Berlin’s Studio Babelsberg, one of Europe’s largest studio complexes, has revealed that its senior management has been rejigged. Recent movies to shoot at the studios include “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” “John Wick: Chapter 4” and “The Matrix Resurrections.”
Founded in 1912, Babelsberg is one of the oldest studios in the world. Among the films it has hosted are “Metropolis,” “The Blue Angel,” “The Pianist,” “The Bourne Supremacy” and “Bridge of Spies.” Babelsberg comprises 21 studios and sound stages, various backlots and exterior sets across more than 42 acres.
Babelsberg revealed Tuesday that Carl “Charlie” Woebcken and Christoph Fisser, who have run the studios since 2004, have stepped down from their positions on the board of directors at their own request and in mutual agreement.
At the end of 2021, they sold their majority stake in Babelsberg to Tpg Real Estate Partners. Last year, Babelsberg was integrated into the production facilities company Cinespace Studios,...
Founded in 1912, Babelsberg is one of the oldest studios in the world. Among the films it has hosted are “Metropolis,” “The Blue Angel,” “The Pianist,” “The Bourne Supremacy” and “Bridge of Spies.” Babelsberg comprises 21 studios and sound stages, various backlots and exterior sets across more than 42 acres.
Babelsberg revealed Tuesday that Carl “Charlie” Woebcken and Christoph Fisser, who have run the studios since 2004, have stepped down from their positions on the board of directors at their own request and in mutual agreement.
At the end of 2021, they sold their majority stake in Babelsberg to Tpg Real Estate Partners. Last year, Babelsberg was integrated into the production facilities company Cinespace Studios,...
- 1/16/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Charlie Woebcken and Christoph Fisser have resigned from the management board of Germany’s Studio Babelsberg in the wake of their sale of the storied German backlot to Tpg Real Estate, owner of Cinespace Studios.
Their resignation, announced Tuesday, comes 20 years after Woebcken and Fisser acquired ´ Babelsberg in 2004. Under their guidance, the legendary German backlot was transformed into a modern international studio, attracting such blockbuster productions as Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, Wes Anderson’s The Budapest Hotel or Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies. More recently, Keanu Reeves-starrers The Matrix Revolutions and John Wick: Chapter 4 both shot there.
In late 2021, Woebcken and Fisser sold their majority stake in the studio to Tpg Real Estate Partners, which folded Studio Babelsberg into its Cinespace Studios network of backlots, encompassing some 109 active stages with additional operations in Chicago, Toronto, Atlanta and Wilmington.
Former Pinewood and APA International executive Andy Weltman took...
Their resignation, announced Tuesday, comes 20 years after Woebcken and Fisser acquired ´ Babelsberg in 2004. Under their guidance, the legendary German backlot was transformed into a modern international studio, attracting such blockbuster productions as Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, Wes Anderson’s The Budapest Hotel or Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies. More recently, Keanu Reeves-starrers The Matrix Revolutions and John Wick: Chapter 4 both shot there.
In late 2021, Woebcken and Fisser sold their majority stake in the studio to Tpg Real Estate Partners, which folded Studio Babelsberg into its Cinespace Studios network of backlots, encompassing some 109 active stages with additional operations in Chicago, Toronto, Atlanta and Wilmington.
Former Pinewood and APA International executive Andy Weltman took...
- 1/16/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Universal City, California – Continuing its theatrical run, the charming comedy starring Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Hanks, Focus Features’ Asteroid City is available tomorrow, July 11, 2023 to buy or rent at home on digital platforms nationwide from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Packed with humor, an eclectic cast of characters, and an extraordinary alien encounter, the film marks the return of seven-time Oscar® nominated writer and director Wes Anderson and his signature unique visual style.
A “delightfully profound desert charmer” (Indiewire) that “packs a punch with its ensemble cast” (Slash Film), Asteroid City showcases a star-studded, critically acclaimed supporting cast alongside Schwartzman, Johansson, and Hanks, including Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan and Jeff Goldblum.
A fictional American desert town, circa 1955. Junior Stargazers...
A “delightfully profound desert charmer” (Indiewire) that “packs a punch with its ensemble cast” (Slash Film), Asteroid City showcases a star-studded, critically acclaimed supporting cast alongside Schwartzman, Johansson, and Hanks, including Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan and Jeff Goldblum.
A fictional American desert town, circa 1955. Junior Stargazers...
- 7/11/2023
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
HollywoodThe film follows the chaos that ensues as world-changing events take place at a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention.Screengrab: YouTube/ Focus FeaturesThe trailer for Wes Anderson's upcoming comedy Asteroid City has been released. The film is set in the 1950s in a fictional American desert town. According to a report by Variety, the film follows the chaos that ensues as world-changing events take place at a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention, which is designed to unite students and parents in scholarly competition. The film's main cast includes Margot Robbie, Tom Hanks, Hong Chau, and Scarlett Johansson. Also featured in the film are Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum, and Rita Wilson. Asteroid City...
- 3/30/2023
- by LakshmiP
- The News Minute
Los Angeles, March 30 (Ians) The trailer for Wes Anderson’s upcoming comedy ‘Asteroid City’ has been released. The film is set in the 1950s in a fictional American desert town.
At a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention, which is designed to unite students and parents in scholarly competition, chaos ensues as world-changing events take place, reports ‘Variety’.
The film’s main cast includes Margot Robbie, Tom Hanks, Hong Chau and Scarlett Johansson. Also featured in the film are Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum and Rita Wilson.
‘Asteroid City’ is the latest on Anderson’s long list of credits that include ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’, ‘Isle of Dogs’, ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, ‘Moonrise Kingdom’, ‘The French Dispatch...
At a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention, which is designed to unite students and parents in scholarly competition, chaos ensues as world-changing events take place, reports ‘Variety’.
The film’s main cast includes Margot Robbie, Tom Hanks, Hong Chau and Scarlett Johansson. Also featured in the film are Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum and Rita Wilson.
‘Asteroid City’ is the latest on Anderson’s long list of credits that include ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’, ‘Isle of Dogs’, ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, ‘Moonrise Kingdom’, ‘The French Dispatch...
- 3/30/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Focus Features has dropped the trailer for Wes Anderson’s upcoming comedy “Asteroid City.”
“Asteroid City” is set in the 1950s in a fictional American desert town. At a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention, which is designed to unite students and parents in scholarly competition, chaos ensues as world-changing events take place.
The film’s main cast includes Margot Robbie, Tom Hanks, Hong Chau and Scarlett Johansson. Also featured in the film are Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum and Rita Wilson.
“Asteroid City” is the latest on Anderson’s long list of credits that include “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Isle of Dogs,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Moonrise Kingdom,” “The French Dispatch” and “The Royal Tennenbaums.
“Asteroid City” is set in the 1950s in a fictional American desert town. At a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention, which is designed to unite students and parents in scholarly competition, chaos ensues as world-changing events take place.
The film’s main cast includes Margot Robbie, Tom Hanks, Hong Chau and Scarlett Johansson. Also featured in the film are Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum and Rita Wilson.
“Asteroid City” is the latest on Anderson’s long list of credits that include “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Isle of Dogs,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Moonrise Kingdom,” “The French Dispatch” and “The Royal Tennenbaums.
- 3/29/2023
- by Julia MacCary
- Variety Film + TV
Munich-based sales agency Beta Cinema has launched the international trailer (below) for “In a Land That No Longer Exists,” which has its international premiere on Oct. 21 in the competition section of the Rome Film Festival.
Aelrun Goette’s feature debut, which was released in Germany on Thursday by Tobis, is inspired by the director’s own experiences in East Germany during the late 80s, when she worked as a model for fashion magazine Sibylle, the so-called “Vogue of the East.”
The action takes place in East Berlin in the early summer of 1989, a few months before the fall of the Wall. Eighteen-year-old Suzie is thrown headfirst into the vibrant fashion scene in socialist East Germany when a photograph of her ends up on the cover of Sibylle.
Together with the glamorous Rudi, she dives into the underground subculture working on their own fantastic fashion designs. When she falls in love...
Aelrun Goette’s feature debut, which was released in Germany on Thursday by Tobis, is inspired by the director’s own experiences in East Germany during the late 80s, when she worked as a model for fashion magazine Sibylle, the so-called “Vogue of the East.”
The action takes place in East Berlin in the early summer of 1989, a few months before the fall of the Wall. Eighteen-year-old Suzie is thrown headfirst into the vibrant fashion scene in socialist East Germany when a photograph of her ends up on the cover of Sibylle.
Together with the glamorous Rudi, she dives into the underground subculture working on their own fantastic fashion designs. When she falls in love...
- 10/10/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Cinespace Studios has made leadership changes at Germany’s Studio Babelsberg, including installing former Pinewood International executive vp Andy Weltman as co-ceo and co-chairman.
Weltman, a veteran of Hollywood deal-making, is also a former managing director of APA International, where he oversaw the U.S. talent agency’s U.K. and European operations. Weltman, Ashley Rice, co-managing partner and president of Cinespace, and André Bleeker, CFO of Germany’s A&o Hotels and Hostels, will also join co-ceo Carl L. Woebcken and COO Christoph Fisser in running the German film studio via its management board.
