.
- 9/30/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Picture Tree Intl. has picked up sales rights to “The Boy Needs Some Fresh Air” (Der Junge muss an die frische Luft), directed by Oscar-winner Caroline Link. The film, which was released by Warner Bros. on Dec. 25 at more than 700 locations across Germany, has garnered a box office of €10.6 million ($12.1 million) to date. Pti will launch it as a market premiere at Berlin’s European Film Market in February.
Based on an autobiographic novel by German comedian Hape Kerkeling, the film is set in Ruhrpott, a West German coal and iron ore mining area, in 1972. It centers on chubby nine-year-old Hans-Peter who is blessed with a talent to make others laugh and grows up in a loving and cheerful family. “Unfortunately, dark shadows attach to the boy’s everyday life as his mother becomes more and more depressed after a failed surgery,” according to a statement from Pti. “For Hans-Peter...
Based on an autobiographic novel by German comedian Hape Kerkeling, the film is set in Ruhrpott, a West German coal and iron ore mining area, in 1972. It centers on chubby nine-year-old Hans-Peter who is blessed with a talent to make others laugh and grows up in a loving and cheerful family. “Unfortunately, dark shadows attach to the boy’s everyday life as his mother becomes more and more depressed after a failed surgery,” according to a statement from Pti. “For Hans-Peter...
- 1/7/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
‘After ten TV-movies and twelve films, I wanted to tell a longer story for once.’
Source: Wiki Commons
Michael Haneke
Multiple Palme d’Or winner Michael Haneke is lining up his first TV series, partnering with FremantleMedia’s Ufa Fiction on the 10-part drama Kelvin’s Book.
The story takes place in a dystopian world set in the near future as a group of young people experience an emergency landing outside their home and are confronted with the actual face of their home country for the first time.
Nico Hofmann and Benjamin Benedict will serve as executive producers on the series for Ufa Fiction.
“After ten TV-movies and twelve films, I wanted to tell a longer story for once,” Haneke said.
Haneke won consecutive Palme d’Or awards for The White Ribbon and Amour, which won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for best foreign-language film, and won two BAFTA awards. The White Ribbon...
Source: Wiki Commons
Michael Haneke
Multiple Palme d’Or winner Michael Haneke is lining up his first TV series, partnering with FremantleMedia’s Ufa Fiction on the 10-part drama Kelvin’s Book.
The story takes place in a dystopian world set in the near future as a group of young people experience an emergency landing outside their home and are confronted with the actual face of their home country for the first time.
Nico Hofmann and Benjamin Benedict will serve as executive producers on the series for Ufa Fiction.
“After ten TV-movies and twelve films, I wanted to tell a longer story for once,” Haneke said.
Haneke won consecutive Palme d’Or awards for The White Ribbon and Amour, which won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for best foreign-language film, and won two BAFTA awards. The White Ribbon...
- 1/29/2018
- by Jenn Sherman
- ScreenDaily
‘After ten TV-movies and twelve films, I wanted to tell a longer story for once.’
Multiple Palme d’Or winner Michael Haneke is lining up his first TV series, partnering with FremantleMedia’s Ufa Fiction on the 10-part drama Kelvin’s Book.
The story takes place in a dystopian world set in the near future and is understood will reflect on the digital age. Nico Hofmann and Benjamin Benedict will serve as executive producers on the series for Ufa Fiction.
“After ten TV-movies and twelve films, I wanted to tell a longer story for once,” Haneke said.
Haneke won consecutive Palme d’Or awards for The White Ribbon and Amour, which won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for best foreign-language film, and won two BAFTA awards. The White Ribbon earned two Oscar nods. Haneke’s credits include Funny Games, The Piano Teacher and Caché.
“No contemporary director has moved and inspired memore than Michael Haneke,” Ufa CEO Hofmann...
Multiple Palme d’Or winner Michael Haneke is lining up his first TV series, partnering with FremantleMedia’s Ufa Fiction on the 10-part drama Kelvin’s Book.
The story takes place in a dystopian world set in the near future and is understood will reflect on the digital age. Nico Hofmann and Benjamin Benedict will serve as executive producers on the series for Ufa Fiction.
“After ten TV-movies and twelve films, I wanted to tell a longer story for once,” Haneke said.
