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
Spanish Horror
Two of Spain’s highest-profile upcoming horror titles got release dates and trailers today, David Casademunt’s “El páramo” (formerly “La bestia”) at Netflix and Amazon Prime Video’s horror anthology “Historias para no dormir.”
“El páramo” is the highly anticipated feature debut of award-winning short filmmaker Casademunt, and boasts a small yet star-filled cast including Inma Cuesta (“The Bride”), Roberto Álamo (“The Skin I Live In”) and Asier Flores (“Pain and Glory”). The film is set in an isolated cabin where a family of three are visited by a terrible monster which threatens the ties that bind them. It will world premiere on Oct. 11 at the Sitges Film Festival and hit Netflix worldwide on Jan. 26, 2022. Rodar y Rodar produces.
Amazon Prime Video and Spanish broadcaster Rtve’s reboot of Chicho Ibáñez Serrador’s legendary Spanish horror anthology series “Historias para no dormir” will hit the streaming platform on Nov.
Two of Spain’s highest-profile upcoming horror titles got release dates and trailers today, David Casademunt’s “El páramo” (formerly “La bestia”) at Netflix and Amazon Prime Video’s horror anthology “Historias para no dormir.”
“El páramo” is the highly anticipated feature debut of award-winning short filmmaker Casademunt, and boasts a small yet star-filled cast including Inma Cuesta (“The Bride”), Roberto Álamo (“The Skin I Live In”) and Asier Flores (“Pain and Glory”). The film is set in an isolated cabin where a family of three are visited by a terrible monster which threatens the ties that bind them. It will world premiere on Oct. 11 at the Sitges Film Festival and hit Netflix worldwide on Jan. 26, 2022. Rodar y Rodar produces.
Amazon Prime Video and Spanish broadcaster Rtve’s reboot of Chicho Ibáñez Serrador’s legendary Spanish horror anthology series “Historias para no dormir” will hit the streaming platform on Nov.
- 10/7/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Leonine Studios will handle world sales for Odeon Fiction’s new high-end German-language spy series Bonn.
The six-part political-thriller, which follows Odeon’s AMC+ series Spy City with Dominic Cooper, recounts the rise of Germany’s Federal Republic after the terror of World War II. It focuses on a young woman who struggles to find her own place in a male-dominated society in the 1950s and the political tug-of-war between German’s two rival intelligence services.
The acting ensemble comprises Mercedes Müller (Goodbye Berlin) in the lead role of Toni, Max Riemelt (Matrix 4), Sebastian Blomberg (The People Vs. Fritz Bauer), Juergen Maurer (Perfume), Katharina Marie Schubert (A Gift From The Gods), Inga Busch (I’m Your Man), Luise von Finckh (Deutschland 89), Julius Feldmeier (Babylon Berlin) and Johanna Gastdorf (The Wave).
Based on an idea by Gerrit Hermans, the series heralds from director and head writer Claudia Garde (The Window...
The six-part political-thriller, which follows Odeon’s AMC+ series Spy City with Dominic Cooper, recounts the rise of Germany’s Federal Republic after the terror of World War II. It focuses on a young woman who struggles to find her own place in a male-dominated society in the 1950s and the political tug-of-war between German’s two rival intelligence services.
The acting ensemble comprises Mercedes Müller (Goodbye Berlin) in the lead role of Toni, Max Riemelt (Matrix 4), Sebastian Blomberg (The People Vs. Fritz Bauer), Juergen Maurer (Perfume), Katharina Marie Schubert (A Gift From The Gods), Inga Busch (I’m Your Man), Luise von Finckh (Deutschland 89), Julius Feldmeier (Babylon Berlin) and Johanna Gastdorf (The Wave).
Based on an idea by Gerrit Hermans, the series heralds from director and head writer Claudia Garde (The Window...
- 8/17/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
You have to wonder when she sleeps.
The tireless Maria Schrader — fresh off an Emmy win as outstanding director of a limited series for Netflix’s Unorthodox and another critically-acclaimed turn in front of the camera as East German spy Lenora Rauch in Amazon’s Deutschland 89 — somehow managed, during a pandemic, to shoot her fourth feature film.
I’m Your Man, which Schrader co-wrote with Jan Schomburg, is a screwball comedy with a sci-fi premise. Alma, a workaholic archeologist with no interest in romance (Maren Eggert) takes part in an experiment. For three weeks she will test drive the latest in ...