Marius Schwarz, former CFO of Studio Babelsberg, stepped down on June 30, 2022 and will continue to serve the studio as an advisor. And Ty Warren, former head of global production at Netflix and recently installed on the Cinespace board, joins Studio Babelsberg’s supervisory board alongside existing members Michael Abel and Maria Terzini.
Cinespace Studios has made leadership changes at Germany’s Studio Babelsberg, including installing former Pinewood International executive vp Andy Weltman as co-ceo and co-chairman.
Weltman, a veteran of Hollywood deal-making, is also a former managing director of APA International, where he oversaw the U.S. talent agency’s U.K. and European operations. Weltman, Ashley Rice, co-managing partner and president of Cinespace, and André Bleeker, CFO of Germany’s A&o Hotels and Hostels, will also join co-ceo Carl L. Woebcken and COO Christoph Fisser in running the German film studio via its management board.
Marius Schwarz, former CFO of Studio Babelsberg, stepped down on June 30, 2022 and will continue to serve the studio as an advisor. And Ty Warren, former head of global production at Netflix and recently installed on the Cinespace board, joins Studio Babelsberg’s supervisory board alongside existing members Michael Abel and Maria Terzini.
- 9/2/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Studio
Studio Babelsberg, the historic German studio that recently hosted “The Matrix Resurrections” production, has been acquired by Tpg Real Estate Partners.
The company, which is part of global alternative asset firm Tpg, first revealed plans to acquire a stake in the studio in September via Trep’s acquisition of Babelsberg’s main shareholder, Filmbetriebe Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (Fbb), which was controlled by Carl L. Woebcken and Christoph Fisser. As part of that deal, Fbb launched a public tender offer to acquire a majority of the shares in Studio Babelsberg, which went through in October.
All closing conditions of the transaction have now been fulfilled, the companies have said, with Woebcken and Fisser continuing to hold a minority stake in the studio.
Studio Babelsberg now sits within Trep’s global studio platform, Cinespace Studios, which is the second largest sound stage operator in North America and, with Babelsberg in the fold,...
Studio Babelsberg, the historic German studio that recently hosted “The Matrix Resurrections” production, has been acquired by Tpg Real Estate Partners.
The company, which is part of global alternative asset firm Tpg, first revealed plans to acquire a stake in the studio in September via Trep’s acquisition of Babelsberg’s main shareholder, Filmbetriebe Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (Fbb), which was controlled by Carl L. Woebcken and Christoph Fisser. As part of that deal, Fbb launched a public tender offer to acquire a majority of the shares in Studio Babelsberg, which went through in October.
All closing conditions of the transaction have now been fulfilled, the companies have said, with Woebcken and Fisser continuing to hold a minority stake in the studio.
Studio Babelsberg now sits within Trep’s global studio platform, Cinespace Studios, which is the second largest sound stage operator in North America and, with Babelsberg in the fold,...
- 1/4/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
The studio has hosted The Matrix Resurrections, John Wick 4 and Babylon Berlin.
Tpg Real Estate Partners (Trep), the real estate arm of the global investment firm Tpg, is set to acquire a majority stake in Germany’s Studio Babelsberg, one of the biggest studio facilities in Europe.
In the last two years, the 21-stage complex on the outskirts of Berlin has hosted the high-profile shoots of Warner Bros’ The Matrix Resurrections, Columbia Pictures’ Uncharted, staring Tom Holland, Lionsgate and Summit’s John Wick 4 as well as Studiocanal’s Liam Neeson thriller Retribution which is now in production.
In addition, this...
Tpg Real Estate Partners (Trep), the real estate arm of the global investment firm Tpg, is set to acquire a majority stake in Germany’s Studio Babelsberg, one of the biggest studio facilities in Europe.
In the last two years, the 21-stage complex on the outskirts of Berlin has hosted the high-profile shoots of Warner Bros’ The Matrix Resurrections, Columbia Pictures’ Uncharted, staring Tom Holland, Lionsgate and Summit’s John Wick 4 as well as Studiocanal’s Liam Neeson thriller Retribution which is now in production.
In addition, this...
- 9/17/2021
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
The studio has hosted The Matrix Resurrections, John Wick 4 and Babylon Berlin.
Tpg Real Estate Partners (Trep), the real estate arm of the global investment firm Tpg, is set to acquire a majority stake in Germany’s Studio Babelsberg, one of the biggest studio facilities in Europe.
In the last two years, the 21-stage complex on the outskirts of Berlin has hosted the high-profile shoots of Warner Bros’ The Matrix Resurrections, Columbia Pictures’ Uncharted, staring Tom Holland, Lionsgate and Summit’s John Wick 4 as well as Studiocanal’s Liam Neeson thriller Retribution which is now in production.
In addition, this...
Tpg Real Estate Partners (Trep), the real estate arm of the global investment firm Tpg, is set to acquire a majority stake in Germany’s Studio Babelsberg, one of the biggest studio facilities in Europe.
In the last two years, the 21-stage complex on the outskirts of Berlin has hosted the high-profile shoots of Warner Bros’ The Matrix Resurrections, Columbia Pictures’ Uncharted, staring Tom Holland, Lionsgate and Summit’s John Wick 4 as well as Studiocanal’s Liam Neeson thriller Retribution which is now in production.
In addition, this...
- 9/17/2021
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
German co-productions are making a strong showing at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Leos Carax’s opening film, “Annette,” Wes Anderson’s star-studded “The French Dispatch” and Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi’s “The Story of My Wife.”
Fabian Gasmia’s Berlin-based Detailfilm is among the producers on “Annette,” which stars Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. The musical shot throughout the German state of North RhineWestphalia, including at the Ordensburg Vogelsang, a former Nazi military academy that doubles for a high-security U.S. prison in the film. The production received €500,000 from regional funder Filmstiftung Nrw in addition to support from the German-French Minitraité.
“The French Dispatch” marks Anderson’s third collaboration with co-producer Studio Babelsberg after “Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Isle of Dogs.” The competition entry also partially shot at the studio. Studio Babelsberg’s Christoph Fisser, Henning Molfenter and Charlie Woebcken, who secured funding for the production...
Fabian Gasmia’s Berlin-based Detailfilm is among the producers on “Annette,” which stars Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. The musical shot throughout the German state of North RhineWestphalia, including at the Ordensburg Vogelsang, a former Nazi military academy that doubles for a high-security U.S. prison in the film. The production received €500,000 from regional funder Filmstiftung Nrw in addition to support from the German-French Minitraité.
“The French Dispatch” marks Anderson’s third collaboration with co-producer Studio Babelsberg after “Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Isle of Dogs.” The competition entry also partially shot at the studio. Studio Babelsberg’s Christoph Fisser, Henning Molfenter and Charlie Woebcken, who secured funding for the production...
- 7/9/2021
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Film and TV productions in Germany have come back with gusto following the three-month Covid-19 lockdown earlier this year, albeit under stringent health protection requirements.
Despite a second lockdown in November due to the rise in coronavirus cases, shooting continues around the country, both in studios and on location. Warners’ “Matrix 4,” Sony’s “Uncharted,” Apple TV Plus’ “Foundation” and the Netflix pic “Munich” are among the big international productions that have recently shot in Germany.
At Studio Babelsberg, “Matrix 4” and “Uncharted” recently wrapped after being initially shut down in March. “We are happy that we were able to carry out both productions without any major incidents in the very difficult period after the lockdown and that everything went wonderfully,” says Studio Babelsberg COO Christoph Fisser.
Peter Dinges, CEO of the German Federal Film Board (Ffa), notes that “Matrix 4” in particular was “an absolutely major project for us,...
Despite a second lockdown in November due to the rise in coronavirus cases, shooting continues around the country, both in studios and on location. Warners’ “Matrix 4,” Sony’s “Uncharted,” Apple TV Plus’ “Foundation” and the Netflix pic “Munich” are among the big international productions that have recently shot in Germany.
At Studio Babelsberg, “Matrix 4” and “Uncharted” recently wrapped after being initially shut down in March. “We are happy that we were able to carry out both productions without any major incidents in the very difficult period after the lockdown and that everything went wonderfully,” says Studio Babelsberg COO Christoph Fisser.
Peter Dinges, CEO of the German Federal Film Board (Ffa), notes that “Matrix 4” in particular was “an absolutely major project for us,...
- 12/9/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Actors Gerard Butler (pictured above with Soho House’s Dominic Hofer and Studio Babelsberg’s Christoph Fisser), Daniel Brühl and Tom Wlaschiha, who played Jaqen H’ghar in “Game of Thrones,” were among the guests at the Studio Babelsberg Night Friday at Berlin’s Soho House.
Other actors at the party included Thomas Kretschmann, Emilia Schuele, Elyas M’Barek, Iris Berben, Max von der Groeben, Sebastian Koch, Sabin Tambrea, Sonja Gerhardt, David Schuetter, and Hannah Herzsprung.
The directors at the event were Tom Tykwer, Ruben Fleischer, Baran bo Odar, Stefan Ruzowitzky, Lars Kraume, Marco Kreuzpaintner, and Jan-Ole Gerster.