Haneke won consecutive Palme d’Or awards for The White Ribbon and Amour, which won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for best foreign-language film, and won two BAFTA awards. The White Ribbon earned two Oscar nods. Haneke’s credits include Funny Games, The Piano Teacher and Caché.
“No contemporary director has moved and inspired memore than Michael Haneke,” Ufa CEO Hofmann...
- 1/29/2018
- by Jenn Sherman
- ScreenDaily
The Same Sky exec joins German production and sales outfit.
Beta Film has hired producer Friedemann Goez for its international TV wing.
Goez will work across German, European and international productions, with the goal of strengthening Beta’s TV department.
He previously worked for Volker Engel at his Us-based company Uncharted Territory, before joining Nico Hofmann’s Ufa Fiction in 2014.
His credits include German series The Same Sky.
Moritz von Kruedener, managing director commented: “Beta’s growing involvement in international TV production requires not only experience and a good sense for storytelling, but also team spirit and strong personal skills. Friedemann combines all these qualities to help contribute to Beta’s future production engagements.”
Beta’s forthcoming TV productions include crime drama Babylon Berlin with Sky, X-Filme and Ard Degeto, which will be broadcast this autumn.
Beta Film has hired producer Friedemann Goez for its international TV wing.
Goez will work across German, European and international productions, with the goal of strengthening Beta’s TV department.
He previously worked for Volker Engel at his Us-based company Uncharted Territory, before joining Nico Hofmann’s Ufa Fiction in 2014.
His credits include German series The Same Sky.
Moritz von Kruedener, managing director commented: “Beta’s growing involvement in international TV production requires not only experience and a good sense for storytelling, but also team spirit and strong personal skills. Friedemann combines all these qualities to help contribute to Beta’s future production engagements.”
Beta’s forthcoming TV productions include crime drama Babylon Berlin with Sky, X-Filme and Ard Degeto, which will be broadcast this autumn.
- 7/5/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
"The Physician" helmer Philipp Stolzl and writer Jan Berger are re-teaming for a film about German magicians turned Las Vegas performers Siegfried & Roy at Ufa Fiction.
Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Uwe Horn were a Las Vegas institution who regularly performed at the Mirage Resort and Casino for fourteen years before an on-stage tiger attack in 2003 brought a sudden end to their careers. Roy was left partially paralyzed by the attack.
Nico Hofmann will produce while Siegfried and Roy themselves will serve as executive producers alongside Sebastian Werninger and Jan Mewes. Pixomondo ("Game of Thrones," "The Walking Dead") will provide the visual effects.
Source: THR...
Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Uwe Horn were a Las Vegas institution who regularly performed at the Mirage Resort and Casino for fourteen years before an on-stage tiger attack in 2003 brought a sudden end to their careers. Roy was left partially paralyzed by the attack.
Nico Hofmann will produce while Siegfried and Roy themselves will serve as executive producers alongside Sebastian Werninger and Jan Mewes. Pixomondo ("Game of Thrones," "The Walking Dead") will provide the visual effects.
Source: THR...
- 6/27/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Las Vegas performers Siegfried & Roy are getting the biopic treatment. The German magicians and entertainers, who were a Las Vegas institution before an onstage tiger attack brought a sudden end to their careers, have signed a deal for a film version of their extraordinary lives. Philipp Stolzl, director of 2013 period drama The Physician, has signed on to helm the project for German studio Ufa Fiction. Physician screenwriter Jan Berger will pen the script. Ufa's co-ceo Nico Hofmann will produce. “The image of Siegfried and Roy floating down onto the stage in their fantastical outfits, landing amidst a
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- 6/27/2016
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mexico’s Kings of Nowhere wins doc prize; Thank You For Bombing wins Switzerland, Germany, Austria award.Scroll down for full list of winners
Grimur Hakonarson’s Rams (Hrútar) has won the Golden Eye for Best International Feature Film at the 11Sth Zurich Film Festival (Sept 24-Oct 4).
The film, about two estranged brothers who have to reunite to save their sheep during an outbreak of disease, is Iceland’s submission for the Oscars for Best Foreign-Language Film.
Zff’s international jury, headed by Carol producer Elizabeth Carlson, awarded the title as well as a cash prize of more than $25,000 (CHF25,000).
It continues a strong festival run for Rams, which won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes in May before going on to screen at Karlovy Vary, Telluride and Toronto among others.
