01/04/2025 - Directed by Clara Zoë My-Linh von Arnim, this modern spin on the legacy of the famed composer turns the camera towards his lesser-known but equally prodigious sister, Maria Anna

Mozart/Mozart by Clara Zoë My-Linh von Arnim (© WDR/Story House Pictures GmbH/Armands Virbulis)

Described as a fresh take on one of the most famous composers in musical history, the six-episode series Mozart/Mozart is currently shooting in Latvia and Lithuania, and will continue until 11 June. The series is being produced by Story House Pictures in co-production with Germany’s ARD (WDR/SWR/ARD Degeto Film), Austrian public broadcaster counterpart ORF and the Dreaming Sheep Company. Bavaria Media, which brought the series to market at Mipcom, has the rights to world distribution in sales cooperation with Beta Film. The show is expected to be released through ARD and ORF in December 2025.

Jens Freels and Andreas Gutzeit serve as producers, having also previously produced the RTL+ period drama series Sisi. Story House Pictures co-founder Gutzeit also serves as head writer and showrunner, penning the screenplays with Swantije Oppermann. Gutzeit has previously stated the following about the series: “With Mozart/Mozart, we portray the life of a young woman who, under great threat, had to learn to rely on her own talent to be recognised. This finding is extremely relevant today, especially for a young audience. Our series is not a predictable biopic. Mozart/Mozart is the exact opposite: loud, wild, and told with a lot of fun and even more exciting music.”

Set in late-1700s Vienna, the historical fiction series intends to shine a new light on the life of Maria Anna, the equally talented sister of the Salzburg-born composer Wolfgang Amadeus, widely overshadowed by him in light of societal restraints. In this story, after her brother suddenly cannot perform, Maria Anna must take over the reins of the “Mozart Company” to ensure its financial success. While doing so, she begins to unravel a set of royal intrigues; meanwhile, Antonio Salieri – often depicted as the historical rival of Wolfgang Amadeus – falls head over heels for her.

Maria Anna and Wolfgang Amadeus are played by emerging German talents Havana Joy and Eren M Güvercin, respectively. Strict Mozart family patriarch Leopold is played by German Film Award winner Peter Kurth (Babylon Berlin), while Amadeus’s eventual wife Constanze Weber is played by Sonja Weißer (Maxton Hall – The World Between Us). Other revealed roles include Philipp Hochmair as Emperor Jospeh II, Verena Altenberger as Marie Antoinette and Eidin Jalali as Antonio Salieri. Lisa Vicari, Annabelle Mandeng and Jan Krauter round off the main cast.

Clara Zoë My-Linh von Arnim (director of the miniseries Marzahn Mon Amour) serves as director, while Simon Vu (DoP for Faraz Shariat’s No Hard Feelings [+see also:
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