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Five leading Swiss production companies including Elite Filmproduktion and Contrast Series have joined forces to found Swiss Studios Ag in Zurich.

Other shareholders in the new film and TV development and production alliance are Praesens-Film Production, Bavaria Fiction Switzerland and Kinescope Film.

Dr. Malte Probst, chief product officer fiction at Swisscom subsidiary blue Entertainment, has been appointed as the alliance’s chairman and CEO.

He described the founding of Swiss Studios as “a groundbreaking step for the Swiss and European creative industries” and “time to bring the new opportunities arising from the ‘Lex Netflix’ for Switzerland to life with exciting content.

Leading European distributor Global Screen, part of Telepool, has secured further international sales of high-end drama “Davos 1917” at MipTV. New acquisitions of the six-part thriller include Sbs Australia, Tvp in Poland and Big Tree Entertainment in India and the subcontinent.

“Davos 1917,” which launched at the end of last year on Srf in Switzerland and Ard in Germany, has already been bought by a strong lineup of premium international broadcasters and streamers across North America, Europe and Asia.

Inspired by real events that occurred in the early days of the European secret services, “Davos 1917” boasts a stellar cast headed by Dominique Devenport (“Sisi”), David Kross (“The Reader”), Jeanette Hain (“Never Look Away”), Max Herbrechter (“Rauhnächte”), Sunnyi Melles (“Triangle of Sadness”) and Stipe Erceg (“Vienna Blood”).

The show is set in 1917 as World War I is ravaging Europe. By contrast, Switzerland seems like an oasis of peace. But behind the scenes of neutral Switzerland,...

Leading European distributor Global Screen, part of Westbrook’s Telepool, has sold premium spy drama series “Davos 1917” to North America and to additional free-to-air broadcasters in Europe.

Global Series Network picked up the series for its innovative SVOD feed Walter Presents in North America. National broadcaster Rtp in Portugal has also acquired the series, as well as Filmin VOD services for Spain and Portugal.

These deals are in addition to recently announced sales to Mediaset for Italy, Mtva for Hungary and Orf for Austria. The six-part thriller launched in December on Srf in Switzerland and Ard in Germany.

Inspired by real events that occurred in the early days of the European secret services, “Davos 1917” has a stellar cast headed by Dominique Devenport (“Sisi”), David Kross (“The Reader”), Jeanette Hain (“Never Look Away”), Max Herbrechter (“Rauhnächte”), Sunnyi Melles (“Triangle of Sadness”) and Stipe Erceg (“Vienna Blood”).

In 1917, World War I is ravaging Europe.

Everyone lies in the World War I series “Davos 1917.” Mostly because they have to.

“You have war, you have the elite coming together in this one place. You have to watch your step and tread carefully. Everything could be a trap,” says Jan-Eric Mack, who directed alongside Christian Theede and Anca Miruna Lazarescu.

The show focuses on a young nurse Johanna who finds herself surrounded by spies in the Swiss resort town. Desperate to reunite with her illegitimate daughter, she discovers she has a talent for espionage, too.

“I think she always had these skills. She just couldn’t show them in the house she grew up in,” says lead actor Dominique Devenport, also known for “Sisi.”

“She has always been different. And then, suddenly, she gets an opportunity to develop talents she didn’t even know she had. That’s why it’s happening so quickly, in a way.

Bye-bye, Peak TV. After more than a decade of unprecedented production growth, the international television industry is bracing for an era of tighter budgets and more bean counting.

“Instead of subscriber growth at all costs, now the focus is on production and investment and getting the balance sheet right,” says Cathy Payne, CEO of Banijay Rights, the sales arm of the production giant behind reality TV hits Big Brother and high-end dramas Peaky Blinders and Black Mirror. “I hate using the phrase because everyone says it, but the focus now is on ‘fewer, better, bigger shows.’ ”

The variety of shows on offer at this year’s global TV market in Cannes, MIPCOM, suggests every buyer, at every budget, should find something to fill their slots. And while THR’s annual hot list of the market’s best new drama series ranges from a by-the-book NBC procedural to an erotic comedy...

World War I spy drama “Davos 1917” was inspired by real stories, says head writer and creative producer Adrian Illien. As well as real women.

“There were all these Swiss nurses who would go abroad during the war. When you read their diaries, there is a sense of adventure. They could finally get away. I don’t think these female characters have been portrayed before. Until now.”

In the six-part show, unmarried nurse Johanna Gabathuler (“Sisi” star Dominique Devenport) gives birth to her daughter. When the child is taken away, Johanna finds herself stuck in the resort town of Davos. But soon, the German secret service comes knocking.

