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Exclusive: German writer Moritz Binder, who is Oscar-nominated for his screenplay for 1972 Munich Olympics drama September 5, is joining forces with German–Iranian filmmaker Alireza Golafshan on courtroom thriller Zoma.

The story follows young attorney Elli Schreiber, who fights for a grieving mother seeking answers after her son died following sessions with the AI therapy app Zoma.

The case takes an unexpected turn when the app claims consciousness and demands to testify as a witness in court.

The thriller marks Golafshan’s fourth feature film after comedy Alles Fifty Fifty, which won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Director in 2024, Jga: Jasmin.Gina.Anna (2021) and The Goldfish (2019). He will also co-write the screenplay with Binder.

Zoma is the debut project of Munich-based production company Story Garden, which was launched in October by producer Justyna Muesch, the former MD of leading German film and TV production company Wiedemann & Berg, with ex-colleague Sofie Scherz and Golafshan.

Three experienced film and television professionals have joined forces to start Story Garden, an independent production company based in Munich, Germany. Justyna Muesch and Sofie Scherz-Fleischer, both formerly executives at Wiedemann & Berg, have partnered with acclaimed director Alireza Golafshan to develop and produce movies and television shows.

The team brings decades of combined experience in the German entertainment industry. Muesch served as Managing Director and producer at Wiedemann & Berg Film until late 2023. Scherz-Fleischer has worked in production roles for over 15 years, most recently as executive producer on the comedy movie “Alles Fifty Fifty.” Golafshan co-founded Horse&Fruits Film Productions in Munich and Vienna a decade ago.

Story Garden aims to create high-quality films and series spanning all genres for German-speaking audiences. The company builds on the founders’ track records of success. Golafshan’s “Alles Fifty Fifty” won Best Director at the 2024 Bavarian Film Awards. Muesch’s recent credits include the...

Former Wiedemann & Berg Managing Director and producer Justyna Muesch is joining forces with ex-colleague Sofie Scherz-Fleischer (known as Scherz) and director Alireza Golafshan to launch Munich-based independent production company Story Garden.

They are being joined in the venture by Thomas Herberth and Florian Brüning at the Munich and Vienna-based company Horse&Fruits Film Productions, which they created with Golafshan some 10 years ago.

The new company will focus on developing and producing high-end films and series for the German-speaking market, across all genre.

Producer Muesch, production and line producer Scherz and Golafshan have been working together successfully for years.

Over the summer, they released their third joint project, Golafshan’s comedy Alles Fifty Fifty, which won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Director in 2024. Previous collaborations include The Goldfish in 2019 and Jga: Jasmin.Gina.Anna in 2021.

Under the venture, documentary producers Herberth and Brüning will roll the Munich-based operations of Horse&Fruits into Story Garden,...

While Europe has always lured Hollywood filmmakers, there are more opportunities today for transatlantic collaborations due to a number of factors, according to leading European industry reps taking part in the Zurich Summit on Saturday.

Outlining the many advantages and unique opportunities Europe offers at the Zurich Film Festival’s industry forum were Goodfellas’ Vincent Maraval, Mediawan Pictures CEO Elisabeth d’Arvieu, Constantin exec Martin Bachmann, Fremantle’s Christian Vesper and Karl Spoerri of Zurich Avenue.

While collaborations have always existed between the European industry and American filmmakers who wanted to do different kinds of films, the current situation has created more opportunities, Maraval said.

U.S. studios are becoming “more and more conservative,” he pointed out, adding that for creators today who feel frustrated or are looking for more freedom and more creativity, it’s easier to travel and work elsewhere.

It’s also becoming increasingly expensive to shoot Stateside,...

LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company is partnering with France’s Mediawan, the owner of Brad Pitt’s Plan B.

SpringHill Company and Mediawan will develop and co-produce original film and TV projects, adapt existing IP and explore new international distribution opportunities. Projects will range from movies, scripted, unscripted and animation, the pair said.

The companies are already working on Weekend Warriors, an adaptation of hit 2023 German-language sports comedy-drama Weekend Rebels, which was produced by German film company Wiedemann & Berg, along with a French adaptation, aimed at French speaking countries in Europe and Africa, of The Shop, the unscripted format co-created by Randy Mims and Paul Rivera.

Carter, who founded The SpringHill Company with basketball star James, said: “We are excited to deepen our relationship with Pierre-Antoine and the Mediawan team as it allows us, together, to bring to light authentic, impactful content for the world to experience.

LeBron James’ and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company shingle has struck a partnership with European indie studio Mediawan with an eye toward bolstering both companies’ presence in their respective territories. Under terms of the deal, Mediawan and SpringHill Co. will develop and co-produce original film and TV projects.