Among the politicians and business execs were Michael Mueller, Mayor of Berlin, Monika Gruetters, Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Charles Rivkin, chairman of the Motion Picture Assn., David Goldman, VP, original series at Netflix, Martin Bachmann, managing director at Sony Pictures Releasing in Germany, and Kirsten Niehuus, M.D. at Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
Other actors at the party included Thomas Kretschmann, Emilia Schuele, Elyas M’Barek, Iris Berben, Max von der Groeben, Sebastian Koch, Sabin Tambrea, Sonja Gerhardt, David Schuetter, and Hannah Herzsprung.
The directors at the event were Tom Tykwer, Ruben Fleischer, Baran bo Odar, Stefan Ruzowitzky, Lars Kraume, Marco Kreuzpaintner, and Jan-Ole Gerster.
Among the politicians and business execs were Michael Mueller, Mayor of Berlin, Monika Gruetters, Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Charles Rivkin, chairman of the Motion Picture Assn., David Goldman, VP, original series at Netflix, Martin Bachmann, managing director at Sony Pictures Releasing in Germany, and Kirsten Niehuus, M.D. at Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
- 2/25/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Martin Schreier’s Dreamfactory, the period romantic drama that grossed close to $1m in its local market last year, has sold to the U.S. with German company Capelight partnering with Mpi for the North American release.
The deal, struck with Berlin-based agent Picture Tree International, is a similar one to Capelight’s earlier acquisition of German pic The Collini Case, which it will release this year again in collaboration with Mpi. Capelight also recently handled the U.S. release of South Korean action blockbuster Ashfall in December, grossing close to $400,000.
The distributor is planning an English language dub of Dreamfactory. Set in 1961, the movie follows a young studio extra’s ambitious efforts to reunite with the French girl he loves after being separated by the construction of the Berlin Wall.
Dreamfactory (German title Traumfabrik) comes from German outfit Traumfabrik Babelsberg, founded by Tom Zickler with Christoph Fisser, Vice...
The deal, struck with Berlin-based agent Picture Tree International, is a similar one to Capelight’s earlier acquisition of German pic The Collini Case, which it will release this year again in collaboration with Mpi. Capelight also recently handled the U.S. release of South Korean action blockbuster Ashfall in December, grossing close to $400,000.
The distributor is planning an English language dub of Dreamfactory. Set in 1961, the movie follows a young studio extra’s ambitious efforts to reunite with the French girl he loves after being separated by the construction of the Berlin Wall.
Dreamfactory (German title Traumfabrik) comes from German outfit Traumfabrik Babelsberg, founded by Tom Zickler with Christoph Fisser, Vice...
- 2/20/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Thomas “Tom” Zickler, one of Germany’s most successful producers, died Monday following a short illness. He was 55.
Zickler worked with actor-director Til Schweiger on some of Germany’s most successful films of the past two decades. Overseeing production at Barefoot Films and Mr. Brown Entertainment, companies he ran with Schweiger, Zickler produced such hits as 1997’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” 2010’s “Friendship!” and 2014’s “Head Full of Honey.”
In 2017 he teamed up with Christoph Fisser, vice president and COO of Studio Babelsberg, to launch a new shingle, Traumfabrik. Zickler most recently produced a movie of the same title, “Traumfabrik,” a period-piece love letter to East Germany’s famed Defa film studios, in Potsdam, which became Studio Babelsberg.
The new shingle marked a return to his professional roots. Zickler began his film career at Defa, in what was then East Germany, in 1986, three years before German reunification led to the privatization of the studio.
Zickler worked with actor-director Til Schweiger on some of Germany’s most successful films of the past two decades. Overseeing production at Barefoot Films and Mr. Brown Entertainment, companies he ran with Schweiger, Zickler produced such hits as 1997’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” 2010’s “Friendship!” and 2014’s “Head Full of Honey.”
In 2017 he teamed up with Christoph Fisser, vice president and COO of Studio Babelsberg, to launch a new shingle, Traumfabrik. Zickler most recently produced a movie of the same title, “Traumfabrik,” a period-piece love letter to East Germany’s famed Defa film studios, in Potsdam, which became Studio Babelsberg.
The new shingle marked a return to his professional roots. Zickler began his film career at Defa, in what was then East Germany, in 1986, three years before German reunification led to the privatization of the studio.
- 9/4/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Zickler best known for collaborations with actor Til Schweiger, including box office hits ’Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ and ’Barefoot’.
The German film community is mourning producer Tom Zickler, who died aged 55 on Monday (September 2) after a brief, but very severe illness.
“We are stunned, devastated and deeply sad,” Christoph Fisser, board member of Studio Babelsberg and co-managing director with Zickler of Traumfabrik Babelsberg, said. ”The German film landscape loses one of the greatest film producers and most passionate storytellers, who knew like no other how to enthral the audience. Cinema was his life. Far too early We have to...
The German film community is mourning producer Tom Zickler, who died aged 55 on Monday (September 2) after a brief, but very severe illness.
“We are stunned, devastated and deeply sad,” Christoph Fisser, board member of Studio Babelsberg and co-managing director with Zickler of Traumfabrik Babelsberg, said. ”The German film landscape loses one of the greatest film producers and most passionate storytellers, who knew like no other how to enthral the audience. Cinema was his life. Far too early We have to...
- 9/4/2019
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Tom Zickler, a German film producer who teamed with star actor-director Til Schweiger to create some of the most successful German films of the last 20 years, has died. He was 55.
Studio Babelsberg, the German backlot with whom Zickler set up a production joint venture, Traumfabrik Babelsberg in 2017, confirmed Zickler died Monday after a brief illness.
“We are stunned, upset and deeply sad,” said Studio Babelsberg head Christoph Fisser in a statement. “The German film scene loses one of its biggest film producers and the most passionate storytellers who knew how to thrill audiences like ...
Studio Babelsberg, the German backlot with whom Zickler set up a production joint venture, Traumfabrik Babelsberg in 2017, confirmed Zickler died Monday after a brief illness.
“We are stunned, upset and deeply sad,” said Studio Babelsberg head Christoph Fisser in a statement. “The German film scene loses one of its biggest film producers and the most passionate storytellers who knew how to thrill audiences like ...
Tom Zickler, a German film producer who teamed with star actor-director Til Schweiger to create some of the most successful German films of the last 20 years, has died. He was 55.
Studio Babelsberg, the German backlot with whom Zickler set up a production joint venture, Traumfabrik Babelsberg in 2017, confirmed Zickler died Monday after a brief illness.
“We are stunned, upset and deeply sad,” said Studio Babelsberg head Christoph Fisser in a statement. “The German film scene loses one of its biggest film producers and the most passionate storytellers who knew how to thrill audiences like ...
Studio Babelsberg, the German backlot with whom Zickler set up a production joint venture, Traumfabrik Babelsberg in 2017, confirmed Zickler died Monday after a brief illness.
“We are stunned, upset and deeply sad,” said Studio Babelsberg head Christoph Fisser in a statement. “The German film scene loses one of its biggest film producers and the most passionate storytellers who knew how to thrill audiences like ...
Picture Tree Intl. has clinched first deals on romantic drama “Traumfabrik,” which is produced by Tom Zickler, the former producing partner of German star Till Schweiger.
The film has been picked up by Leomus in China; Flins & Piniculas in Spain; Lev Films/Shani Film in Israel; Taiwan in Moviecloud; Media Squad in Czech Rep., Hungary and Poland; Encore in Global Airline; and Rocket Releasing in Cis. As previously announced, the film will release in Germany with Tobis Film.
Picture Tree is in ongoing negotiations for further key territories.
The pic is the first from new production company Traumfabrik Babelberg, headed by Zickler, formerly a producer at Schweiger’s Barefoot, and Christoph Fisser, CEO of Berlin production facility Studio Babelsberg.
Set in 1961 at Berlin’s Defa movie studios (since renamed Studio Babelsberg), Martin Schreier’s third feature centers on bit-part actor Emil (Dennis Mojen) and beautiful French dancer Milou (Emilia Schüle...
The film has been picked up by Leomus in China; Flins & Piniculas in Spain; Lev Films/Shani Film in Israel; Taiwan in Moviecloud; Media Squad in Czech Rep., Hungary and Poland; Encore in Global Airline; and Rocket Releasing in Cis. As previously announced, the film will release in Germany with Tobis Film.
Picture Tree is in ongoing negotiations for further key territories.
The pic is the first from new production company Traumfabrik Babelberg, headed by Zickler, formerly a producer at Schweiger’s Barefoot, and Christoph Fisser, CEO of Berlin production facility Studio Babelsberg.
Set in 1961 at Berlin’s Defa movie studios (since renamed Studio Babelsberg), Martin Schreier’s third feature centers on bit-part actor Emil (Dennis Mojen) and beautiful French dancer Milou (Emilia Schüle...
- 5/20/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
“Traumfabrik” marks the return of one of Germany’s most successful producers back onto the film stage in more ways than one.
A period-piece love letter to East Germany’s famed Defa film studios, now known as Studio Babelsberg, “Traumfabrik” is a romantic drama set in 1961 that follows a young studio extra’s ambitious efforts to reunite with the French girl he loves after being separated by the construction of the Berlin Wall.
It’s also the name of a new Studio Babelsberg shingle headed by veteran producer Tom Zickler and Christoph Fisser, Studio Babelsberg vice president and COO.