The tireless Maria Schrader — fresh off an Emmy win as outstanding director of a limited series for Netflix’s Unorthodox and another critically-acclaimed turn in front of the camera as East German spy Lenora Rauch in Amazon’s Deutschland 89 — somehow managed, during a pandemic, to shoot her fourth feature film.
I’m Your Man, which Schrader co-wrote with Jan Schomburg, is a screwball comedy with a sci-fi premise. Alma, a workaholic archeologist with no interest in romance (Maren Eggert) takes part in an experiment. For three weeks she will test drive the latest in ...
You have to wonder when she sleeps.
The tireless Maria Schrader — fresh off an Emmy win as outstanding director of a limited series for Netflix’s Unorthodox and another critically acclaimed turn in front of the camera as East German spy Lenora Rauch in Amazon’s Deutschland 89 — somehow managed, during a pandemic, to shoot her fourth feature film.
I’m Your Man, which Schrader co-wrote with Jan Schomburg, is a screwball comedy with a sci-fi premise. Alma (Maren Eggert), a workaholic archaeologist with no interest in romance, takes part in an experiment. For three weeks she will test-drive the latest in ...
The tireless Maria Schrader — fresh off an Emmy win as outstanding director of a limited series for Netflix’s Unorthodox and another critically acclaimed turn in front of the camera as East German spy Lenora Rauch in Amazon’s Deutschland 89 — somehow managed, during a pandemic, to shoot her fourth feature film.
I’m Your Man, which Schrader co-wrote with Jan Schomburg, is a screwball comedy with a sci-fi premise. Alma (Maren Eggert), a workaholic archaeologist with no interest in romance, takes part in an experiment. For three weeks she will test-drive the latest in ...
German cinema looks set for a major boost this year from some of the country’s most commercially successful and critically acclaimed directors tackling such eclectic subject matter as U.S. torture in Guantánamo, the impact of bipolar disorder on family, and a folkloric love story about the Grim Reaper.
The pandemic postponed a number of scheduled 2020 productions, which will likely make 2021 a busy year as production companies make up lost time.
Andreas Dresen, Til Schweiger, Michael Bully Herbig, Hans-Christian Schmid, Sönke Wortmann and the late Joseph Vilsmaier all have high-profile projects in the works or set to hit theaters (when they reopen) this year.
Dresen explores the injustice of America’s war on terror in the tentatively titled “Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush.” Dresen, who enjoyed a major hit with the award-winning 2018 biopic “Gundermann,” reteamed with writer Laila Stieler on the fact-based pic about Rabiye Kurnaz (Meltem Kaptan), a Turkish housewife in Bremen,...
The pandemic postponed a number of scheduled 2020 productions, which will likely make 2021 a busy year as production companies make up lost time.
Andreas Dresen, Til Schweiger, Michael Bully Herbig, Hans-Christian Schmid, Sönke Wortmann and the late Joseph Vilsmaier all have high-profile projects in the works or set to hit theaters (when they reopen) this year.
Dresen explores the injustice of America’s war on terror in the tentatively titled “Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush.” Dresen, who enjoyed a major hit with the award-winning 2018 biopic “Gundermann,” reteamed with writer Laila Stieler on the fact-based pic about Rabiye Kurnaz (Meltem Kaptan), a Turkish housewife in Bremen,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
The German actress/filmmaker discusses her latest feature starring Dan Stevens as a “partnership robot”.
A mix of “humour and bewilderment” drew German filmmaker Maria Schrader to make I’m Your Man, which will play in Competition at the virtual Berlin International Film Festival (March 1-5).
“I was drawn to it by the simplicity of the set-up,” says Schrader, who tackled more serious subject matter last year in Netflix miniseries Unorthodox, which won her an Emmy for directing. “It’s like a boy meets girl thing. But it’s actually girl meets boy and it’s a robot boy.”
The romantic comedy,...
A mix of “humour and bewilderment” drew German filmmaker Maria Schrader to make I’m Your Man, which will play in Competition at the virtual Berlin International Film Festival (March 1-5).
“I was drawn to it by the simplicity of the set-up,” says Schrader, who tackled more serious subject matter last year in Netflix miniseries Unorthodox, which won her an Emmy for directing. “It’s like a boy meets girl thing. But it’s actually girl meets boy and it’s a robot boy.”
The romantic comedy,...
- 3/1/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Deutschland 83 creator Jörg Winger has landed one of the first German-language series for Disney+ international streamer Star.
