Annette Hess will receive the first-ever Deadline German TV Disruptor Award at Seriencamp next month. Hess has created some of the most memorable German drama series of recent years with work including Weisensee and the Ku’damm series, to Disney+ show The Interpreter of Silence, based on Hess’ novel Deutsches Haus. Ku’damm fans are currently waiting on a new series, Ku’damm 77, which Hess is in the process of writing with production set for early 2026.
As well as being a creative powerhouse, Hess is an outspoken advocate for change at an industry level. Living up to the Disruptor moniker, she has championed efforts to strengthen the role of writers and screenwriters in film and TV, and continues to fight for better representation for women in the business.
Hess will collect the inaugural German TV Disruptor Award at Seriencamp in Cologne, and take part in a fireside chat about her work and career.
As well as being a creative powerhouse, Hess is an outspoken advocate for change at an industry level. Living up to the Disruptor moniker, she has championed efforts to strengthen the role of writers and screenwriters in film and TV, and continues to fight for better representation for women in the business.
Hess will collect the inaugural German TV Disruptor Award at Seriencamp in Cologne, and take part in a fireside chat about her work and career.
- 5/15/2024
- by Stewart Clarke
- Deadline Film + TV
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,...
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,...
- 2/20/2024
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Apparently, there is a Santa Claus. At least for Katharina Stark. For the German actress, picked as one of this year’s European Shooting Stars set to be honored at the 2024 Berlinale as among the continent’s 10 best up-and-coming actors, being in the movies was her Christmas wish.
“I always, always wanted to act, to be in the movies. From as far back as I can remember, I would watch movies, and I wanted to be in them, to live inside them,” says Stark. “So when I was eight years old, that’s what I wished for: to be an actress. My parents gave me a gift certificate, where they wrote they would do everything they could to support my dream and that they would always support me.”
Stark’s folks came through, chauffeuring little Katharina from their town of Illertissen (population 16,000) in rural Bavaria, 90 minutes into Munich, the nearest media hub,...
“I always, always wanted to act, to be in the movies. From as far back as I can remember, I would watch movies, and I wanted to be in them, to live inside them,” says Stark. “So when I was eight years old, that’s what I wished for: to be an actress. My parents gave me a gift certificate, where they wrote they would do everything they could to support my dream and that they would always support me.”
Stark’s folks came through, chauffeuring little Katharina from their town of Illertissen (population 16,000) in rural Bavaria, 90 minutes into Munich, the nearest media hub,...
- 2/15/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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...
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...
- 1/12/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For those who’ve had their fill of Hallmark movies and more traditional seasonal fare, The Hollywood Reporter‘s annual list of the best in international TV offers some binge alternatives for the lazy days between Christmas and New Year’s. There’re nary a Santa or sleighbells to be found among our picks of foreign series fare, but fans of global TV will find plenty to chew on over the holidays, whether it’s a political thriller set in Senegal, a Korean drama about mental health, or a bizarre Danish comedy-soap from an old arthouse master.
Colin from Accounts (Watch on: Paramount+) Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer in ‘Colin From Accounts.’
This charming and disarmingly cringe Aussie rom-com kicks off with one of the most original meet-cutes in the genre: Gordon (Patrick Brammall) stops his car to let Ashley (Harriet Dyer) cross the street. In a cheeky thank you,...
Colin from Accounts (Watch on: Paramount+) Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer in ‘Colin From Accounts.’
This charming and disarmingly cringe Aussie rom-com kicks off with one of the most original meet-cutes in the genre: Gordon (Patrick Brammall) stops his car to let Ashley (Harriet Dyer) cross the street. In a cheeky thank you,...
- 12/22/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
European Film Promotion has revealed the 10 emerging actors who will take part in the 27th edition of European Shooting Stars program, which promotes European acting talent. Past Shooting Stars have included Carey Mulligan, Alicia Vikander, Maisie Williams and Riz Ahmed.
From Feb. 16-19, the actors will be presented to the international press and industry, and the German public at the Berlin Film Festival. One of the highlights will be the Shooting Stars Awards Ceremony on Feb. 19 at the Berlinale Palast.
The Shooting Stars for 2024 are Belgium’s Thibaud Dooms, Bulgaria’s Margarita Stoykova, France’s Suzy Bemba, Georgia’s Salome Demuria, Germany’s Katharina Stark, Ireland’s Éanna Hardwicke, Italy’s Valentina Bellè, Lithuania’s Džiugas Grinys, Poland’s Kamila Urzędowska and Sweden’s Asta Kamma August.