Zickler launched the joint venture in 2017 after nearly 20 years of working with actor-director Til Schweiger on some of Germany’s most successful films of the past two decades. Overseeing production at Barefoot Films and Mr. Brown Entertainment, Zickler produced such hits as 1997’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”; 2010’s “Friendship!” and 2014’s “Head Full of Honey.
A period-piece love letter to East Germany’s famed Defa film studios, now known as Studio Babelsberg, “Traumfabrik” is a romantic drama set in 1961 that follows a young studio extra’s ambitious efforts to reunite with the French girl he loves after being separated by the construction of the Berlin Wall.
It’s also the name of a new Studio Babelsberg shingle headed by veteran producer Tom Zickler and Christoph Fisser, Studio Babelsberg vice president and COO.
Zickler launched the joint venture in 2017 after nearly 20 years of working with actor-director Til Schweiger on some of Germany’s most successful films of the past two decades. Overseeing production at Barefoot Films and Mr. Brown Entertainment, Zickler produced such hits as 1997’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”; 2010’s “Friendship!” and 2014’s “Head Full of Honey.
- 5/13/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Picture Tree Intl. has acquired international sales rights to romantic drama “Traumfabrik,” which will be released in Germany by Tobis Film, in cooperation with Telepool. Pti will hold a private screening of the film for buyers in Cannes.
The pic is the first from new production company Traumfabrik Babelberg, headed by Tom Zickler, formerly a producer with German star Till Schweiger’s production company, Barefoot, and Christoph Fisser, CEO of Berlin production facility Studio Babelsberg.
Set in 1961 at Berlin’s Defa movie studios (since renamed Studio Babelsberg), Martin Schreier’s third feature centers on bit-part actor Emil (Dennis Mojen) and beautiful French dancer Milou (Emilia Schüle), who fall in love during the shooting of a film. When the border between East and West Germany is closed and construction begins on the Berlin Wall, the lovers are left stranded on opposite sides of the border. Emil hatches a crazy plan to be reunited with Milou.
The pic is the first from new production company Traumfabrik Babelberg, headed by Tom Zickler, formerly a producer with German star Till Schweiger’s production company, Barefoot, and Christoph Fisser, CEO of Berlin production facility Studio Babelsberg.
Set in 1961 at Berlin’s Defa movie studios (since renamed Studio Babelsberg), Martin Schreier’s third feature centers on bit-part actor Emil (Dennis Mojen) and beautiful French dancer Milou (Emilia Schüle), who fall in love during the shooting of a film. When the border between East and West Germany is closed and construction begins on the Berlin Wall, the lovers are left stranded on opposite sides of the border. Emil hatches a crazy plan to be reunited with Milou.
- 5/6/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
“Dark” creators Baran bo Odar (left) and Jantje Friese (right), “Berlin Station” actress Emilia Schuele and actor Nikolai Kinski, and Michael Mueller, Mayor of Berlin, were among the guests at the Studio Babelsberg Night Friday at Berlin’s Soho House. Hosting the event were Studio Babelsberg’s president and CEO, Charlie Woebcken, and its COO, Christoph Fisser. Canada Goose was event partner.
Speaking about Babelsberg’s year ahead, Fisser said: “We are in talks for several international and German productions, including feature films and high-end drama series, like the third season of Netflix’s ‘Dark.'”
He added: “We hope that Germany’s film production support system will continue to improve in order to meet the demands of a variety of productions.”
Other guests included actresses Franka Potente, Lea van Acken, Antje Traue, Claudia Michelsen, Iris Berben, Heike Makatsch, Nora von Waldstaetten, Christiane Paul and Jessica Schwarz.
The actors present included Mark Waschke,...
Speaking about Babelsberg’s year ahead, Fisser said: “We are in talks for several international and German productions, including feature films and high-end drama series, like the third season of Netflix’s ‘Dark.'”
He added: “We hope that Germany’s film production support system will continue to improve in order to meet the demands of a variety of productions.”
Other guests included actresses Franka Potente, Lea van Acken, Antje Traue, Claudia Michelsen, Iris Berben, Heike Makatsch, Nora von Waldstaetten, Christiane Paul and Jessica Schwarz.
The actors present included Mark Waschke,...
- 2/10/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
First look at Nora Arnezeder in project; Mister Smith Entertainment launching sales at Afm.
Munich-based Constantin Film has begun production on sci-fi epic Haven - Above Sky, from director Tim Fehlbaum and executive producer Roland Emmerich.
Screen can reveal a first look at the film, which is starring Nora Arnezeder (Mozart In The Jungle), Iain Glen (Game Of Thrones), Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (Mary Magdalene), Sope Dirisu (The Huntsman: Winter’s Tale), Sebastian Roché (The Man In The High Castle) and Joel Basman (Land Of Mine).
Director Fehlbaum co-wrote the screenplay with Mariko Minoguchi. Set in the near future, after a global...
Munich-based Constantin Film has begun production on sci-fi epic Haven - Above Sky, from director Tim Fehlbaum and executive producer Roland Emmerich.
Screen can reveal a first look at the film, which is starring Nora Arnezeder (Mozart In The Jungle), Iain Glen (Game Of Thrones), Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (Mary Magdalene), Sope Dirisu (The Huntsman: Winter’s Tale), Sebastian Roché (The Man In The High Castle) and Joel Basman (Land Of Mine).
Director Fehlbaum co-wrote the screenplay with Mariko Minoguchi. Set in the near future, after a global...
- 10/16/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
“Germany doesn’t exist on the map – at least for Us producers,” says Studio Babelsberg CEO Christoph Fisser.
German film studios and producers have stepped up calls for an automatic tax incentive scheme to be introduced to put Germany on an equal footing with such countries as the UK, Belgium and Croatia in attracting foreign film productions.
Studio Babelsberg CEO Christoph Fisser didn’t mince his words about the difficulties being faced when he declared that “Germany doesn’t exist on the map – at least for Us producers” and pointed that his studio hadn’t been able to win any new project to come to shoot in Babelsberg since May 2015 because of the lack of attractive incentives on the scale offered in other territories.
The fact that Peter Segal’s $130m film Inversion – the first production by the Hong Kong/Beijing-based company Facing East – is now set to begin shooting at the studios in the spring was the...
German film studios and producers have stepped up calls for an automatic tax incentive scheme to be introduced to put Germany on an equal footing with such countries as the UK, Belgium and Croatia in attracting foreign film productions.
Studio Babelsberg CEO Christoph Fisser didn’t mince his words about the difficulties being faced when he declared that “Germany doesn’t exist on the map – at least for Us producers” and pointed that his studio hadn’t been able to win any new project to come to shoot in Babelsberg since May 2015 because of the lack of attractive incentives on the scale offered in other territories.
The fact that Peter Segal’s $130m film Inversion – the first production by the Hong Kong/Beijing-based company Facing East – is now set to begin shooting at the studios in the spring was the...
- 2/10/2017
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
David Garrett’s Mister Smith boards period drama, currently in post-production.
David Garrett’s Mister Smith Entertainment has boarded international sales to Terrence Malick’s upcoming Second World War drama Radegund.
Sales are set to commence at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin.
Radegund will follow the true story of Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector who refused to fight for the Nazis and was executed by them in 1943.
The film marks Malick’s return to the Second World War period following acclaimed 1998 drama The Thin Red Line.
From Malick’s screenplay, the film stars August Diehl as Franz Jägerstätter, Valerie Pachner as his wife Fani, Matthias Schoenaerts as Captain Herder and Bruno Ganz as Judge Lueben alongside Martin Wuttke, Maria Simon, Karin Neuhäuser and Alexander Fehling.
Malick’s production partner Grant Hill is producing together with Dario Bergesio, Marcus Loges, Josh Jeter and Elisabeth Bentley.
Studio Babelsberg are co-producing. Adam Morgan, [link...
David Garrett’s Mister Smith Entertainment has boarded international sales to Terrence Malick’s upcoming Second World War drama Radegund.
Sales are set to commence at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin.
Radegund will follow the true story of Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector who refused to fight for the Nazis and was executed by them in 1943.
The film marks Malick’s return to the Second World War period following acclaimed 1998 drama The Thin Red Line.
From Malick’s screenplay, the film stars August Diehl as Franz Jägerstätter, Valerie Pachner as his wife Fani, Matthias Schoenaerts as Captain Herder and Bruno Ganz as Judge Lueben alongside Martin Wuttke, Maria Simon, Karin Neuhäuser and Alexander Fehling.
Malick’s production partner Grant Hill is producing together with Dario Bergesio, Marcus Loges, Josh Jeter and Elisabeth Bentley.
Studio Babelsberg are co-producing. Adam Morgan, [link...
- 1/23/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Production lot has previously housed international productions including Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Studio Babelsberg is returning to the development of in-house German-language production and co-productions with local producers.
To this end, the studios on the outskirts of Berlin have set up a joint production outfit, Traumfabrik Babelsberg GmbH (literally translated as Dream Factory Babelsberg) with producer Tom Zickler, who left Barefoot Films (which he co-founded with actor-filmmaker Til Schweiger) last summer after 12 years.