Through his Fremantle-backed production company, Big Window Productions, Winger will make Sam – A Saxon for the service, telling the true story of East Germany’s first Black police officer, Samuel Meffire.
The eight-part series — one of 10 Disney+ European shows exclusively revealed by Deadline today — traces Meffire’s extraordinary life after he became a media sensation and a symbol of modern society in the post-reunification 1990s.
But Meffire’s father was killed in a racially motivated attack and he eventually became disillusioned with his symbolic status, ending up behind bars himself just a few years after the Berlin Wall fell. Ultimately, however, Sam – A Saxon is a redemptive story, with Meffire now a reformed character, putting his experiences to good use.
Winger produces the series alongside Tyron Ricketts through Big Window, which...
Through his Fremantle-backed production company, Big Window Productions, Winger will make Sam – A Saxon for the service, telling the true story of East Germany’s first Black police officer, Samuel Meffire.
The eight-part series — one of 10 Disney+ European shows exclusively revealed by Deadline today — traces Meffire’s extraordinary life after he became a media sensation and a symbol of modern society in the post-reunification 1990s.
But Meffire’s father was killed in a racially motivated attack and he eventually became disillusioned with his symbolic status, ending up behind bars himself just a few years after the Berlin Wall fell. Ultimately, however, Sam – A Saxon is a redemptive story, with Meffire now a reformed character, putting his experiences to good use.
Winger produces the series alongside Tyron Ricketts through Big Window, which...
- 2/16/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Last year, one of TV’s most fascinating trilogies came to a close. Yes, “Deutschland 89” was the culmination of a three-season-long arc of Martin Rauch, going from an informant embedded within the West Germany security forces to eventually being caught up in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall. But the show’s opening credits have become a cornerstone for the series as well, morphing from the energetic opening for the eight episodes of “Deustchland 83” through two other installments that traversed continents amidst its various time jumps through the years of its titles.
It’s an evolution headed by title designer Saskia Marka, whose recent work has spanned some of the more fascinating TV work across multiple languages. Marka helped create the striking art deco-inspired opening title card sequence for the undersung Netflix Original “Babylon Berlin,” also adapting those for the series’ subsequent seasons.
“Deutschland 89” wastes no time grabbing your attention.
It’s an evolution headed by title designer Saskia Marka, whose recent work has spanned some of the more fascinating TV work across multiple languages. Marka helped create the striking art deco-inspired opening title card sequence for the undersung Netflix Original “Babylon Berlin,” also adapting those for the series’ subsequent seasons.
“Deutschland 89” wastes no time grabbing your attention.
- 1/5/2021
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
The final season of the Deutschland spy series begins with an ending. In the opening episode of Deutschland 89, the Berlin Wall falls, giving East German citizens free movement to West Germany and beyond for the first time in decades. What follows in the eight-episode final season is a social study in how different people react when their reality is suddenly and fundamentally altered. In the year 2020, as the world continues to reel from the seismic changes Covid-19 has wrought, it’s an unexpectedly relatable experience.
“Deutschland 89 is really about how people have to reinvent themselves during a crisis,” says Deutschland series co-creator Joerg Winger. “So I think, in that way, it does reflect today, but that was not intentional.”
From the beginning, the Deutschland series—which launched in 2015 with Deutschland 83, continued in 2018 with Deutschland 86, and just concluded with Deutschland 89—has used history as a metaphor for contemporary politics.
“Deutschland 89 is really about how people have to reinvent themselves during a crisis,” says Deutschland series co-creator Joerg Winger. “So I think, in that way, it does reflect today, but that was not intentional.”
From the beginning, the Deutschland series—which launched in 2015 with Deutschland 83, continued in 2018 with Deutschland 86, and just concluded with Deutschland 89—has used history as a metaphor for contemporary politics.
- 12/11/2020
- by Kayti Burt
- Den of Geek
It’s finally the weekend, and with most places around the world still experiencing lockdowns to some degree, not to mention cold weather beginning to take over in a lot of countries now that it’s winter, many people will no doubt be looking to remain indoors and flip on some quality content. And lucky for them, the various streaming services continue to deliver.
Be it Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu or HBO Max, there’s a ton of great stuff to dig into and each of the major platforms is constantly updated, with this weekend bringing several exciting titles that might be worth your time. And down below, you can see the complete list of what’s set to arrive across today, Saturday and Sunday.
Ready to dive in?