The jury that selected the actors comprised of Austrian director, screenwriter and producer Barbara Albert, Lithuanian producer Živilė Gallego, Irish actor Moe Dunford,...
From Feb. 16-19, the actors will be presented to the international press and industry, and the German public at the Berlin Film Festival. One of the highlights will be the Shooting Stars Awards Ceremony on Feb. 19 at the Berlinale Palast.
The Shooting Stars for 2024 are Belgium’s Thibaud Dooms, Bulgaria’s Margarita Stoykova, France’s Suzy Bemba, Georgia’s Salome Demuria, Germany’s Katharina Stark, Ireland’s Éanna Hardwicke, Italy’s Valentina Bellè, Lithuania’s Džiugas Grinys, Poland’s Kamila Urzędowska and Sweden’s Asta Kamma August.
The jury that selected the actors comprised of Austrian director, screenwriter and producer Barbara Albert, Lithuanian producer Živilė Gallego, Irish actor Moe Dunford,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
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...
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...
- 10/26/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
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...
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...
- 5/5/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon Prime Video has snapped up the rights to German coming of age series We Children From Bahnhof Zoo for the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, and Benelux.
The Constantin Television and Amazon Studios series, co-produced by Wilma Film (Czech Republic) and Cattleya (Italy), will premiere globally on April 9 following its launch in Germany. It is a re-imagining of the best-selling autobiography by Christiane F. that also inspired the cult film of the same name.
Here’s the logline: “Christiane, Stella, Babsi, Axel, Michi and Benno find each other in the intoxicating clubs and underground parties of Berlin. They are strong, courageous and living wildly in ‘paradise’ – one that initially appears to be a riot of colour and excitement.
“As the group’s bond intensifies, they hedonistically chase the next thrill, navigating their way through euphoric highs and dark, dangerous lows. While their lives and relationships expand and unravel,...
The Constantin Television and Amazon Studios series, co-produced by Wilma Film (Czech Republic) and Cattleya (Italy), will premiere globally on April 9 following its launch in Germany. It is a re-imagining of the best-selling autobiography by Christiane F. that also inspired the cult film of the same name.
Here’s the logline: “Christiane, Stella, Babsi, Axel, Michi and Benno find each other in the intoxicating clubs and underground parties of Berlin. They are strong, courageous and living wildly in ‘paradise’ – one that initially appears to be a riot of colour and excitement.
“As the group’s bond intensifies, they hedonistically chase the next thrill, navigating their way through euphoric highs and dark, dangerous lows. While their lives and relationships expand and unravel,...
- 3/22/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon Prime Video Takes U.S., Most of Europe on ‘We Children From Bahnhof Zoo’ After Fremantle Deal
Fremantle has near sold the world outside Asia on “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo” – thanks to a raft of sales that include a worldwide deal with Amazon Prime Video for the U.S., English-speaking territories and all Europe’s outstanding major markets.
Taking in further sales to HBO Europe, Nent Group and Russia’s More TV, the series, produced by Constantin Television and Amazon Studios and a modern reworking of the story of Christiane F., has currently closed more than 40 territories, Fremantle announced Monday.
Co-produced by the Czech Republic’s Wilma Film and Italy’s Cattleya, “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo” will open on Prime Video in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain and Benelux from April 9, and Italy on May 7.
HBO Europe has licensed 15 territories in Central and Eastern Europe, where it operates channels and streaming services, led by Poland and Hungary and the Baltic States.
Taking in further sales to HBO Europe, Nent Group and Russia’s More TV, the series, produced by Constantin Television and Amazon Studios and a modern reworking of the story of Christiane F., has currently closed more than 40 territories, Fremantle announced Monday.
Co-produced by the Czech Republic’s Wilma Film and Italy’s Cattleya, “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo” will open on Prime Video in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain and Benelux from April 9, and Italy on May 7.
HBO Europe has licensed 15 territories in Central and Eastern Europe, where it operates channels and streaming services, led by Poland and Hungary and the Baltic States.
- 3/22/2021
- by John Hopewell and Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Germany’s Zdf Enterprises has acquired global distribution rights to three-part period drama “Ku’damm 63,” the third instalment in one of Zdfe’s best-selling franchises, which has been licensed to more than 30 broadcasters around the globe.