International sales are handled by New Europe Film Sales, which has sold the film to around 40 countries. Cohen Media Group handle Us distribution.
It also marks...
Grimur Hakonarson’s Rams (Hrútar) has won the Golden Eye for Best International Feature Film at the 11Sth Zurich Film Festival (Sept 24-Oct 4).
The film, about two estranged brothers who have to reunite to save their sheep during an outbreak of disease, is Iceland’s submission for the Oscars for Best Foreign-Language Film.
Zff’s international jury, headed by Carol producer Elizabeth Carlson, awarded the title as well as a cash prize of more than $25,000 (CHF25,000).
It continues a strong festival run for Rams, which won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes in May before going on to screen at Karlovy Vary, Telluride and Toronto among others.
International sales are handled by New Europe Film Sales, which has sold the film to around 40 countries. Cohen Media Group handle Us distribution.
It also marks...
- 10/4/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The Missing Picture producer Catherine Dussart to head documentary jury.Scroll down for titles in competition
The juries for the 11th Zurich Film Festival (Sept 24-Oct 4) have been unveiled.
Elizabeth Karlsen, producer of Todd Haynes’ Carol, will head the international feature film jury, which will comprise ‘71 director Yann Demange; French producer Rosa Attab; German actress Maria Furtwängler; and German director Katja von Garnier.
The international documentary film jury will be presided over by Catherine Dussart, the French producer of Rithy Panh’s Oscar-nominated The Missing Picture, which won the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes 2013.
The doc jury includes French director Abbas Fahdel, Belgian editor Joelle Alexis, German director Alexander Nanau and UK director/producer Havana Marking.
The Focus: Switzerland, Germany, Austria jury will be headed by German producer Nico Hofmann (The Physician), also co-ceo of Ufa Group.
The jury comprises German writer/director Anika Decker, German actor Alexander Fehling, Austrian actress...
The juries for the 11th Zurich Film Festival (Sept 24-Oct 4) have been unveiled.
Elizabeth Karlsen, producer of Todd Haynes’ Carol, will head the international feature film jury, which will comprise ‘71 director Yann Demange; French producer Rosa Attab; German actress Maria Furtwängler; and German director Katja von Garnier.
The international documentary film jury will be presided over by Catherine Dussart, the French producer of Rithy Panh’s Oscar-nominated The Missing Picture, which won the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes 2013.
The doc jury includes French director Abbas Fahdel, Belgian editor Joelle Alexis, German director Alexander Nanau and UK director/producer Havana Marking.
The Focus: Switzerland, Germany, Austria jury will be headed by German producer Nico Hofmann (The Physician), also co-ceo of Ufa Group.
The jury comprises German writer/director Anika Decker, German actor Alexander Fehling, Austrian actress...
- 9/22/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg is the latest film festival to dedicate a section to quality television serial drama with the launching of a new competition for the New Creators Award.
World premieres of TV and web series from Sweden, Switzerland and Germany will be featured among a competition of eight productions to be judged by an expert jury consisting of Marcus Ammon, svp film at Sky Deutschland, Rola Bauer, CEO of Tandem Productions, Prof. Nico Hofmann, Ufa Fiction’s Co-ceo, and the screenwriter/creative producer Juliana Lima Dehne.
Mannheim will present four productions as world premieres:
Anomalia - the first in-house produced series by Suisse Romande dedicated to the mystery genre, to be screened by Swiss public TV Rts in February 2016;
Boy Machine - a Swedish musical comedy series about a former boy band wanting to make a comeback 20 years after their breakup, to be aired by TV4;
Red Band Society - a 10-part German version of the...
World premieres of TV and web series from Sweden, Switzerland and Germany will be featured among a competition of eight productions to be judged by an expert jury consisting of Marcus Ammon, svp film at Sky Deutschland, Rola Bauer, CEO of Tandem Productions, Prof. Nico Hofmann, Ufa Fiction’s Co-ceo, and the screenwriter/creative producer Juliana Lima Dehne.
Mannheim will present four productions as world premieres:
Anomalia - the first in-house produced series by Suisse Romande dedicated to the mystery genre, to be screened by Swiss public TV Rts in February 2016;
Boy Machine - a Swedish musical comedy series about a former boy band wanting to make a comeback 20 years after their breakup, to be aired by TV4;
Red Band Society - a 10-part German version of the...