December 4
Netflix
Bhaag Beanie Bhaag — Netflix Original
Big Mouth: Season 4 — Netflix Original
Bombay Rose — Netflix Film
Captain...
Be it Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu or HBO Max, there’s a ton of great stuff to dig into and each of the major platforms is constantly updated, with this weekend bringing several exciting titles that might be worth your time. And down below, you can see the complete list of what’s set to arrive across today, Saturday and Sunday.
Ready to dive in?
December 4
Netflix
Bhaag Beanie Bhaag — Netflix Original
Big Mouth: Season 4 — Netflix Original
Bombay Rose — Netflix Film
Captain...
- 12/4/2020
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
As the year winds down, streaming services appear to be taking a step back, licking their wounds from this strange pandemic production season, and looking to a hopefully brighter future. This is all to say that Hulu‘s list of new releases for December 2020 isn’t quite its most inspiring batch yet…and that’s Ok.
Hulu’s biggest original title this month is undoubtedly The Hardy Boys. This adaptation of the classic boy detective novels is aimed at younger audiences and will premiere on Dec. 4. Then, near the end of the month, Hulu is bringing a new season of a show that is decidedly not for younger audiences. Season 9 of the very funny and very Canadian Letterkenny arrives on Dec. 26.
Hulu also has some recent movies of note coming in December including Amy Seimetz’s diabolical She Dies Tomorrow on Dec. 4 and children’s movie The Secret Garden on Dec.
Hulu’s biggest original title this month is undoubtedly The Hardy Boys. This adaptation of the classic boy detective novels is aimed at younger audiences and will premiere on Dec. 4. Then, near the end of the month, Hulu is bringing a new season of a show that is decidedly not for younger audiences. Season 9 of the very funny and very Canadian Letterkenny arrives on Dec. 26.
Hulu also has some recent movies of note coming in December including Amy Seimetz’s diabolical She Dies Tomorrow on Dec. 4 and children’s movie The Secret Garden on Dec.
- 11/29/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, as the various streaming services are stocking their libraries with some great new titles this December to keep us going through the festive period. When it comes to Hulu, the Disney-owned platform is adding a few holiday-related movies and TV shows, but is mostly taking the track of stuffing itself full of classic films that the whole family can enjoy.
This includes a bunch of the best James Bond pics ever made, like GoldenEye, The Spy Who Loved Me, Goldfinger and, the one that kicked it all off, Dr. No. That would be a perfect watch to honor Sean Connery, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
Other action movies you might want to check out this December, meanwhile, include The Hurt Locker, The Fifth Element, 2003’s Hulk and the two “Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon” flicks, The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.
This includes a bunch of the best James Bond pics ever made, like GoldenEye, The Spy Who Loved Me, Goldfinger and, the one that kicked it all off, Dr. No. That would be a perfect watch to honor Sean Connery, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
Other action movies you might want to check out this December, meanwhile, include The Hurt Locker, The Fifth Element, 2003’s Hulk and the two “Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon” flicks, The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.
- 11/19/2020
- by Christian Bone
- We Got This Covered
For a season filled with espionage and hallucinations, stuffed animals and imminent computer technology, secret photographs and veiled assassination attempts, the lasting moment of “Deutschland 89” might just be someone reacting to something on TV.
After two full seasons (2015’s “Deutschland 83” and 2018’s “Deutschland 86”) tracking its individual players in a logistical and ideological struggle for the heart of Berlin, this latest opening episode tracks the events of early November 1989, culminating in the free movement of East German residents into West Germany and the dismantling of the wall dividing the two halves of the city.
Beginning “Deutschland 89” at this ending is an early signal that much like “Deutschland 86,” this is a season that won’t simply continue in the vein of its predecessors. Many of the central players may be the same, but this third collection of episodes sees them all vying for a different kind of...
After two full seasons (2015’s “Deutschland 83” and 2018’s “Deutschland 86”) tracking its individual players in a logistical and ideological struggle for the heart of Berlin, this latest opening episode tracks the events of early November 1989, culminating in the free movement of East German residents into West Germany and the dismantling of the wall dividing the two halves of the city.
Beginning “Deutschland 89” at this ending is an early signal that much like “Deutschland 86,” this is a season that won’t simply continue in the vein of its predecessors. Many of the central players may be the same, but this third collection of episodes sees them all vying for a different kind of...