Produced by UFA Fiction for German public broadcaster Zdf and made up of three 90-minute episodes, the miniseries will be presented shortly to select buyers.
Set to premiere on Zdf on March 21, 22 and 24, airing at a peak primetime time of 8.15 p.m., “Ku’damm 63” marks a followup to “Ku’damm 56,” which premiered on Zdf in 2016, reaching up to 6.35 million viewers and a 19.6% market share, and “Ku’damm 59,” which bowed in March 2018.
The series’ premise remains the same: the story of Germany’s halting evolution toward larger justice and liberty told through the loves, hard-won freedoms and suffering of three sisters, Monika, Helga and Eva, daughters of a conservative matriarch.
Time has moved on, creating a contrast.
Produced by UFA Fiction for German public broadcaster Zdf and made up of three 90-minute episodes, the miniseries will be presented shortly to select buyers.
Set to premiere on Zdf on March 21, 22 and 24, airing at a peak primetime time of 8.15 p.m., “Ku’damm 63” marks a followup to “Ku’damm 56,” which premiered on Zdf in 2016, reaching up to 6.35 million viewers and a 19.6% market share, and “Ku’damm 59,” which bowed in March 2018.
The series’ premise remains the same: the story of Germany’s halting evolution toward larger justice and liberty told through the loves, hard-won freedoms and suffering of three sisters, Monika, Helga and Eva, daughters of a conservative matriarch.
Time has moved on, creating a contrast.
- 2/24/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
This of course took place before Covid happened. But there is little reason to think that Constantin Television’s goals will have changed with coronavirus.
On Feb. 24, on the first day of the Berlinale Series Market, Oliver Berben, Constantin head of TV, entertainment and digital media, took to the stage to host a Constantin Television showcase.
It packed a major new show announcement: “The Palace,” produced for Zdf, an identical twin period drama, set just before the fall of the wall, from Uli Edel, director of 1981 movie German classic “Christine F,” Constantin’s first big international breakout, and a string of more recent series hits for the company, such as “Adlon Hotel” and “The Master Butcher.”
Rodica Doehnert (“Adlon Hotel”) serves as lead writer. Kathrin Bullemer and Rüdiger Böss produce. Global Screen handles worldwide distribution.
A sizzle reel served to introduce a new TV adaptation, which wrapped its shoot in February,...
On Feb. 24, on the first day of the Berlinale Series Market, Oliver Berben, Constantin head of TV, entertainment and digital media, took to the stage to host a Constantin Television showcase.
It packed a major new show announcement: “The Palace,” produced for Zdf, an identical twin period drama, set just before the fall of the wall, from Uli Edel, director of 1981 movie German classic “Christine F,” Constantin’s first big international breakout, and a string of more recent series hits for the company, such as “Adlon Hotel” and “The Master Butcher.”
Rodica Doehnert (“Adlon Hotel”) serves as lead writer. Kathrin Bullemer and Rüdiger Böss produce. Global Screen handles worldwide distribution.
A sizzle reel served to introduce a new TV adaptation, which wrapped its shoot in February,...
- 4/1/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Constantin Television and Amazon Studios have revealed the lead cast – and have released the first photo of them on location – for their coproduction “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo.” The high-end series, inspired by the 1978 non-fiction book about teenage drug users in Berlin that was previously adapted as the shocking 1981 film “Christiane F.,” is being distributed internationally by Fremantle.
The series presents “a picture of the drugs and club scene in Berlin” that is “provocative” and “controversial,” according to a statement from the producers.
The Bahnhof Zoo clique at the heart of the show will be played by Jana McKinnon (Christiane), Michelangelo Fortuzzi (Benno), Lena Urzendowsky (Stella), Bruno Alexander (Michi), Jeremias Meyer (Axel) and Lea Drinda (Babsi).
As previously reported, Philipp Kadelbach is directing the eight-episode series. His credits include “Generation War,” about a group of young German friends going through World War II, BBC series “SS-gb,” based on Len Deighton’s novel,...
The series presents “a picture of the drugs and club scene in Berlin” that is “provocative” and “controversial,” according to a statement from the producers.
The Bahnhof Zoo clique at the heart of the show will be played by Jana McKinnon (Christiane), Michelangelo Fortuzzi (Benno), Lena Urzendowsky (Stella), Bruno Alexander (Michi), Jeremias Meyer (Axel) and Lea Drinda (Babsi).