- 9/8/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
In the year that we commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I, the BBC have looked beyond the devastation of this earlier conflict to World War II, and the war on the Eastern Front with original German drama series Generation War.
In the swirling chaos of the World War, Generation War crafts a tragic and intimate story of the lives of five friends who are impacted by the events of the German invasion of Russia.
For part two of our Generation War special feature, HeyUGuys had the privilege to speak with producer Benjamin Benedict who discussed with us the birth of the series from an idea between two men, the importance of history and the role of storytelling in bringing history to life as well as reflecting on the evolving relationship between television and film. Read our interview with Volker Bruch here.
But before the interview got underway it...
In the swirling chaos of the World War, Generation War crafts a tragic and intimate story of the lives of five friends who are impacted by the events of the German invasion of Russia.
For part two of our Generation War special feature, HeyUGuys had the privilege to speak with producer Benjamin Benedict who discussed with us the birth of the series from an idea between two men, the importance of history and the role of storytelling in bringing history to life as well as reflecting on the evolving relationship between television and film. Read our interview with Volker Bruch here.
But before the interview got underway it...
- 5/12/2014
- by Paul Risker
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
In the year that we commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I, the BBC have looked beyond the devastation of this earlier conflict to World War II, and the war on the Eastern Front with original German drama series Generation War.
In the swirling chaos of the World War, Generation War crafts a tragic and intimate story of the lives of five friends who are impacted by the events of the German invasion of Russia.
For part one of our Generation War special feature, HeyUGuys had the privilege to speak with Volker Bruch who plays Wilhelm Winter, one of the tragic five lead characters. Volker looked back not only to the past of turbulent war, but to the roots of his career. He also shared with us amongst other things his thoughts on Generation War as a ghost story, albeit in a different sense of the word, his frequent...
In the swirling chaos of the World War, Generation War crafts a tragic and intimate story of the lives of five friends who are impacted by the events of the German invasion of Russia.
For part one of our Generation War special feature, HeyUGuys had the privilege to speak with Volker Bruch who plays Wilhelm Winter, one of the tragic five lead characters. Volker looked back not only to the past of turbulent war, but to the roots of his career. He also shared with us amongst other things his thoughts on Generation War as a ghost story, albeit in a different sense of the word, his frequent...
- 5/9/2014
- by Paul Risker
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Flush from an unexpected budget surplus, Germany’s public broadcasters have pledged to plow some $140 million (€100 million) a year back into local production. In particular, pubwebs networks Ard and Zdf have announced plans to boost their drama budgets and invest more in big-budget series. Ard has greenlit the ambitious historic drama Charite from Berlin production house Ufa Fiction as one of its first new projects. The limited six-episode series will trace the history of Berlin’s legendary Charite hospital, which many credit with inventing modern medical research. Veteran TV producer Nico Hofmann first announced the project at the
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- 3/13/2014
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Beki Probst, head of Berlin’s European Film Market (Efm), has hit back at claims that the 2014 edition was “sluggish” or “lukewarm” while the Berlinale Co-Production Market has handed out its awards.
Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, was responding to reports of a quieter market.
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said in an exclusive interview with ScreenDaily.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m cheque, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
In the opinion...
Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, was responding to reports of a quieter market.
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said in an exclusive interview with ScreenDaily.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m cheque, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
In the opinion...
- 2/14/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Oliver Mahrdt, Andrew Nagorski, Ingrid Scheib-Rothbart, with moderator Anne-Katrin Titze on Generation War Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Philipp Kadelbach's Generation War, written by Stefan Kolditz, and produced by Nico Hofmann for the Zdf was first shown on German and Austrian television in 2013 on the evenings of March 17, 18 and 20, in 90 minute episodes as a three-part miniseries. It garnered more than 7 million viewers. The film stars Volker Bruch, Tom Schilling, Katharina Schüttler, Miriam Stein and Ludwig Trepte as five friends in Berlin, June 1941 whom we follow throughout the war.
Two brothers, Wilhelm and Friedhelm are Wehrmacht soldiers on the Eastern Front. Charlotte becomes an army nurse. Greta is an aspiring singer involved with Viktor, a tailor who is Jewish, escapes deportation and joins Polish partisans. The performances are outstanding, the battle scenes filmed by cinematographer David Slama and edited by Bernd Schlegel pull you in and yet the plot choices remain controversial.
