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Anlässlich des heute beginnenden Film Festival Cologne ist das nächste Print-Magazin von Spot media & film erschienen. Es ist für Abonnenten ab sofort als E-Paper verfügbar.

Digital erschienen: Das „Spot Book Nrw“ (Credit: Spot media & film)

Für die Nrw-Ausgabe des „Spot Book“ haben wir u.a. mit Sabine de Mardt über ihre Arbeit in der deutschen Dependance von Gaumont , Till Derenbach und Michael Souvignier über Zeitsprung Pictures, die im kommenden Jahr 40 Jahre alt wird, sowie Broadview-tv-Geschäftsführer Leopold Hoesch.

Darüber hinaus finden Sie im „Spot Book Nrw“ u.a. Porträts von Bettina Brokempers Heimatfilm, Hüseyin Tabaks Epik Film, der jungen Kölner Produktionsfirma filmfaust und des Weltvertriebs The Match Factory sowie eine Wertschätzung der seit mehr als 40 Jahren aktive Pandora Film Produktion

In Gastbeiträgen berichten die augenschein-Produzenten Jonas Katzenschein und Maximilian Leo von ihren Erlebnissen auf dem Toronto International Film Festival sowie Jakob und Jonas Weydemann über die Erfahrungen, die sie in...

Die Netflix-erfahrene Produktionsfirma Gaumont realisiert für den Streamer eine Thriller-Serie, die mit Felix Kramer und Susanne Wolff in den Hauptrollen durchaus auch an das Spionage-Format „Kleo“ denken lässt.

Felix Kramer und Susanne Wolff in „Bone Palace“ (Credit: Netflix)

Gaumont macht für Netflix die Thriller-Serie „Bone Palace“ (At) mit Felix Kramer und Susanne Wolff in den Hauptrollen. Creator und Headautor ist Paul Coates, der die Bücher zusammen mit Kim Zimmermann und Alexander Seibt schrieb. Regie führen Lennart Ruff und Philipp Leinemann. Executive Producer sind Andreas Bareiss und Sabine de Mardt.

Es geht in den sechs Episoden um ein sogenanntes Safe House, einem Berliner Zufluchtsort für alle, die nicht gefunden werden dürfen. Aber die Betreiber Ex-bnd-Agenten Simon (Felix Kramer) und Meret (Susanne Wolff) werden selbst von der eigenen Vergangenheit eingeholt

Der Dreh zum neuen Netflix-Thriller hat gerade in Berlin begonnen. In der von Gaumont produzierten Serie spielen neben den Hauptdarsteller:innen Susanne...

Sechs Jahre operiert Gaumont erst am deutschen Markt. In dieser kurzen Zeit hat Sabine de Mardt die Kölner Produktionsfirma als echtes Powerhouse etabliert. Im Rahmen unseres Nrw-Schwerpunkts rund um das Film Festival Cologne haben wir sie befragt, was bereits erreicht wurde und was als Nächstes kommen wird.

Gaumont-Geschäftsführerin Sabine de Mardt (Credit: Gaumont)

Wie sehr sehen Sie Gaumont in Deutschland als Produktionshaus mit internationaler Ausrichtung? Gibt es internationale Partner, mit denen Sie besonders gerne arbeiten, die womöglich auch Ihre Philosophie teilen?

Sabine de Mardt: In erster Linie sind wir eine deutsche Produktionsfirma, die vorrangig für den deutschen Markt produziert. Das ist unser Hauptfokus im Rahmen unserer internationalen Familie. Im kommenden Jahr wird unser Mutterhaus 130 Jahre alt, die älteste Filmproduktionsfirma der Welt. Das finde ich immer wieder beeindruckend, da wir auf eine so lange und innovative Filmgeschichte blicken. Seit den Anfängen bis heute ist Gaumont ein unabhängiges und inhabergeführtes Unternehmen mit einer großen Filmtradition,...

Eine positive Nachricht: Die von Showrunnerin Jana Burbach entwickelte deutsche Paramount+-Serie „Anywhere“ kann 2025 in internationalen Märkten des Streamers starten.