As previously reported, Philipp Kadelbach is directing the eight-episode series. His credits include “Generation War,” about a group of young German friends going through World War II, BBC series “SS-gb,” based on Len Deighton’s novel,...
- 10/10/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke outlined global content plans to press in Los Angeles.
Pitching itself as an increasingly global content producer, Amazon Studios has given green lights to a slew of new original series from territories including the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Japan and Mexico.
In a presentation at this week’s Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour in Los Angeles, the company said it was ordering or renewing more than 20 series from international markets for its Amazon Prime Video streaming platform.
Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke said the slate reflected a strategy initiated soon after her appointment a...
Pitching itself as an increasingly global content producer, Amazon Studios has given green lights to a slew of new original series from territories including the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Japan and Mexico.
In a presentation at this week’s Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour in Los Angeles, the company said it was ordering or renewing more than 20 series from international markets for its Amazon Prime Video streaming platform.
Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke said the slate reflected a strategy initiated soon after her appointment a...
- 2/14/2019
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Aiming to ramp up its premium international content, Amazon Prime Video has greenlit the production of 17 new original series from Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Japan and Mexico.
These include “The Power,” a British contemporary thriller based on Naomi Alderman’s bestselling science-fiction novel; “El Presidente,” a Mexican crime series inspired by the 2015 corruption scandal that engulfed world soccer body FIFA ; “We Children of Bahnhof Zoo,” a German series based on the 1978 controversial autobiographical book by the same name; “The Last Hour,” an Indian supernatural crime thriller set in the Himalayas; and an untitled social issue series produced by Vice Media Japan, which will mark the first collaboration between Vice and Amazon Prime Video.
“We know that customers watching Prime Video everywhere want to see authentic stories, set in their own countries, and to invest in characters that can reflect their own experiences and diversity,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios.
These include “The Power,” a British contemporary thriller based on Naomi Alderman’s bestselling science-fiction novel; “El Presidente,” a Mexican crime series inspired by the 2015 corruption scandal that engulfed world soccer body FIFA ; “We Children of Bahnhof Zoo,” a German series based on the 1978 controversial autobiographical book by the same name; “The Last Hour,” an Indian supernatural crime thriller set in the Himalayas; and an untitled social issue series produced by Vice Media Japan, which will mark the first collaboration between Vice and Amazon Prime Video.
“We know that customers watching Prime Video everywhere want to see authentic stories, set in their own countries, and to invest in characters that can reflect their own experiences and diversity,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios.
- 2/13/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon is going global in a big way with the launch of 20 new and returning international series including titles from the likes of Amy director Asif Kapadia as well as a Japanese version of The Bachelorette.
It has ordered a raft of scripted and non-scripted titles from Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Japan and Mexico (full list below).
“We’re delighted to announce the commissioning of more than twenty new and returning series, to be produced in seven countries across three continents around the world. We know that customers watching Prime Video everywhere want to see authentic stories, set in their own countries, and to invest in characters that can reflect their own experiences and diversity,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “We’re excited and committed to amplifying the voices of storytellers from all over the world and to bring their visions to life for our viewers worldwide.”
James Farrell,...
It has ordered a raft of scripted and non-scripted titles from Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Japan and Mexico (full list below).
“We’re delighted to announce the commissioning of more than twenty new and returning series, to be produced in seven countries across three continents around the world. We know that customers watching Prime Video everywhere want to see authentic stories, set in their own countries, and to invest in characters that can reflect their own experiences and diversity,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “We’re excited and committed to amplifying the voices of storytellers from all over the world and to bring their visions to life for our viewers worldwide.”
James Farrell,...
- 2/13/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Screening at Canneseries as part of the Official Competition selection, “The Typist” follows Freya Becker, a typist with the homicide division of the Berlin police. Freya’s daughter, Marie, disappeared 11 years ago without a trace, but Freya is determined to uncover the truth, whatever the cost. The series is produced by Constantin Film’s Moovie, and is being sold by Beta Film. Oliver Berben, who heads up Constantin’s TV, Entertainment and Digital Media division, says that although a crime is at the center of the show, the series is “more a drama than a crime story,” and what “gets you hooked are the dramatic and character elements rather than just the suspense parts of the show.”
He adds: “What makes it special in my opinion is that it creates its own language and temperature for the audience. If you look at the German market in particular it is quite...
He adds: “What makes it special in my opinion is that it creates its own language and temperature for the audience. If you look at the German market in particular it is quite...
- 4/10/2018
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
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