The studio’s new production arm, which will be managed by Zickler with Studio Babelsberg’s vice president and COO Christoph Fisser, begins operations on February 1, 2017.
For Zickler, this new venture will be a form of homecoming. He worked on the studio lot in the mid-1980s when it was the East German state-run Defa Studios.
In addition, the Babelsberg studio lot was also the address for his first production company before he joined forces with Schweiger and actor André Hennicke in 1996 to...
Studio Babelsberg is returning to the development of in-house German-language production and co-productions with local producers.
To this end, the studios on the outskirts of Berlin have set up a joint production outfit, Traumfabrik Babelsberg GmbH (literally translated as Dream Factory Babelsberg) with producer Tom Zickler, who left Barefoot Films (which he co-founded with actor-filmmaker Til Schweiger) last summer after 12 years.
The studio’s new production arm, which will be managed by Zickler with Studio Babelsberg’s vice president and COO Christoph Fisser, begins operations on February 1, 2017.
For Zickler, this new venture will be a form of homecoming. He worked on the studio lot in the mid-1980s when it was the East German state-run Defa Studios.
In addition, the Babelsberg studio lot was also the address for his first production company before he joined forces with Schweiger and actor André Hennicke in 1996 to...
- 1/13/2017
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Duncan Jones has begun principal photography in Berlin on Netflix’s upcoming 2017 thriller.
Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux star in the project about a mute man searching for a missing person in the year 2052 while duelling with two villains.
Jones co-wrote the Mute script with Michael Robert Johnson. The filmmaker’s longtime business partner Stuart Fenegan produces for Liberty Films.
Charles J.D. Schlissel serves as executive producer along with Henning Molfenter, Charlie Woebcken and Christoph Fisser of Studio Babelsberg.
Mt. Philo Films has cast Pierson Fode and Sedale Threatt Jr. in It’s Time. Fritz Mitchell is directing from a script by Jeff Sarokin the true story of a friendship that arose from a tragic accident during a 1989 American football college game between Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. Mitchell’s Mt. Philo Films partner Wendy Yamano produces.Rlj Entertainment’s Acorn brand has licensed all Us television, digital and home entertainment rights to ITV Studios’ six-part...
Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux star in the project about a mute man searching for a missing person in the year 2052 while duelling with two villains.
Jones co-wrote the Mute script with Michael Robert Johnson. The filmmaker’s longtime business partner Stuart Fenegan produces for Liberty Films.
Charles J.D. Schlissel serves as executive producer along with Henning Molfenter, Charlie Woebcken and Christoph Fisser of Studio Babelsberg.
Mt. Philo Films has cast Pierson Fode and Sedale Threatt Jr. in It’s Time. Fritz Mitchell is directing from a script by Jeff Sarokin the true story of a friendship that arose from a tragic accident during a 1989 American football college game between Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. Mitchell’s Mt. Philo Films partner Wendy Yamano produces.Rlj Entertainment’s Acorn brand has licensed all Us television, digital and home entertainment rights to ITV Studios’ six-part...
- 10/12/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Back in 2014, “Beauty and the Beast,” or also known as “La Belle et La Bête,” premiered at the Berlin Film Festival to positive reviews. Now two years later, thanks to Shout! Factory, the Christophe Gans live-action French film will be hitting Us cinemas this September.
In this adaptation of the classic tale Léa Seydoux stars as Belle opposite Vincent Cassel as the Beast. Set in 1810, the story follows the unexpected romance that blooms after the youngest daughter of a merchant who is going through rough times offers herself to the beast to save her father.
Read More: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Trailer: Emma Watson Might Be The One In Disney’s Live-Action Remake
Shout! Factory acquired the movie in January of this year. The fantasy film, written by Gans and Sandra Vo-Anh, garnered around $28 million overseas when it was released two years ago.
It is produced by Richard Grandpierre and...
In this adaptation of the classic tale Léa Seydoux stars as Belle opposite Vincent Cassel as the Beast. Set in 1810, the story follows the unexpected romance that blooms after the youngest daughter of a merchant who is going through rough times offers herself to the beast to save her father.
Read More: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Trailer: Emma Watson Might Be The One In Disney’s Live-Action Remake
Shout! Factory acquired the movie in January of this year. The fantasy film, written by Gans and Sandra Vo-Anh, garnered around $28 million overseas when it was released two years ago.
It is produced by Richard Grandpierre and...
- 7/28/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
The Walking Dead's Lauren Cohan stars in The Boy, and we have details on the horror film's upcoming premiere. Also in this round-up: Hellions Blu-ray / DVD info, Cavity Colors' Starry Eyes shirt, Cinefamily's X-Files marathon, acquisition details for Christophe Gans' Beauty and the Beast, and Diamond Select Toys' Alien Minimates.
The Boy Premiere: Press Release: "(Burbank, January 11, 2016) - Stx Entertainment and Lakeshore Entertainment have arranged a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans to see the new horror movie The Boy at 15 exclusive red carpet screenings before the general public has an opportunity to see the film. The PG-13 rated motion picture opens in theaters nationwide on January 22.
All 15 screenings will occur simultaneously and will take place on one night only- Wednesday, January 20, 2016 - starting at 6Pm Et / 3Pm Pt. Tickets to this event are now available online at TheBoyFanPremiere.Movie. The announcement was made today by Jack Pan, President of Marketing for Stx Entertainment.
The Boy Premiere: Press Release: "(Burbank, January 11, 2016) - Stx Entertainment and Lakeshore Entertainment have arranged a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans to see the new horror movie The Boy at 15 exclusive red carpet screenings before the general public has an opportunity to see the film. The PG-13 rated motion picture opens in theaters nationwide on January 22.
All 15 screenings will occur simultaneously and will take place on one night only- Wednesday, January 20, 2016 - starting at 6Pm Et / 3Pm Pt. Tickets to this event are now available online at TheBoyFanPremiere.Movie. The announcement was made today by Jack Pan, President of Marketing for Stx Entertainment.
- 1/14/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Every year Villa Aurora follows its own long tradition of welcoming the German community and friends to socialize and celebrate the German contribution to American culture.
The German co-production “Citizenfour” by Laura Poitras (De/Us, Praxis Films, Br, Ndr) was awarded the Oscar® for Best Documentary Feature yesterday. “Citizenfour” has also received an Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature.
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” by Wes Anderson (Gb/De, Neunzehnte Babelsberg Film), another German co-production, picked up four Academy Awards® in the categories Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Make-Up as well as Best Original Score. It had been nominated in nine categories.
A day before the Oscars®, German Films joined forces with the Villa Aurora and the German Consul-General in Los Angeles to hold their traditional reception in honor of the German Oscar® nominees at the garden of the Villa Aurora in Los Angeles.
The teams of “Citizenfour” comprising the German producers Dirk Wilutzky and Mathilde Bonnefoy, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” with the producers Carl Woebcken, Henning Molfenter and Christoph Fisser, the representatives of the German regional funders Carl Bergengruen of Mfg Baden-württemberg and Kirsten Niehuus of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg as well as the director Wim Wenders, who was nominated for Best Documentary Feature for “The Salt Of The Earth," celebrated there with guests from the German and international film industry.
The beautiful Spanish Deco home at 520 Paseo Miramar in the Pacific Palisades was bought by the famed author, Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta in 1943 the same year that he published The Devil in France, the account of his imprisonment by the Nazis in the South of France before he fled to the U.S.
In September of 1940, with the support of Varian Fry and the U.S. Vice Consul in Marseille, Hiram Bingham, Lion and Marta were able to join another group of exiles in crossing the Pyrenees on foot. They made their journey from Lisbon to New York on different ships. From there, they traveled to Los Angeles, and in 1943 moved into the Villa Aurora, which soon became a focal point in the lives of many intellectuals and artists who had fled from Germany including Bertold Brecht, Thomas Mann and his brother Heinrich Mann, Marlene Dietrich.
Their German passports had been confiscated by the Nazis. In the McCarthy era, Feuchtwanger was scrutinized as a “premature antifascist” by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Fearing that he would not be allowed to return, he never traveled outside the U.S. again. After years of immigration hearings, Feuchtwangers application for American citizenship was finally granted, but the letter informing Feuchtwanger of the fact was not received until a day after his death.
Marta bequeathed to the University of Southern California the library and the house in exchange for the life-long right to live in the Villa. She was appointed curator of the Villa and was politically and culturally active. The Villa remained a social destination in Los Angeles. In 1987 she died at the age of 96.
"So, in my fiftieth year, I literally arrived in the U.S. on foot. Has that made me a U.S. citizen? Can a piece of paper change half a century of my life? I don’t believe it. Now, that I have only 10 years to complete the second half of the century, I feel, it is good to have the citizenship of a country that unites my German routes with the ones of many other nations. Being American is very close to being a citizen of the world."
Source: Marta Feuchtwanger: Only a Woman, Years Days Hours, Aufbau Verlag Berlin Leipzig, 1984
Celebrating the Academy Award Nominees at the same time as 20 years of present ownership of the Villa Aurora and at the same time as 25 years after German reunification, restoration of the famed Babelsberg Studios made this year especially notable.
At the party, I had the chance to speak with Mariette Rissenbeek, Managing Director or German Films.