V.l.: Jana Burbach, Susanne Schildknecht, Felix Binder, Simon Happ, Malaya Stern Takeda, Sabine de Mardt und Rainer Marquass (Credit: Krzysztof Wiktor / Paramount+ / Gaumont)

Nachdem deutsche Paramount+-Serien wie „Zeit Verbrechen“ oder „Turmschatten“ noch nicht veröffentlicht ein neues Zuhause suchen und Formate wie „Der Scheich“, „A Thin Line“ oder „Kohlrabenschwarz“ mit Magenta TV eine neue Plattform fanden, stellt sich die Frage, was mit einem noch nicht ganz abgedrehten Projekt wie „Anywhere“ passiert.

Paramount meldet jetzt, dass bei der achtteiligen Highend-Serie von Showrunnerin Jana Burbach und der Produktionsfirma Gaumont in Kürze die letzte Klappe falle. Produzentin ist Gaumont-Geschäftsführerin Sabine de Mardt. Neben Burbach fungieren auch Rainer Marquass und Simon Happ als Executive Producer. Das Projekt entstand in Zusammenarbeit mit Paramount Television International für den Streamingdienst Paramount+. Dazu heißt es nun:...

When Comcast-owned Sky Deutschland cancelled its usual drama event at the Munich Film Festival at short notice last summer, it came as a surprise. That surprise quickly turned to shock and bitter disappointment when the pay-tv giant revealed it wasn’t simply nixing a networking bash, it was exiting the original drama business full stop.

More bad news followed as the local impact of Paramount Global reining in spend on original international drama kicked in – German shows were yanked off the streamer and projects in the works canned. This wasn’t that long after HBO Max had pulled out and Starz Play closing simply added to a stream of bad news. Apple, Disney+ and Prime Video remain in the German drama business, but commission in such low volume that it is the thinnest of silver linings for the vast majority of local scripted prodcos. The strategy at Netflix, easily...

Drehbuchautorin Annette Hess ist eine der starken Stimmen in der deutschen Film- und Serienbranche. Dafür erhielt sie jetzt auf dem Seriencamp einen neu geschaffenen Preis überreicht und sprach über Ungerechtigkeiten in der Branche und „Ku’damm 77“.

Annette Hess beim Seriencamp (Credit: Spot)

Der internationale Medienpartner des Seriencamp, das US-Branchenblatt Deadline, hat zum ersten Mal den German TV Disruptor Award am heutigen Donnerstag verliehen. Der Preis ging an die Drehbuchautorin Annette Hess, die für Serien wie „Deutsches Haus“ oder die „Ku’damm“-Reihe und eine starke Rolle für die Drehbuchschreibenden in der Produktion steht. „Wir wollten jemanden auszeichnen, der eine Meinung und Haltung zur Branche hat“, sagte Stewart Clarke von Deadline.

Annette Hess sprach auf der Bühne klar und mutig über heutige Missstände in der Branche und ihren eigenen Werdegang. „Den Pay Gap gibt es bis heute. Drehbuchautorinnen verdienen 20 Prozent weniger als ihre Kollegen.“ Ihrer Meinung nach verschlechtere sich sogar wieder die...

Since its establishment in 2018, Gaumont Germany has produced a wide range of series and TV movies, among them such timely shows as the critically acclaimed “Deutsches Haus” (“The Interpreter of Silence”), which was nominated for the Critics Choice Awards, and the Ukrainian series “In Her Car.”

A subsidiary of the French entertainment powerhouse, the Cologne and Berlin-based company also created such ambitious shows as Netflix’s historical epic “Barbarians” – the first season of which was one of the streamer’s most successful non-English-language series worldwide – and the award-winning Sky Original comedy “The Wasp,” about a professional dart player seeking to return to his former glory.

Discussing the company’s latest productions, Gaumont Germany President Sabine de Mardt says it’s important to combine broader entertainment with relevance, something both “The Interpreter of Silence” and “In Her Car” offer.

“’The Interpreter of Silence,’ in particular, even though it’s a period story,...

Pay deals in the U.S. and the streamer reset’s impact on international TV development were among the topics at the opening panel of the Berlinale Series Market this morning in Europe.

During the panel at the EFM event, Gersh partner Roy Ashton described that while production costs have gone up significantly over recent years, writer pay had not kept up with the inflation. He suggested indie producers, writers and agents should collaborate more to ensure packages lead to better financial deals when they approach streamers or studios.

Ashton noted that the model behind Netflix’s hit action series The Night Agent, which has been viewed tens of millions of times on the service, meant its writing team did not receive more than originals shows launched at the same time that performed far worse. Creator Shawn Ryan last year gave an interview in which he said anyone assuming he...