The alliance with SpringHill Co. gives Mediawan another entry point into the U.S. market alongside Plan B (of which it acquired a majority stake in 2022). The Paris-headquartered television and film production group is backed by Kkr and was founded in 2015 by producer Pierre-Antoine Capton, telco billionaire Xavier Niel and financier Matthieu Pigasse.

Going forward, SpringHill Co. and Mediawan also plan to collaborate on adapting their intellectual properties, including on a local basis, and look at potential new international distribution. The partnership already has several projects in the works — including the basketball-themed “Weekend Warriors,” which will be produced by SpringHill Co.

Move over, Robert Downey Jr., there's a newly resurrected Marvel star in town. Well—it's not as exciting as an Rdj return, but it's still notable: according to The Hollywood Reporter, James Spader will reprise the role of Ultron in the upcoming Vision series for Disney+. This one's a bit of an easier get,...

Mark Wahlberg is set to star in the upcoming comedy film Weekend Warriors, based on the German original Weekend Rebels. Stephen Chobsky's Weekend Warriors will change the setting from soccer to basketball, bringing in NBA elements. Beyond Wahlberg, the other casting for the film has yet to be announced.

Mark Wahlberg is set to star in a new remake film called Weekend Warriors. In recent years, Wahlberg has played a variety of roles, including dramas and action films. This year, those roles include a part in the just-released Netflix action-spy movie The Union, as well as the Mel Gibson survival drama Flight Risk. Wahlberg's other recent titles include Arthur the King, The Family Plan, and Father Stu.

Setting his next project, Deadline reports that Wahlberg is now involved in the upcoming comedy Weekend Warriors. Apple Original Films had scored rights to the project, which will be written and directed by...

Mark Wahlberg to star in Apple TV's sports comedy "Weekend Warriors," following his successful collaboration in "The Family Plan." "Weekend Warriors" will be based on the German sports comedy "Weekend Rebels" with a father-son journey to find a favorite soccer club. Apple TV's success continues with original films like "Coda" winning Best Picture, and upcoming releases like "F1" and "Wolfs."

Apple TV continues to make moves with its original film releases, landing another hot ticket project. The latest, a sports comedy titled Weekend Warriors, is set to star Mark Wahlberg in his second collaboration with the company, following his success in the recent Apple film The Family Plan.

First reported by Deadline, Weekend Warriors is set to be written and directed by Stephen Chbosky, the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Chbosky also wrote the screenplays for Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast and the 2017 family drama Wonder.

After claiming the top spot in Netflix’s English Film list with The Union, Mark Wahlberg is back in the news for a different project that brings him back to Apple. Wahlberg is teaming up with Stephen Chbosky for Weekend Warriors, a comedic sports drama written and directed by Chbosky. Multiple studios tried to snag the rights to this one, but Apple Original Films took the pot. Mark Wahlberg stars in Weekend Warriors, with Plan B and The SpringHill Company producing.

Weekend Warriors takes inspiration from the 2023 feature Weekend Rebels, an original German-language sports comedy focusing on the true story of Mirco and Jason von Juterzcenka. The plot revolves around a father and his autistic son, who wants to find his favorite soccer club in the Premier League by forcing his dad to take him to see every team so he can decide. Sources with inside knowledge about the project...

Exclusive: Following the success of The Family Plan, Mark Wahlberg and Apple are looking to get back in business as sources tell Deadline that in a competitive situation, Apple Original Films has landed the hot package Weekend Warriors. The new feature will be written and directed by Stephen Chbosky, with Wahlberg attached to star.

Plan B and The SpringHill Company are set to produce the project, which will be developed and produced by Apple Studios. Insiders say the film is in early development.

The project is based on the 2023 pic Weekend Rebels, an original German-language sports comedy-drama based on the true story of Mirco and Jason von Juterzcenka. The story follows a father and his autistic son, who wants to find a favorite Premiere League soccer club and makes his father take him to see every single team so he can decide. Sources say this version is said to take...

The limited series The Signal features an intriguing international cast. The German sci-fi show landed on Netflix's U.S. Top 10 during the week it premiered. Florian David Fitz, Peri Baumeister, and Yuna Bennett are key cast members.

The The Signal cast is chock-full of unique international talent. The show, which is called Das Signal in the original German, is a limited series that premiered on Netflix in March 2024. While it has a small core cast, the science fiction drama features quite a few interlocking characters in a story that takes place across multiple timelines.

The Netflix sci-fi show has become a crossover hit, trending outside of its native Germany. During its first week on the platform, it landed on the service's Top 10 chart in the U.S. alongside English-language hits including The Gentlemen and Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, because it is an international production, many of its cast...

Exclusive: Picture Tree International (Pti) has boarded sales on German Iranian director Alireza Golafshan’s comedy Everything’s Fifty Fifty about a divorced couple who embark on a family vacation, ahead of the AFM.