How long have you been with German Export?
I started in 2002, 13 years ago. I was in charge of festivals and public relations. The position gave me rewarding insights into festivals and I was able to meet many producers.
What changes have you seen in your time there?
I started a year after “Good Bye Lenin” and “Nowhere in Africa”. In the 2000s, German films became very popular internationally. Since 2011 I have been the Managing Director which involves lots of administration and politics.
How do German films do abroad?
Every year two to three titles work well. “Phoenix” is doing very well in France. “Hannah Arendt” and “The Lives of Others” did well worldwide. This year we have “Elser” (“Thirteen Minutes”) which just premiered in Berlin and of course “Salt of the Earth” and “CitizenFour” (winner of the 2015 Spirit Award for Best Documentary), “Victoria” which Adopt Films acquired for U.S.
Germans have consistently won Academy Awards since 1929 when Emil Jannings won for Best Actor in “The Way of All Flesh” and “ The Last Command”.
I also had the chance to speak with the Director of Villa Aurora, my friend since her days at Goethe Institute.
How long have you been Director of Villa Aurora ?
Three years in May.
You moved over from Goethe Institute and have changed Villa Aurora significantly. Can you tell us what changes it has undergone since you took over as its director?
When I applied for the position, I gave my vision for the Villa in various areas which included increased visibility, and renovations, as the home was in a rather neglected state. I also wanted our guests to network more with the Los Angeles arts community. So now their work appears in galleries, they give master classes and they show their work.
I had support from the Berlin headquarters and the German Foreign office and so we could renovate, landscape and install better lighting. I love creative work and this has been very satisfying.
Similarly as at the Goethe Institute, I still network and organize events, but I am also a “den mother” to the fellows. At this time we have five artists in residence. Four are here for three months and one is here for eight months – a writer in exile who cannot live in the native country of birth. We have had a writer from Syria living in Turkey; last year we had someone from Viet Nam and before, a blogger from Belarus living in Poland.
We also have an agreement with Cal Arts to send an artist to Germany to work and present their work.
Once again the congeniality and milieu brought together Hollywood and Germany, a partnership which goes back to the first days of the Hollywood we know today.
The German co-production “Citizenfour” by Laura Poitras (De/Us, Praxis Films, Br, Ndr) was awarded the Oscar® for Best Documentary Feature yesterday. “Citizenfour” has also received an Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature.
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” by Wes Anderson (Gb/De, Neunzehnte Babelsberg Film), another German co-production, picked up four Academy Awards® in the categories Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Make-Up as well as Best Original Score. It had been nominated in nine categories.
A day before the Oscars®, German Films joined forces with the Villa Aurora and the German Consul-General in Los Angeles to hold their traditional reception in honor of the German Oscar® nominees at the garden of the Villa Aurora in Los Angeles.
The teams of “Citizenfour” comprising the German producers Dirk Wilutzky and Mathilde Bonnefoy, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” with the producers Carl Woebcken, Henning Molfenter and Christoph Fisser, the representatives of the German regional funders Carl Bergengruen of Mfg Baden-württemberg and Kirsten Niehuus of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg as well as the director Wim Wenders, who was nominated for Best Documentary Feature for “The Salt Of The Earth," celebrated there with guests from the German and international film industry.
The beautiful Spanish Deco home at 520 Paseo Miramar in the Pacific Palisades was bought by the famed author, Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta in 1943 the same year that he published The Devil in France, the account of his imprisonment by the Nazis in the South of France before he fled to the U.S.
In September of 1940, with the support of Varian Fry and the U.S. Vice Consul in Marseille, Hiram Bingham, Lion and Marta were able to join another group of exiles in crossing the Pyrenees on foot. They made their journey from Lisbon to New York on different ships. From there, they traveled to Los Angeles, and in 1943 moved into the Villa Aurora, which soon became a focal point in the lives of many intellectuals and artists who had fled from Germany including Bertold Brecht, Thomas Mann and his brother Heinrich Mann, Marlene Dietrich.
Their German passports had been confiscated by the Nazis. In the McCarthy era, Feuchtwanger was scrutinized as a “premature antifascist” by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Fearing that he would not be allowed to return, he never traveled outside the U.S. again. After years of immigration hearings, Feuchtwangers application for American citizenship was finally granted, but the letter informing Feuchtwanger of the fact was not received until a day after his death.
Marta bequeathed to the University of Southern California the library and the house in exchange for the life-long right to live in the Villa. She was appointed curator of the Villa and was politically and culturally active. The Villa remained a social destination in Los Angeles. In 1987 she died at the age of 96.
"So, in my fiftieth year, I literally arrived in the U.S. on foot. Has that made me a U.S. citizen? Can a piece of paper change half a century of my life? I don’t believe it. Now, that I have only 10 years to complete the second half of the century, I feel, it is good to have the citizenship of a country that unites my German routes with the ones of many other nations. Being American is very close to being a citizen of the world."
Source: Marta Feuchtwanger: Only a Woman, Years Days Hours, Aufbau Verlag Berlin Leipzig, 1984
Celebrating the Academy Award Nominees at the same time as 20 years of present ownership of the Villa Aurora and at the same time as 25 years after German reunification, restoration of the famed Babelsberg Studios made this year especially notable.
At the party, I had the chance to speak with Mariette Rissenbeek, Managing Director or German Films.
How long have you been with German Export?
I started in 2002, 13 years ago. I was in charge of festivals and public relations. The position gave me rewarding insights into festivals and I was able to meet many producers.
What changes have you seen in your time there?
I started a year after “Good Bye Lenin” and “Nowhere in Africa”. In the 2000s, German films became very popular internationally. Since 2011 I have been the Managing Director which involves lots of administration and politics.
How do German films do abroad?
Every year two to three titles work well. “Phoenix” is doing very well in France. “Hannah Arendt” and “The Lives of Others” did well worldwide. This year we have “Elser” (“Thirteen Minutes”) which just premiered in Berlin and of course “Salt of the Earth” and “CitizenFour” (winner of the 2015 Spirit Award for Best Documentary), “Victoria” which Adopt Films acquired for U.S.
Germans have consistently won Academy Awards since 1929 when Emil Jannings won for Best Actor in “The Way of All Flesh” and “ The Last Command”.
I also had the chance to speak with the Director of Villa Aurora, my friend since her days at Goethe Institute.
How long have you been Director of Villa Aurora ?
Three years in May.
You moved over from Goethe Institute and have changed Villa Aurora significantly. Can you tell us what changes it has undergone since you took over as its director?
When I applied for the position, I gave my vision for the Villa in various areas which included increased visibility, and renovations, as the home was in a rather neglected state. I also wanted our guests to network more with the Los Angeles arts community. So now their work appears in galleries, they give master classes and they show their work.
I had support from the Berlin headquarters and the German Foreign office and so we could renovate, landscape and install better lighting. I love creative work and this has been very satisfying.
Similarly as at the Goethe Institute, I still network and organize events, but I am also a “den mother” to the fellows. At this time we have five artists in residence. Four are here for three months and one is here for eight months – a writer in exile who cannot live in the native country of birth. We have had a writer from Syria living in Turkey; last year we had someone from Viet Nam and before, a blogger from Belarus living in Poland.
We also have an agreement with Cal Arts to send an artist to Germany to work and present their work.
Once again the congeniality and milieu brought together Hollywood and Germany, a partnership which goes back to the first days of the Hollywood we know today.
- 2/26/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Berlinale has cut its discounts for festival and market accreditation for next year’s film festival.
The discount for the standard festival accreditation, which had been introduced by the Berlinale for its 60th edition has been abolished completely for the upcoming 65th edition (Feb 5-15, 2015).
The regular rate for the standard accreditation of €125 - which had already been increased by 25% to €100 at last year’s Berlinale - now applies for the Nov 30 and Jan 6 deadlines.
Offers for the market badge (€250 instead of €300) or the combined festival accreditation and market badge (€375 instead of €425) see €50 being shaved off the discounts compared to the previous year (€200 and €325, respectively).
As for previous editions of the Berlinale and European Film Market, a late fee of €50 will be incurred in addition to the regular rates for any registrations made from Jan 7.
Plans for Distributors Network
The Berlinale’s newly established World Cinema Fund (Wcf) Europe programme plans to create a Wcf Distributors...
The discount for the standard festival accreditation, which had been introduced by the Berlinale for its 60th edition has been abolished completely for the upcoming 65th edition (Feb 5-15, 2015).
The regular rate for the standard accreditation of €125 - which had already been increased by 25% to €100 at last year’s Berlinale - now applies for the Nov 30 and Jan 6 deadlines.
Offers for the market badge (€250 instead of €300) or the combined festival accreditation and market badge (€375 instead of €425) see €50 being shaved off the discounts compared to the previous year (€200 and €325, respectively).
As for previous editions of the Berlinale and European Film Market, a late fee of €50 will be incurred in addition to the regular rates for any registrations made from Jan 7.
Plans for Distributors Network
The Berlinale’s newly established World Cinema Fund (Wcf) Europe programme plans to create a Wcf Distributors...