- 10/29/2020
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Germany’s Maze Pictures has boarded Moscow-based Metrafilm’s Kgb comedy series “Pawns,” from writers Michael and Lily Idov, who penned the 2018 Cannes competition screener “Leto.”
The company, which has offices in Munich, Berlin and Lucerne, Switzerland, is also developing a miniseries based on “Ghosts of Berlin,” a book of supernatural stories by filmmaker Rudolf Herzog (son of Werner Herzog), and the tentatively titled mystery series “Parallels.”
On the film front, Maze Pictures is co-producing David Sandberg’s upcoming action-comedy “Kung Fury 2,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Fassbender. It also co-produced Abel Ferrara’s “Siberia,” headlining Willem Dafoe, which premiered at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
“Pawns” is a Russian-German co-production between Maze Pictures, Metrafilm and Latvia’s Tasse Film.
The series has already secured development support from German regional funder Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the project is set to shoot primarily in Riga and to a lesser extent in Berlin and Moscow.
The company, which has offices in Munich, Berlin and Lucerne, Switzerland, is also developing a miniseries based on “Ghosts of Berlin,” a book of supernatural stories by filmmaker Rudolf Herzog (son of Werner Herzog), and the tentatively titled mystery series “Parallels.”
On the film front, Maze Pictures is co-producing David Sandberg’s upcoming action-comedy “Kung Fury 2,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Fassbender. It also co-produced Abel Ferrara’s “Siberia,” headlining Willem Dafoe, which premiered at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
“Pawns” is a Russian-German co-production between Maze Pictures, Metrafilm and Latvia’s Tasse Film.
The series has already secured development support from German regional funder Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the project is set to shoot primarily in Riga and to a lesser extent in Berlin and Moscow.
- 10/13/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
The first two episodes of Sky’s Euro series Romulus, about the events that led to the foundation of Rome, will launch at the Rome Film Festival next month. Produced by Sky, Cattleya and Groenlandia, the show comes from director Matteo Rovere, marking his TV debut, and will star Andrea Arcangeli, Marianna Fontana and Francesco Di Napoli. The ten episodes were filmed in archaic Latin by Rovere alongside Michele Alhaique ed Enrico Maria Artale. Set eight centuries before Christ, the series charts an archaic and brutal world where the tribes of the Lega Latina have lived for years under the leadership of the king of Alba, but drought and famine are threatening peace and the life of the cities. ITV Studios is handling international sales. The show will debut in Italy on Sky.
A joint New York-based office for German Films and the Goethe-Institut will open from October 1 with €50,000 in support from the German government.
A joint New York-based office for German Films and the Goethe-Institut will open from October 1 with €50,000 in support from the German government.
- 9/29/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Director Maria Schrader strove “not to manipulate too much” esthetically on “Unorthodox” in service of a sense of realism. She elaborates in her exclusive interview with Gold Derby (watch the video above), “It’s always the actors who lead the camera. The camera never knows more than the actors. It’s almost, in part, a documentary style of being there with what’s happening.” Schrader explains about the visual style, “It’s a humble camera.”
SEEour interview with costume designer Justine Seymour.
“I also would call it authenticity as far as being truthful to this specific world we are portraying,” adds Schrader. The miniseries has received much praise for its attention to detail in depicting the Satmar Jewish community, which Schrader says required “incredible research” and “intense collaboration” behind the camera. She also notes that she “couldn’t have been happier with the cast” led by Shira Haas and Amit Rahav,...
SEEour interview with costume designer Justine Seymour.
“I also would call it authenticity as far as being truthful to this specific world we are portraying,” adds Schrader. The miniseries has received much praise for its attention to detail in depicting the Satmar Jewish community, which Schrader says required “incredible research” and “intense collaboration” behind the camera. She also notes that she “couldn’t have been happier with the cast” led by Shira Haas and Amit Rahav,...
- 8/13/2020
- by Riley Chow
- Gold Derby
Hulu is hungry for more Taste the Nation: The streamer has renewed the culinary travel series, hosted and executive-produced by Padma Lakshmi, for Season 2.
The show explores “the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant groups, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today,” per the official description. “From indigenous communities to recent immigrant arrivals, Padma breaks bread with Americans across the nation to uncover the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history — ultimately revealing stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American.
The show explores “the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant groups, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today,” per the official description. “From indigenous communities to recent immigrant arrivals, Padma breaks bread with Americans across the nation to uncover the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history — ultimately revealing stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American.