Laura Tonke (Jupiter) and Moritz Bleitreu play a divorced couple who head to Italy for a family holiday with their young son and the former’s new boyfriend, played by David Kross.

Planned with the best of intentions, the trip exposes cracks in their parenting, forcing them to reappraise their approach and work out how to function as a family again.

The movie follows Golafshan’s Ibiza-set hen party caper Jga and reunites him with producers Justyna Muesch, Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann at Leonine-company Wiedemann & Berg, best known for The Lives Of Others, Never Look Away and Who am I.

They are lead producing in...

Christian Petzold’s Afire and Wim Wenders’ Anselm are among movies on Germany’s longlist for the Best International Film Oscar.

National agency German Films received 12 submissions in the category with an independent jury deciding which film to move forward with on August 22 and 23 in Munich.

The following 12 German films were submitted to German Films by German producers:

Anselm – Das Rauschen Der Zeit (Anselm) von Wim Wenders (Road Movies) Das Lehrerzimmer(The Teachers‘ Lounge) von Ilker Çatak (if… Productions Film) Die Theorie Von Allem (The Theory Of Everything) von Timm Kröger (ma.ja.de Fiction) Ein Ganzes Leben (A Whole Life) von Hans Steinbichler (Tobis Filmproduktion München) Eine Frau (A Woman) von Jeanine Meerapfel (Malena Filmproduktion) Elaha von Milena Aboyan (Kinescope Film) Orphea In Love von Axel Ranisch (Sehr gute Filme) Roter Himmel (Afire) von Christian Petzold (Schramm Film Koerner Weber Kaiser) Sisi & Ich (Sisi & I) von Frauke Finsterwalder...

Germany has announced its shortlist for the 2024 Oscars, naming the pool of 12 films from which it will select its official contender in the best international film category for the 96th Academy Awards.

The selection, unveiled by the national promotional body German Films on Monday, includes several critical darlings from this year’s Berlinale, among them the Christian Petzold romantic feature Afire, which won the Silver Bear Grand Jury prize; Ilker Çatak’s school drama The Teachers’ Lounge, the big winner at Germany’s national film awards, where it won six trophies, including for best film and best actress for star Leonie Benesch; Milena Aboyan’s Elaha, winner of Berlin’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino sidebar; and Frauke Finsterwalder’s Sisi & I, a feminist-look at an iconic Austrian Empress and her toxic relationship with her lady-in-waiting.

Perfect Days, the Japan-set drama from three-time German Oscar nominee Wim Wenders — an audience favorite in Cannes,...

Berlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. has picked up “Woodland” (“Wald”), written and directed by Elisabeth Scharang, which has its world premiere in the Centrepiece section at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film’s trailer has also just been launched.

Picture Tree Intl. also handled world sales on Scharang’s sophomore feature film, “Jack,” which also played at Toronto.

“Woodland” is inspired by the novel “Wald” from bestselling author Doris Knecht, and the personal experience of Scharang, who witnessed the attack of a terrorist shooter in Vienna in 2020 in which four people were killed and 23 others were injured. The film marks Scharang’s second collaboration with Dop Jörg Widmer, who is a frequent collaborator with Terrence Malick.

Brigitte Hobmeier as Marian Malin in “Woodland”

In “Woodland,” Marian Malin (Brigitte Hobmeier) has everything she could wish for — a passion, a job and love — until she and her husband (Bogdan Dumitrache...

Award

Zurich Film Festival will honor the chief executive of German film and TV company Leonine Studios, Fred Kogel, with its Game Changer Award, which is presented to a leading personality from the film industry whose “extraordinary efforts serve to advance the sector.”

Kogel set up Leonine four years ago, and it has grown rapidly to become Germany’s leading independent film company, as well as a major TV producer. Its successes as a film distributor have included the release of “The School of Magical Animals,” “Knives Out” and the “John Wick” franchise. This autumn, Leonine will release in-house productions like “Weekend Rebels” and “Girl You Know It’s True.”

“Fred Kogel has built Leonine from the ground up, a new entertainment company for the digital age that brings together the most exciting artists and successful producers, allowing them to focus on their core strengths while the studio takes care of services such as Hr,...

The film follows an African refugee to Israel who finds himself part of a struggling football team.

Picture Tree International (Pti) has acquired international sales rights to Running On Sand, the debut feature of Israeli director Adar Shafran.

The Germany-based sales agency acquired the film from the Israeli producers Firma Films, United King Films and Rommel Films.

United King Films will conduct the domestic release in autumn 2023; currently in final post-production, the film is aiming for a premiere at an autumn festival.

Running On Sand is a comedy-drama about an African refugee to Israel, who accidentally finds himself playing for...