- 11/17/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Welcome, beloved guests. The time has come to check-in to The Grand Budapest Hotel. Upon arrival, be sure to take in the beautiful world surrounding you, as created by director and co-writer Wes Anderson, as well as the wonderful hotel aesthetic, brought to you by production designer Adam Stockhausen. This week, Wamg and a few members of the press sat down (in a roundtable discussion) with Anderson and Stockhausen to talk about Anderson’s all new caper The Grand Budapest Hotel. Check it out below!
The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars; and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting; a raging battle for an enormous family fortune; a desperate chase on motorcycles, trains, sleds, and skis; and the sweetest...
The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars; and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting; a raging battle for an enormous family fortune; a desperate chase on motorcycles, trains, sleds, and skis; and the sweetest...
- 3/7/2014
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Welcome, beloved guest-to-be. Upon your check-in to The Grand Budapest Hotel on Friday, you might meet a very important attorney that goes by the name of Deputy Kovacs, who is played by Jeff Goldblum in Wes Anderson’s new caper about friendship, honor, and promises fulfilled. This week, Wamg and a few members of the press sat down (in a roundtable discussion) with Goldblum to talk about the working with Anderson, upcoming projects, and memes. Check it out below!
The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars; and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting; a raging battle for an enormous family fortune; a desperate chase on motorcycles, trains, sleds, and skis; and the sweetest confection of a love affair — all...
The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars; and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting; a raging battle for an enormous family fortune; a desperate chase on motorcycles, trains, sleds, and skis; and the sweetest confection of a love affair — all...
- 3/6/2014
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Upon your check-in to The Grand Budapest Hotel on Friday, you will be greeted by a young lobby boy named Zero – a bright brave, resourceful boy who immigrated on foot from Aq-Salim-al-Jabat. Played by actor Tony Revolori, the character of Zero serves under concierge Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) in Wes Anderson’s new caper about friendship, honor, and promises fulfilled. Yesterday, Wamg and a few members of the press sat down (in a roundtable discussion) with Revolori to talk about the incredible cast, slap takes, and mustaches. Check it out below!
The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars; and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting; a raging battle for an enormous family fortune; a desperate chase on motorcycles, trains,...
The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars; and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting; a raging battle for an enormous family fortune; a desperate chase on motorcycles, trains,...
- 3/6/2014
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
credit: Sara Wood / ©A.M.P.A.S.
Is it too soon for George Clooney to win back-to back Oscars?
In what will undoubtedly be a major awards season player and possible Best Picture winner, Columbia Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox announced today that The Monuments Men, a Smokehouse production directed by and starring George Clooney, has started production in Berlin, Germany. Due in theaters on December 18th, the action-thriller is written by Clooney & Grant Heslov, based on the book by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter. Clooney and Heslov also produce the film through their Smokehouse Productions. It is their first production since winning the Academy Award® for Best Picture for their work on Argo.
Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history,The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by Fdr with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces...
Is it too soon for George Clooney to win back-to back Oscars?
In what will undoubtedly be a major awards season player and possible Best Picture winner, Columbia Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox announced today that The Monuments Men, a Smokehouse production directed by and starring George Clooney, has started production in Berlin, Germany. Due in theaters on December 18th, the action-thriller is written by Clooney & Grant Heslov, based on the book by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter. Clooney and Heslov also produce the film through their Smokehouse Productions. It is their first production since winning the Academy Award® for Best Picture for their work on Argo.
Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history,The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by Fdr with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces...
- 3/5/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Columbia Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox announced today that The Monuments Men , a Smokehouse production directed by and starring George Clooney, has started production in Berlin, Germany. The action-thriller is written by Clooney & Grant Heslov, based on the book by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter. Clooney and Heslov also produce the film through their Smokehouse Productions. It is their first production since winning the Academy Award® for Best Picture for their work on Argo . Barbara A. Hall is executive producer. The Monuments Men is a co-production with Germany.s Siebente Babelsberg Film GmbH, a subsidiary of Studio Babelsberg Ag. Charlie Woebcken, Christoph Fisser and Henning Molfenter serve as co-producers. Sony Pictures will release the film domestically, with...
- 3/5/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Check out the trailer as well as images and the poster in the gallery for Werner Herzog's Happy People: A Year in Taiga. Directed by Dmitry Vasyukov and Herzog, the documentary from Music Box Films which premiered at the 2011 San Francisco Green Festival, opens January 25th in theaters. The film's produced by Christoph Fisser, Vladimir Perepelkin, Charlie Woebcken and Nick N. Raslan. Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) serves as executive producer alongside Klaus Badelt, Yanko Damboulev and Herzog. With Happy People: A Year in Taiga, Werner Herzog takes viewers on yet another unforgettable journey into remote and extreme natural landscapes. The acclaimed filmmakerpresents this visually stunning documentary about the life of indigenous people living in the heart of the Siberian Taiga.
- 1/11/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out the trailer as well as images and the poster in the gallery for Werner Herzog's Happy People: A Year in Taiga. Directed by Dmitry Vasyukov and Herzog, the documentary from Music Box Films which premiered at the 2011 San Francisco Green Festival, opens January 25th in theaters. The film's produced by Christoph Fisser, Vladimir Perepelkin, Charlie Woebcken and Nick N. Raslan. Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) serves as executive producer alongside Klaus Badelt, Yanko Damboulev and Herzog. With Happy People: A Year in Taiga, Werner Herzog takes viewers on yet another unforgettable journey into remote and extreme natural landscapes. The acclaimed filmmakerpresents this visually stunning documentary about the life of indigenous people living in the heart of the Siberian Taiga.
- 1/11/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
The Shakespeare authorship question is a debate that started over one hundred years ago surrounding the identity of the works traditionally attributed to the bearded Bard from Stratford-Upon-Avon, William Shakespeare. Was he really the genius behind Hamlet.s tragic life, Romeo.s burning love, and Lady Macbeth.s plaguing guilt? Could the intellectual behind literature.s most brilliant characters be this very ordinary man from Stratford?
So little is known about the man from Stratford that many find it impossible to believe that the son of an illiterate tradesman was the author of such literary masterpieces as .The Merchant of Venice,. .King Lear,. and .Henry V.. His education from a village school could never have provided Shakespeare with a vocabulary extensive enough to write the most talked about literature in the world and there is no proof that he travelled to foreign lands let alone learnt to speak their native tongues.
So little is known about the man from Stratford that many find it impossible to believe that the son of an illiterate tradesman was the author of such literary masterpieces as .The Merchant of Venice,. .King Lear,. and .Henry V.. His education from a village school could never have provided Shakespeare with a vocabulary extensive enough to write the most talked about literature in the world and there is no proof that he travelled to foreign lands let alone learnt to speak their native tongues.
- 10/19/2011
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
I had the pleasure of seeing Joe Wright’s fourth feature tonight, the action/drama/thriller Hanna starring Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, and Eric Bana. While I’m embargoed from sharing any thoughts, Focus Features shared a new clip and a variety of images from the film. The clip features some of the fantastic The Chemical Brothers score, and a snippet from one of my favorite scenes in the film. Check them out below, followed by production notes from the film. Click for hi-resolution versions.
Synopsis
A teenage girl goes out into the world for the first time – and has to battle for her life. Director Joe Wright weaves elements of dark fairy tales into the adventure thriller Hanna, filmed on location in Europe and Morocco.
Hanna (played by Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan of Atonement, also directed by Joe Wright) is 16 years old. She is bright, inquisitive, and a devoted daughter.
Synopsis
A teenage girl goes out into the world for the first time – and has to battle for her life. Director Joe Wright weaves elements of dark fairy tales into the adventure thriller Hanna, filmed on location in Europe and Morocco.
Hanna (played by Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan of Atonement, also directed by Joe Wright) is 16 years old. She is bright, inquisitive, and a devoted daughter.
- 2/16/2011
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Face the Unknown with Liam Neeson and January Jones in this new trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures.
Synopsis:
Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife (January Jones) suddenly doesn’t recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired, and on the run.
Aided by an unlikely ally (Diane Kruger), Martin plunges headlong into a deadly mystery that will force him to question his sanity, his identity, and just how far he’s willing to go to uncover the truth.
Academy Award® nominee Liam Neeson (Schindler’S List), Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) and January Jones (TV’s “Mad Men”) star in the contemporary thriller Unknown. The film also stars Aidan Quinn (TV’s “The Book of Daniel”), Bruno Ganz (The Reader) and Oscar® nominee...
Synopsis:
Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife (January Jones) suddenly doesn’t recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired, and on the run.
Aided by an unlikely ally (Diane Kruger), Martin plunges headlong into a deadly mystery that will force him to question his sanity, his identity, and just how far he’s willing to go to uncover the truth.
Academy Award® nominee Liam Neeson (Schindler’S List), Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) and January Jones (TV’s “Mad Men”) star in the contemporary thriller Unknown. The film also stars Aidan Quinn (TV’s “The Book of Daniel”), Bruno Ganz (The Reader) and Oscar® nominee...
- 10/25/2010
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Babelsberg, Germany -- Berlin's film business is booming, with low production costs, generous subsidies and cultural cachet attracting some of the world's top filmmakers scouring for funds in the wake of the crisis.