It’s a story — the attempted genocide of Europe’s Jews by the Nazis and their willing executioners — that has been told many times before. But, say the creators of the new German TV drama The Interpreter of Silence, it’s a story that needs to be told again and again.

The five-part limited series, which bowed on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ worldwide Nov. 15, is up for this year’s Critics Choice Awards in the best foreign-language TV series category. The period drama will go up against the South Korean series Bargain, The Glory, Mask Girl and Moving, the French crime series Lupin, and the Italian mafia drama The Good Mothers.

Set in Frankfurt in 1963, The Interpreter of Silence follows the events of Eva Bruhns, a 24-year-old German woman, played by Katharina Stark, who gets a job as a Polish-to-German interpreter in the Auschwitz trials, the...

Long-serving Sky Deutschland exec Quirin Schmidt is moving to Gaumont as an executive producer in April.

Schmidt helped build Sky’s in-house production division in Germany, where he was oversaw three seasons of the German-Austrian crime series Der Pass, dramedy Ich Und Die Anderen and mystery series Hausen.

He has an existing relationship with Gaumont’s President in Germany, producer Sabine de Mardt, and producer Andreas Bareiss through Sky Original comedy series Die Wespe (The Wasp).

In his new role at Gaumont, Schmidt be responsible for developing and producing films and series.

“Quirin is a great asset to our company,” said de Mardt. “Not least our collaboration on Die Wespe showed us that he is exactly the right executive producer for our team.

“We are convinced that Quirin, with his creativity, his flair for extraordinary stories and his broad network in the industry, will contribute significantly to realizing our ambitious...

Disney+ has set “German House,” a drama about a young interpreter who is confronted with the shocking truth of the Holocaust during her work at the first Auschwitz trial in 1963, as its next German original.

The five-part miniseries is an adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by author Annette Hess, who also wrote the screenplay and serves as showrunner.

Shooting on “German House” has been underway in Poland since late August and will continue until mid-December. Isa Prahl (“Westwall”) and Randa Chahoud (“Deutschland 89”) serve as directors.

Produced by Gaumont Germany, the series sees the protagonist uncover horrible crimes, suffering and guilt that had been suppressed during the German economic miracle as she also discovers her own family entanglements in the dark side of German history.

The cast comprises Katharina Stark (“Tatort”), Anke Engelke, Iris Berben, (“Krupp”), Hans-Jochen Wagner her father Ludwig and Ricarda Seifried (“A Winter’s...

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

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

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

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

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

Top of this...

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

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

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

Sky Studios is teaming with French major Gaumont on comedy The Wasp, which is being produced for Sky Deutschland.

The six-part series tells the story of Eddie Frotzke, a fallen professional dart player who, after a prolonged career slump, wants to return to his former glory. With the help of his old buddy Nobbe, also a rusty dart pro but with a strong tendency to alcohol, Eddie wants to find his way back into life and his career, proving that he was not called ‘The Wasp’ for nothing.

Jan Berger (Der Medicus) create and wrote the series which will be directed Hermine Huntgeburth (Neue Vahr Süd). Florian Lukas (Good Bye Lenin!) is playing the lead role. Andreas Bareiss and Sabine de Mardt executive produce for Gaumont with Quirin Schmidt for Sky Studios.

Shooting is scheduled to begin later this year and the project is supported by the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw...

Sky Studios and Gaumont have teamed on “The Wasp,” the first Sky original comedy to be produced for Sky Deutschland.

The six-part series follows Eddie Frotzke, a fallen professional dart player who, after a prolonged career slump, wants to return to his former glory. With the help of his old buddy Nobbe, also a rusty dart pro but dealing with a drinking habit, Eddie wants to find his way back into life and his career, proving that he was not called “The Wasp” for nothing.

The series is created and written by Jan Berger (“Der Medicus”) and will be directed by Hermine Huntgeburth. Florian Lukas (“Good Bye Lenin!”) will play Eddie. Andreas Bareiss and Sabine de Mardt are executive producing for Gaumont with Quirin Schmidt for Sky Studios.

Shooting is scheduled to begin later this year. The project is supported by the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw and the Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg.

Gaumont Germany is bowing its first major production this month with the premiere of the historical action series “Barbarians” on Netflix.