Philipp Kadelbach's Generation War, written by Stefan Kolditz, and produced by Nico Hofmann for the Zdf was first shown on German and Austrian television in 2013 on the evenings of March 17, 18 and 20, in 90 minute episodes as a three-part miniseries. It garnered more than 7 million viewers. The film stars Volker Bruch, Tom Schilling, Katharina Schüttler, Miriam Stein and Ludwig Trepte as five friends in Berlin, June 1941 whom we follow throughout the war.
Two brothers, Wilhelm and Friedhelm are Wehrmacht soldiers on the Eastern Front. Charlotte becomes an army nurse. Greta is an aspiring singer involved with Viktor, a tailor who is Jewish, escapes deportation and joins Polish partisans. The performances are outstanding, the battle scenes filmed by cinematographer David Slama and edited by Bernd Schlegel pull you in and yet the plot choices remain controversial.
- 1/29/2014
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Created for German television, where it debuted last spring, the World War II epic Our Mothers, Our Fathers has since aired on Polish, Irish, and Swedish networks, and now finds its way to a theatrical release, retitled Generation War for American audiences. Conceived and undertaken, in the words of producer Nico Hofmann, as "a sensitive, critical homage to the generation of my parents" — those "everyday Germans," according to writer Stefan Kolditz, caught out by history as adult life began — the four-hour production was also designed as a conversation piece.
The conversation Hofmann and Kolditz had in mind is itself much talked about in Germany, where Generation War attracted record viewers. An outsider might get the impression that the deca...
The conversation Hofmann and Kolditz had in mind is itself much talked about in Germany, where Generation War attracted record viewers. An outsider might get the impression that the deca...
- 1/15/2014
- Village Voice
Beta sells other territories on the film based on Noah Gordon’s trilogy of books.
The Physician’s producers Wolf Bauer and Nico Hofmann have indicated that they may take on the other two books of Noah Gordon’s trilogy, of which The Physician is the first part: Matters Of Choice and Shaman.
Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily ahead of the world premiere of The Physician in Berlin on Monday evening, Bauer explained: “We have discussed this with Noah Gordon and would have access [to the properties].”
“But we won’t have this discussion before the film has reached 3m admissions in Germany and Spain,” said Bauer, who is currently reading Shaman for the seventh time.
Moreover, the producers would have freedom in casting since Shaman is set in the 19th century some 800 years after the events in The Physician.
Hofmann revealed that, as part of the film’s financing from broadcaster Ard Degeto, a longer...
The Physician’s producers Wolf Bauer and Nico Hofmann have indicated that they may take on the other two books of Noah Gordon’s trilogy, of which The Physician is the first part: Matters Of Choice and Shaman.
Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily ahead of the world premiere of The Physician in Berlin on Monday evening, Bauer explained: “We have discussed this with Noah Gordon and would have access [to the properties].”
“But we won’t have this discussion before the film has reached 3m admissions in Germany and Spain,” said Bauer, who is currently reading Shaman for the seventh time.
Moreover, the producers would have freedom in casting since Shaman is set in the 19th century some 800 years after the events in The Physician.
Hofmann revealed that, as part of the film’s financing from broadcaster Ard Degeto, a longer...
- 12/17/2013
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Cannes - Two of the biggest names in German TV have teamed up to shoot a biography of Adolf Hitler. Jan Mojto of Beta Film and Nico Hofmann of teamWorx announced Monday that they will adapt the biography Hitler's First War by historian Thomas Weber into an eight-part mini-series that traces Hitler's life from his time as a solider in World War I to his death in 1945. The project, tentatively budgeted at between $20 million-$25 million, will be shot in English. TeamWorx, Beta will co-produce along with Beta's production division Eos with Beta handling world sales.
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- 10/8/2012
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Family of respected second world war general Erwin Rommel object to his portrayal in German TV film
A German film about second world war general Erwin Rommel has been criticised by members of the soldier's family, who say it depicts him as a Nazi criminal who was in thrall to Hitler.