Internationally acclaimed directors from Quentin Tarantino to Roman Polanski are flocking to film in the German capital, churning out hits like "Inglourious Basterds" and "The Ghost Writer," while home-grown talent such as Til Schweiger and Roland Emmerich have returned from Hollywood to join the party.
And what Berlin's film industry lacks in size, ranking well behind Hollywood, it makes up for in prestige, landing dozens of prizes in the past few years including a handful of Oscars.
"Berlin has some key success factors: one is the city itself -- people simply want to be in Berlin," said Carl Woebcken, the chief executive of Babelsberg, the world's oldest large-scale studio complex just a short train ride from the city center.
Internationally acclaimed directors from Quentin Tarantino to Roman Polanski are flocking to film in the German capital, churning out hits like "Inglourious Basterds" and "The Ghost Writer," while home-grown talent such as Til Schweiger and Roland Emmerich have returned from Hollywood to join the party.
And what Berlin's film industry lacks in size, ranking well behind Hollywood, it makes up for in prestige, landing dozens of prizes in the past few years including a handful of Oscars.
"Berlin has some key success factors: one is the city itself -- people simply want to be in Berlin," said Carl Woebcken, the chief executive of Babelsberg, the world's oldest large-scale studio complex just a short train ride from the city center.
- 8/18/2010
- by By Sarah Marsh, Reuters
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cologne, Germany -- In Europe, the reaction by politicians and industry execs to Roman Polanski's surprise release has been largely positive.
The governments of France and Poland applauded the decision by Swiss authorities Monday not to extradite the 77-year-old director to the U.S. to face sex charges and instead release him after nearly 10 months of incarceration.
Polanski holds dual French-Polish citizenship.
"We are extremely happy for him and his family," said German producer Christoph Fisser, deputy head of Studio Babelsberg and a co-producer on Polanski's "The Ghost Writer." Fisser in turn criticized the Swiss for taking so long to rule on the extradition case.
Writer and philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, who helped launch a VIP petition for Polanski's release, told French media he was "crazy with happiness" over the news. While Jack Lang, former French culture minister, said simply, "Merci Switzerland, Bravo Switzerland!"
Frederic Mitterand, Lang's successor as culture minister,...
The governments of France and Poland applauded the decision by Swiss authorities Monday not to extradite the 77-year-old director to the U.S. to face sex charges and instead release him after nearly 10 months of incarceration.
Polanski holds dual French-Polish citizenship.
"We are extremely happy for him and his family," said German producer Christoph Fisser, deputy head of Studio Babelsberg and a co-producer on Polanski's "The Ghost Writer." Fisser in turn criticized the Swiss for taking so long to rule on the extradition case.
Writer and philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, who helped launch a VIP petition for Polanski's release, told French media he was "crazy with happiness" over the news. While Jack Lang, former French culture minister, said simply, "Merci Switzerland, Bravo Switzerland!"
Frederic Mitterand, Lang's successor as culture minister,...
- 7/12/2010
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Losers" are coming. Now, see seven clips from the actioner starring Zoe Saldana, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Idris Elba and Jason Patric. The Sylvain White-directed film opens on April 23rd. Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt wrote the screenplay based on the DC Comics/Vertigo comicbook by Andy Diggle. Stuart M. Besser and Christoph Fisser produce. We're catching this one, catch it too. "The Losers" looks like a winner. An explosive tale of double cross and revenge, The Losers centers upon the members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team--Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar--find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max...
- 4/11/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out a new poster from Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Losers" starring Zoe Saldana, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Idris Elba and Jason Patric. Sylvain White directs from the writing by Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt based on the DC Comics/Vertigo comicbook by Andy Diggle. Stuart M. Besser and Christoph Fisser produce. The film opens on April 23rd. An explosive tale of double cross and revenge, The Losers centers upon the members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team--Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar--find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max. Presumed dead, the group...
- 4/1/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Principal photography is underway on the thriller Unknown White Male under the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra ( Orphan ). The film stars Liam Neeson ( Schindler's List , upcoming Clash of the Titans ), Diane Kruger ( Inglorious Basterds ), January Jones (TV's "Mad Men"), Aidan Quinn (TV's "The Book of Daniel"), Bruno Ganz ( The Reader ) and Frank Langella ( Frost/Nixon ). The film is being produced by Joel Silver, under his Dark Castle Entertainment banner; Leonard Goldberg; and Dark Castle's Andrew Rona. Steve Richards, Sarah Meyer and Peter McAleese are serving as the film's executive producers, with Charlie Woebcken, Christoph Fisser and Henning Molfenter co-producing. The screenplay is by Oliver Butcher & Stephen Cornwell and Karl Gajdusek, based on...
- 2/11/2010
- Comingsoon.net
Press release:
Principal photography is underway on the thriller “Unknown White Male,” under the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra (“Orphan”). The film stars Oscar® nominee Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List,” upcoming “Clash of the Titans”), Diane Kruger (“Inglorious Basterds”), January Jones (TV’s “Mad Men”), Aidan Quinn (TV’s “The Book of Daniel”), Bruno Ganz (“The Reader”) and Oscar® nominee Frank Langella (“Frost/Nixon”).
The film is being produced by Joel Silver, under his Dark Castle Entertainment banner; Leonard Goldberg; and Dark Castle’s Andrew Rona. Steve Richards, Sarah Meyer and Peter McAleese are serving as the film’s executive producers, with Charlie Woebcken, Christoph Fisser and Henning Molfenter co-producing. The screenplay is by Oliver Butcher & Stephen Cornwell and Karl Gajdusek, based on the novel Out of My Head by Didier van Cauwelaert.
Liam Neeson stars as Dr. Martin Harris, who awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that...
Principal photography is underway on the thriller “Unknown White Male,” under the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra (“Orphan”). The film stars Oscar® nominee Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List,” upcoming “Clash of the Titans”), Diane Kruger (“Inglorious Basterds”), January Jones (TV’s “Mad Men”), Aidan Quinn (TV’s “The Book of Daniel”), Bruno Ganz (“The Reader”) and Oscar® nominee Frank Langella (“Frost/Nixon”).
The film is being produced by Joel Silver, under his Dark Castle Entertainment banner; Leonard Goldberg; and Dark Castle’s Andrew Rona. Steve Richards, Sarah Meyer and Peter McAleese are serving as the film’s executive producers, with Charlie Woebcken, Christoph Fisser and Henning Molfenter co-producing. The screenplay is by Oliver Butcher & Stephen Cornwell and Karl Gajdusek, based on the novel Out of My Head by Didier van Cauwelaert.
Liam Neeson stars as Dr. Martin Harris, who awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that...
- 2/10/2010
- by Reel Loop News Staff
- ReelLoop.com
Potsdam, Germany -- The Babelsberg film studio was bursting with pride Wednesday after Quentin Tarantino's anti-Nazi farce "Inglourious Basterds," filmed here last year, got eight Oscar nominations.
Carl Woebcken, CEO of the world's oldest large-scale studio complex, said the record haul should give the 98-year-old film site an important shot in the arm as an international production center and help erase memories of some difficult decades.
"We're all ecstatic," Woebcken told a group of foreign journalists after a tour of the historic studio just south of Berlin. "That a film made in Babelsberg got so many Oscar nominations is something noticed around the world."
Tarantino's $70 million film, a violent and darkly comic revenge fantasy, got eight nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, including best director for Tarantino and best supporting actor for Christoph Waltz.
"He's having an incredible run," said Christoph Fisser, chairman of Studio Babelsberg...
Carl Woebcken, CEO of the world's oldest large-scale studio complex, said the record haul should give the 98-year-old film site an important shot in the arm as an international production center and help erase memories of some difficult decades.
"We're all ecstatic," Woebcken told a group of foreign journalists after a tour of the historic studio just south of Berlin. "That a film made in Babelsberg got so many Oscar nominations is something noticed around the world."
Tarantino's $70 million film, a violent and darkly comic revenge fantasy, got eight nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, including best director for Tarantino and best supporting actor for Christoph Waltz.
"He's having an incredible run," said Christoph Fisser, chairman of Studio Babelsberg...
- 2/3/2010
- by By Erik Kirschbaum, Reuters
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Summit Entertainment has picked up North American distribution rights to "The Ghost Writer", the project that director Roman Polanski was in the final stages of work on before his arrest a few months ago.
Here is the full press release.
Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio will distribute the thriller The Ghost Writer, directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski, in North America. Polanski produced the film along with long time collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Summit International, which has a long-standing relationship with Polanski representing the sales of the rights to his films outside of North America, acted as sales agent for The Ghost Writer. Sales have been made in all major territories around the globe. The North American rights to the film were represented by Icm. Current plans call for Summit to release the film during the first half of 2010.
The movie thriller tells the...
Here is the full press release.
Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio will distribute the thriller The Ghost Writer, directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski, in North America. Polanski produced the film along with long time collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Summit International, which has a long-standing relationship with Polanski representing the sales of the rights to his films outside of North America, acted as sales agent for The Ghost Writer. Sales have been made in all major territories around the globe. The North American rights to the film were represented by Icm. Current plans call for Summit to release the film during the first half of 2010.
The movie thriller tells the...
- 12/13/2009
- by Kellvin Chavez
- AMC - Script to Screen
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