The six-part miniseries promises to take viewers to the blood-drenched Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, in which Germanic warriors halted the northward advance of the Roman Empire in A.D. 9.

Part of French film and TV studio Gaumont and launched in 2018, Gaumont Germany has benefited from its parent group’s well established ties with the streaming giant.

“Our long close partnership with Netflix with productions like ‘Narcos,’ ‘Hemlock Grove’ and ‘F is for Family’ led us to early discussions with them when they expanded in Europe a few years ago,” Gaumont Germany president Sabine de Mardt told Variety.

“[Gaumont Vice CEO] Christophe Riandée knew what Netflix was looking for even before I joined the company and we opened Gaumont Germany,” de Mardt explained.

Indeed, the new division had already been looking for...

Berlin — The Berlin Festival’s Drama Series Days wrapped Wednesday after three days of intense panels, screenings and an affirmation of the robust growth of Europe’s higher-end drama series production. As the Berlin Festival looks to a future under new directors, one fairly safe prediction is that its TV strand, already boasting packed-to-the -rafters audiences for its key sessions, will only get bigger. Following, five takeaways from its 5th edition:

Netflix

Amazon made the running at Sundance, but Netflix ruled business news flow in Berlin, at least through Wednesday afternoon. With its first film in Berlin competition, Isabel Coixet’s “Elisa & Marcela,” an at-least 49-exec delegation and its own panel at Berlin’s Drama Series Days, during the course of the Berlin Film Festival, Netflix unveiled 12 new Original Series and seven new Original Movies out of international, from Spain (five new series), Mexico, Germany and Norway (one series).

The...

Berlin — Attendees of Berlinale’s Drama Series Days followed a busy and wide-ranging program on Monday with a packed opening reception, supported by Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and the Norwegian Film Institute, and with Variety as a media partner.

After a lively day of panel discussions and sessions focused on the future of television, guests partied at the chic Super Concept Space just steps from the red carpet of Zoo Palast. Among those in attendance were Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw CEO Petra Müller, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg managing director Kirsten Niehuus, Efm director Matthijs Wouter Knol, and Berlinale Series program manager Solmaz Azizi.

The growing excitement around the Berlin Film Festival’s popular TV strand, which moved to Zoo Palast last year to concentrate both screenings and industry activities in a single hub, is part of a natural evolution in the industry, according to Knol.

The Efm topper said that five years ago,...

Following on the success of supernatural drama “Dark,” Netflix is set to produce five new German originals, including an ambitious historical series that chronicles a bloody and decisive battle between Germanic tribes and the Roman Empire.

Kelly Luegenbiehl, Netflix’s vice president of original series for Europe, announced the development and production of the five new projects on Thursday at the Medientage München media conference in Munich. The slate will launch online beginning in 2019.

“At Netflix, we want to tell local stories with global appeal. We are excited to have found this in these five projects, which – each in their unique way – are both undeniably German and at the same time tell stories that are relevant to viewers all over the world,” Luegenbiehl said.

The famous battle of the Teutoburg Forest, in which Germanic warriors halted the northward advance of the Roman Empire in Ad 9, is the focus of “The Barbarians.

As it continues to grow internationally, Narcos producer Gaumont is set to open a new London-based television subsidiary this coming August. Gaumont UK will be run by Alison Jackson, the Kudos executive producer whose credits include Sky Atlantic/Amazon’s Tin Star. The move into the UK follows word last week that Gaumont would open a Cologne, Germany-based outpost in July managed by Warner Bros’ Sabine de Mardt. The goal ahead is to produce series in targeted overseas…...

Bollywood epic Padmavati, now titled Padmaavat, will see its worldwide release beginning tomorrow. The Deepika Padukone-starrer has throughout production and to today sparked a furor in India, inciting violence and death threats. It finally cleared censors last week after a December date was delayed amid escalating tensions. Those tensions have not abated. At least 16 people were reportedly arrested on Tuesday in Ahmedabad as they protested the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film. It’s based on Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s epic 16th century poem and earlier confusion over perceived historical inaccuracies and a false rumor that the movie contained offensive sexual content have led to the violence. Police told local press that some 200 protesters set fire to cars and scooters in Ahmedabad and threw rocks at cinemas yesterday. On Sunday in Gujarat, protesters blocked roads and caused local bus services to be suspended. Rajput leaders have said that...