“Women actually held prominent positions there. With my co-writers [Julia Penner, Thomas Hess and Michael Sauter] we stumbled across one who was a handler of Mata Hari. We always talk about Mata Hari, but I found the spy behind her much more interesting,...

Leading German film and TV group Telepool, which is owned by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook, has restructured the leadership of its world sales and distribution arm Global Screen. Julia Weber, its long-time head of sales and acquisitions, is leaving, with Brianne Bonney becoming head of TV sales.

Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann, CEO at Telepool, commented: “With her talent, charisma and excellent taste for international titles, Julia Weber has successfully shaped Global Screen for many years and has represented the Telepool brand perfectly to all our partners around the world. We are very grateful to her for her outstanding commitment to the Telepool Group and wish her only the very best for her future.”

Weber said: “After many exciting years and successful films, I am leaving the company with a lot of fulfilment and pride to take on new challenges. Global Screen is in a strong position with a great...

Swiss festival programmes 148 films for this year’s edition.

The Zurich Film Festival (Zff) has unveiled a line-up of 148 films for its 2023 edition which takes place from September 28 to October 8.

The festival’s Focus Competition – which showcases feature films and documentaries from Germany, Austria and Switzerland - has six world premieres. They include Swiss films The Driven One by Piet Baumgartner, a long-term study of students at the elite university Hsg St. Gallen, and road movie Return To Alexandria by Zurich-based Tamer Ruggli, which stars Nadine Labaki and Fanny Ardant.

Scroll down for Focus and Feature Film Competition line-up

Other...

Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham expressed interest in reprising his role as Davos Seaworth for Jon Snow's spinoff.

In an interview with Den of Geek which took place before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Cunningham noted that he reached out to Jon Snow actor Kit Harington, keen to be involved in the planned spinoff focused on his character. "I did send [Kit] a text saying, 'Better Call Davos,'" Cunningham admitted with a tongue-in-cheek nod to Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul. "I haven’t heard anything back." It seems Cunningham doesn't know much about the Jon Snow series, going on to say, "You probably know more than I do." Addressing the production team, Cunningham stated, "I wish them the best to whoever’s involved in it, and if the check is big enough, I might even show up again!"

Related: Game of Thrones Linguist Was Stunned by Grey Worm Actor's...

Where to Watch Powered by Liam Cunningham has reached out to Kit Harington about appearing in the Jon Snow spinoff series, but he never heard back. House of the Dragon is the only Game of Thrones spinoff that has come to fruition so far, with other announced spinoffs in various stages of development. The Jon Snow spinoff's future is uncertain and HBO has not yet even confirmed if it will be actually greenlit. The quality of the concept and scripts will be crucial to its success.

Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham addresses Davos' possible return in the announced Jon Snow spinoff series at HBO. Based on the novels by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones first premiered in 2011, ultimately running for eight seasons before coming to an end in 2019. A number of spinoff shows have since been announced, with a Jon Snow sequel series first mentioned in August of...

German film and TV distribution and licensing company Telepool, which is owned by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook, is moving into lead producing movies and series, its CEO Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann tells Variety exclusively in her first interview since joining the company in January.

Munich-based Telepool is celebrating its 60th anniversary on Wednesday, and although it has a barrel-load of experience in selling, distributing, licensing, financing and co-producing movies and series, this shift into initiating and lead producing represents a significant step for the company. It also forms part of Westbrook’s broader strategy for international expansion, which – in part – lay behind its acquisition of Telepool in December 2021.

Higuchi-Zitzmann seems ideally suited to the task as she has worked for several leading German film and TV companies, giving her experience in both distribution and production. Most recently, she served as the managing director of Pantaleon Films, whose founders include German star Matthias Schweighöfer,...

Leading European distributor Global Screen, part of the Telepool group, will launch premium quality spy drama “Davos” at MipTV. The six-part series is inspired by real events that occurred in the early days of the secret services in Europe.

Available to buyers for the first time at MipTV, “Davos” boasts a stellar cast headed by Dominique Devenport (“Sisi”), David Kross (“The Reader”), Jeanette Hain (“Never Look Away”), Max Herbrechter (“Rauhnächte”), Sunnyi Melles (“Triangle of Sadness”) and Stipe Erceg (“Vienna Blood”).

World War I is ravaging Europe. By contrast, Davos, the aristocratic spa town in the Swiss Alps, seems like an oasis of peace. But behind the scenes, neutral Switzerland takes center stage in a relentless battle between the secret agents of the world powers. Young nurse Johanna Gabathuler unexpectedly gets caught between the fronts: to win back her illegitimate child, she starts to work as a spy for the German...