- 8/7/2020
- by Vlada Gelman
- TVLine.com
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
For Berlin-based American writer-producer Anna Winger, creating the Netflix series “Unorthodox” offered a unique opportunity to tell a Jewish story in Germany.
The show, which premiered March 26 on Netflix, is inspired by Deborah Feldman’s 2012 memoir, “Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots,” and follows a young woman who leaves her husband and her insular ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Satmar community in Williamsburg, New York, for a new life in Berlin.
Winger, whose credits include the hit Amazon series franchise “Deutschland 83″ and its two follow-ups, “Deutschland 86” and “Deutschland 89,” co-created with husband Jörg Winger, produced “Unorthodox” via her Berlin-based Studio Airlift shingle.
The series stars Israeli actress Shira Haas as Esty, who leaves an unhappy arranged marriage and travels to Berlin, home to her estranged mother and where she hopes to study music. As she begins to navigate her new life, her husband, portrayed by fellow Israeli actor Amit Rahav,...
The show, which premiered March 26 on Netflix, is inspired by Deborah Feldman’s 2012 memoir, “Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots,” and follows a young woman who leaves her husband and her insular ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Satmar community in Williamsburg, New York, for a new life in Berlin.
Winger, whose credits include the hit Amazon series franchise “Deutschland 83″ and its two follow-ups, “Deutschland 86” and “Deutschland 89,” co-created with husband Jörg Winger, produced “Unorthodox” via her Berlin-based Studio Airlift shingle.
The series stars Israeli actress Shira Haas as Esty, who leaves an unhappy arranged marriage and travels to Berlin, home to her estranged mother and where she hopes to study music. As she begins to navigate her new life, her husband, portrayed by fellow Israeli actor Amit Rahav,...
- 4/1/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Four upcoming premium drama series from German production companies—“Deutschland89,” “Wild Republic,” “Algiers Confidential” and “MaPa”—have been selected for Coming Next, a section that forms part of Series Mania’s Forum program. German Films, an agency that promotes Teutonic film and TV productions, compiled the selection.
“Wild Republic” takes place at an institution at the foot of the Alps, where young offenders are undergoing an experiential educational program intended to re-socialize them. When a member of the program dies a violent death—although nobody knows exactly what happened—the youths face a difficult decision: Should they wait for the authorities to recover the body and investigate the crime, or escape and take their fate into their own hands?
The eight-part show, produced by Nils Dünker, was written by Jan Martin Scharf, Arne Nolting and Klaus Wolfertstetter, and directed by Markus Goller and Lennart Ruff.
Dünker tells Variety that the...
“Wild Republic” takes place at an institution at the foot of the Alps, where young offenders are undergoing an experiential educational program intended to re-socialize them. When a member of the program dies a violent death—although nobody knows exactly what happened—the youths face a difficult decision: Should they wait for the authorities to recover the body and investigate the crime, or escape and take their fate into their own hands?
The eight-part show, produced by Nils Dünker, was written by Jan Martin Scharf, Arne Nolting and Klaus Wolfertstetter, and directed by Markus Goller and Lennart Ruff.
Dünker tells Variety that the...
- 3/24/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is partnering with “Deutschland 83” creator Anna Winger on a new miniseries that tells the story of a young ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman who flees her arranged marriage and religious community to start a new life abroad.
“Unorthodox” is the first project out of the gate for Winger’s newly launched production company, Studio Airlift. The shingle, which is based in Berlin, has at least two other projects in different stages of development. Winger is also preparing for filming later this year of “Deutschland 89,” the final tranche of the Cold War spy tale that began with “Deutschland 83” and continued with last year’s “Deutschland 86.” The series is produced by Ufa Fiction and distributed by Fremantle.
“Unorthodox“ is loosely based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Deborah Feldman. The series follows a young woman brought up in an ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg district who strikes out for Berlin,...
“Unorthodox” is the first project out of the gate for Winger’s newly launched production company, Studio Airlift. The shingle, which is based in Berlin, has at least two other projects in different stages of development. Winger is also preparing for filming later this year of “Deutschland 89,” the final tranche of the Cold War spy tale that began with “Deutschland 83” and continued with last year’s “Deutschland 86.” The series is produced by Ufa Fiction and distributed by Fremantle.
“Unorthodox“ is loosely based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Deborah Feldman. The series follows a young woman brought up in an ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg district who strikes out for Berlin,...
- 2/12/2019
- by Henry Chu
- Variety Film + TV
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