A famed military tactician, Rommel was known as the Desert Fox for his victories with the Afrika Korps over the British 8th Army in north Africa. Widely respected in Britain and Germany during and after the war, he was implicated in the July 1944 plot to kill Hitler and often refused orders to murder Jews and other minorities captured during battle. But the new film, produced for the German TV channel Swr, suggests Rommel's attitude to the Nazis was ambiguous at best and has prompted an angry reaction from the general's family. They say advance publicity for the film depicts Rommel as "an upstart,...
A German film about second world war general Erwin Rommel has been criticised by members of the soldier's family, who say it depicts him as a Nazi criminal who was in thrall to Hitler.
A famed military tactician, Rommel was known as the Desert Fox for his victories with the Afrika Korps over the British 8th Army in north Africa. Widely respected in Britain and Germany during and after the war, he was implicated in the July 1944 plot to kill Hitler and often refused orders to murder Jews and other minorities captured during battle. But the new film, produced for the German TV channel Swr, suggests Rommel's attitude to the Nazis was ambiguous at best and has prompted an angry reaction from the general's family. They say advance publicity for the film depicts Rommel as "an upstart,...
- 9/21/2011
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
31 days to Cannes gives me 31 days to profile international sales agents of my choice. As they announce the festival entries April 15, I want to begin with Ufa whose name opens vistas into film history and today has a film tipped for the festival:
Die Komenden Tage aka The Days To Come by Lars Kraume produced by Badlands Film and by the venerable Ufa Studio, the lives of a middle-class Berlin family unfold from the present day into a realistic near future, a time of great uncertainty and change as siblings deal with their hopes and fears as they face their future in a destabilised world.
Besides this, they are producing one of my all times favorite novels, a property handled in the 90s by German uber agent Sigrid Narjes (Above The Line Agency). Together we tried unsuccessfully to find interested Us coproducers. The Physician, based on Noah Gordon’s international...
Die Komenden Tage aka The Days To Come by Lars Kraume produced by Badlands Film and by the venerable Ufa Studio, the lives of a middle-class Berlin family unfold from the present day into a realistic near future, a time of great uncertainty and change as siblings deal with their hopes and fears as they face their future in a destabilised world.
Besides this, they are producing one of my all times favorite novels, a property handled in the 90s by German uber agent Sigrid Narjes (Above The Line Agency). Together we tried unsuccessfully to find interested Us coproducers. The Physician, based on Noah Gordon’s international...
- 4/14/2010
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
More Berlinale coverage
Berlin -- German subsidy bodies the Medienboard and the Ffa have joined forces with the Israel Film Fund and the Jerusalem Film Festival to start a scholarship program for two young Israeli film professionals.
Suha Arraf, the screenwriter of "Lemon Tree" and "The Syrian Bride," and writer-director Itamar Alkaly ("Stefan Braun") will be the first beneficiaries of the artists-in-residence program, spending three months in Berlin meeting with local producers, filmmakers and funding bodies from the German film and television industry.
The two filmmakers will also be helped by the program's patrons, which include "Waltz With Bashir" co-producers Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner, Nico Hofmann, head of TV production powerhouse teamWorx, and Oliver Berben, a producer at the Berlin-based Moovie company.
Berlin -- German subsidy bodies the Medienboard and the Ffa have joined forces with the Israel Film Fund and the Jerusalem Film Festival to start a scholarship program for two young Israeli film professionals.
Suha Arraf, the screenwriter of "Lemon Tree" and "The Syrian Bride," and writer-director Itamar Alkaly ("Stefan Braun") will be the first beneficiaries of the artists-in-residence program, spending three months in Berlin meeting with local producers, filmmakers and funding bodies from the German film and television industry.
The two filmmakers will also be helped by the program's patrons, which include "Waltz With Bashir" co-producers Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner, Nico Hofmann, head of TV production powerhouse teamWorx, and Oliver Berben, a producer at the Berlin-based Moovie company.
- 2/9/2009
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cologne, Germany -- German film subsidy bodies the Ffa and Mbb have set up an artist-in-residency program that will give grants to Israeli filmmakers to study and work in Berlin for a three-month period.
Announced at the Jerusalem Film Festival on Monday, the program will begin in the summer of 2009.
Prominent Berlin-based film and television producers including Razor Film's Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner, Andro Steinborn of X Filme International, Oliver Berben of Moovie and teamWorx head Nico Hofmann are supporting the new project.
Announced at the Jerusalem Film Festival on Monday, the program will begin in the summer of 2009.
Prominent Berlin-based film and television producers including Razor Film's Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner, Andro Steinborn of X Filme International, Oliver Berben of Moovie and teamWorx head Nico Hofmann are supporting the new project.
- 7/14/2008
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
COLOGNE, Germany -- Glossy U.S.-made series from "Prison Break" to "Grey's Anatomy", from "Heroes" and "House" to the "CSI" franchise continue to dominate primetime schedules across the world. International producers and distributors have little chance of competing directly with these serial juggernauts and their mega-budgets. But in their rush to reinvent the series, U.S. producers have neglected a once all-American genre: the made-for-TV movie.
The 90-minute movie of the week is still a hot seller internationally but increasingly it is being produced not in Burbank but in Berlin. German producers have ceded to U.S. series imports in their home market. In the international telefilm business, however, it's the Germans that are gaining market share.
"With the U.S. betting on the very lucrative series business, an opportunity has been created for German producers in the TV movie genre," said Nico Hofmann, head of Berlin-based Teamworx, a TV movie specialist. "The key is production value. The CGI, the directing style. These movies have to look as good, or better, than Hollywood productions."
German-made MOWs run the range from disaster pics such as Teamworx-produced "Tornado" and terrorist thriller "Mogadishu Welcome", both of which are sold worldwide by SevenOne International; to adventure yarn "The Treasure of the Niebelungs" and Pope assassination drama "Final Proclamation", sold by Telepool; to the collection of Nora Roberts romance movies produced and sold international by Munich-based Tandem Communications.
The 90-minute movie of the week is still a hot seller internationally but increasingly it is being produced not in Burbank but in Berlin. German producers have ceded to U.S. series imports in their home market. In the international telefilm business, however, it's the Germans that are gaining market share.
"With the U.S. betting on the very lucrative series business, an opportunity has been created for German producers in the TV movie genre," said Nico Hofmann, head of Berlin-based Teamworx, a TV movie specialist. "The key is production value. The CGI, the directing style. These movies have to look as good, or better, than Hollywood productions."
German-made MOWs run the range from disaster pics such as Teamworx-produced "Tornado" and terrorist thriller "Mogadishu Welcome", both of which are sold worldwide by SevenOne International; to adventure yarn "The Treasure of the Niebelungs" and Pope assassination drama "Final Proclamation", sold by Telepool; to the collection of Nora Roberts romance movies produced and sold international by Munich-based Tandem Communications.
- 11/9/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CANNES -- German sales giant Beta Film has signed deals with France's Canal+ and RAI of Italy at this year's MIPCOM TV trade fair for the World War II miniseries Dresden -- The Inferno. A co-production between Nico Hofmann's Berlin-based Teamworks and Beta's production arm EOS, Dresden is currently in post-production. The two-parter, which chronicles the infamous firebombing of the east German city by the Allied forces near the close of WWII, will premiere on German pubweb ZDF in March 2006. Budgeted at 10 million ($12 million), Dresden is one of Beta's most ambitious, and expensive, projects to date. "This is one of our highlights; it shows the international market that we have delivered what we promised three years ago," Beta CEO Jan Mojto told The Hollywood Reporter: "That Europe, that Germany, can deliver film-quality productions that have an event character for television." Speaking in Cannes, Beta manager Dirk Schuerhoff said he expected to close a number of additional territories for Dresden before MIPCOM wraps on Friday.
- 10/17/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
BERLIN -- Production company Teamworx said Thursday that German television celebrity Harold Schmidt will star as former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt in the big-budget miniseries Storm Tide for leading commercial broadcaster RTL. The two-part series from producer Nico Hofmann (The Tunnel) follows the real-life story of a catastrophic 1962 flood in Hamburg. Schmidt will star alongside Gotz George, Ottfried Fischer, Hannelore Elsner, Elmar Wepper, Nadja Uhl and Heiner Lauterbach. Schmidt, often called Germany's David Letterman, wrapped up his critically acclaimed eponymous late-night talk show in December. Schmidt is currently shooting the romantic comedy Vom Suchen Und Finden Der Liebe (Looking and Finding Love) with director Helmut Dietl. Schmidt's feature film debut as an actor was Dietl's 1999 satire Late Show.
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