Some stories you can’t ignore.

Some stories you can’t ignore. They just keep tapping you on the shoulder until you do something about them.

Our fiction work is where ideas get personal. Where the tools of the craft are given room to roam. We look for bold points of view, directors with something to say, and collaborators who know that great stories often start with: “Okay, hear me out…”

From award-winning shorts to series, features, and audio stories, this is our playground.

SCHLAMASSEL

Feature Film | in post production

'SCHLAMASSEL' - A FEATURE FILM BY SYLKE ENDERS

1996. While sheep Dolly has been cloned into life, Grandma is dead, and the family is already tearing itself apart. There is nothing and  nobody to find solace in for JOHANNA, a 32year-old intern at the local newspaper. On impulse she confronts an ex-guard of a concentration camp. But instead of finding release for her own discontent and anger, she has to face her own „Schlamassel“ (mess).

SCHLAMASSEL is a Coproduction between Joroni Film, Czar Film, WDR and MDM, supported by BKM and MV Filmförderung.

Year 2023 | Director: Sylke Enders | DoP: Jakob Wehrmann | Producers: Roman Avianus, Anja Wedell | EP: Jonas Knudsen, Thorne Mutert, Jan Fincke | Cast: Mareike Beykirch, Lina Wendel, Anja Schneider a.o.

MY SISTER LOLA

Short Film

‘MY SISTER LOLA’ – A SHORT BY MARTIN DE THURAH

“An improvised personal project about identity and becoming an adult. A kind of summer diary where the younger sister Maria observes her older sister who lives in an unreachable realm of her own.” – Martin on ‘My Sister Lola’

The film captures the secret language between sisters, the magic of small moments and naive self discovery.

Produced by Epoch and Czar DE.

Year 2022 | Director: Martin De Thurah | DoP: Niels Thastum | Editor: Mikkel E G Nielsen | SoundDesign: Adrian Aurelius | EP: Melissa Culligan (EPOCH) | Producer: Julia Weber (CZAR) | Cast: Sophie Karlin Schauerte, Johanna Schauerte, Judith Seither, Holger Daemgen, Klaus Bobach Rios, Sixx Paxx

Drifting Paradise

Documentary

‘DRIFTING PARADISE’ – A DOCUMENTARY BY CEDRIC RETZMANN

Drifting Paradise“ is a multi-year documentary following two young men on the verge of adulthood, united by their shared dream of achieving the perfect drift. The film is directed by Cedric Retzmann, a Berlin-based cinematographer and director with degrees from the University of the Arts in Berlin and the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf. Retzmann is also known for his works „Penthesilea“ and „Panda III.

Year 2021 | Director: Cedric Retzmann | Cinematographer: Cedric Retzmann | Editor: Philipp Müller | Sound Design & Mix: Studio Kraatz | Music: Syndrone | Producer: Anja Wedell

Alice, Through The Looking

Feature Film

‘ALICE, THROUGH THE LOOKING’ – A FEATURE BY ADAM DONEN

Philosophy student Alice falls in love with “Rabbit“ at a masked ball and takes him home with her. The next morning, Rabbit has vanished, leaving no trace of their night together. Determined to find him, Alice navigates a surreal Brexit London with the help of psychologist/detective Dr Cat Pillar, BA as reality, nightmare and cinema intertwine.

Writer/Director/Producer: Adam Donen | DoP: Jason Ellis | Editor: David Gesslbauer | Composers: Adam Donen & Robert Harder | Casting: Ben Lawrence | Cast: Saskia Axten, Steven Berkoff, Carol Cleveland, Alan Ford, Vanessa Redgrave, Slavoj Zizek a.o. | Producer & EP: Daniel S. Reynolds | Co-Producer: Benjamin Lawrence | Associate Producers: Anja Wedell, Ela Stipicic, Christian Brox, Robert Price | Festivals: Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, First Feature Competition

The Last Romantic

Mini-Series | in development

‘THE LAST ROMANTIC’ – A MINI SERIES BY WILLEM GERRITSEN AND LUKAS VAN WOERKUM

To become the musical genius he knows he is destined to be, 19th century composer Johannes Brahms hides his turbulent emotional inner life behind a hard-boiled persona. But as he becomes Europe’s biggest star, his traumatic past catches up with him, preventing him from accepting the love of his life.

Mini-Series in development.

 

created by Willem Gerritsen, Lukas van Woerkum

Bahri

Feature Film | in financing

‘BAHRI’ – A FEATURE FILM BY MAX GLESCHINSKI

Bahri, a refugee in Rostock, is doing well with the support of a local youth centre, which is also helping him get a residence permit. He looks after Malek, a deaf-mute refugee friend. One night, Bahri witnesses the murder of a doorman at the centre. All signs point to Malek, who disappears after the incident. As Bahri searches for Malek and the truth, his world begins to unravel amidst a local right-wing network of politicians, lawyers and police. Along the way, he learns that truth and trust are not constants.

 

Writer & Director: Max Gleschinski

0816

Series | in development

‘0816’ – A SERIES BY LUMI LAUSAS

„0816“ is a fictional cross-media web series that follows a group of teenagers during their summer holidays in a village in Brandenburg, Germany.

As they navigate the complexities of adolescence, unspoken feelings turn into secrets and wounds, and relationships evolve, intertwine, and unravel. Under cloudy skies, a impending storm foreshadows a tragedy that will alter their lives forever.The series received a €20,000 development grant from Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.

Writer & Director: Lumi Lausas

Enter Europa

Audio Series for FYEO | 10 x 25 min

‘ENTER EUROPA’ – AN AUDIO SERIES BY LUCAS THIEM

A mysterious phone call turns data scientist Maryam Çetin’s life upside down. On the line: Wolfgang Adrian, the richest man in Europe. Minutes later, Maryam is on her way to the airport, leaving her life behind. In Maastricht, Adrian assembles a six-man task force to save Europe, to restore its liberal and progressive leadership. They must create news to influence the elections, but soon lose control of their moral compass and the unfolding events.

Idea/Director/Casting: Lucas Thiem | Writer´s Room Dialogue: Sabine Ballbach, Max Gleschinski, Lucas Thiem | Editing: Jonas Mantey, Kraatz Studios | Foleys: Foley Farmers | Komposition: Henning Neidhart | Band: Henning Neidhart, Duy Luong, Karl Friedrich Degenhardt | PA: Deborah Halbig | Producer: Julia Weber | EP: Thorne Mutert (CZAR) , Tristan Lehmann (FYEO) | Cast: Maryam Zaree, Burghart Klaußner, Mark Waschke a.o.

MAKEL II

Audio Series for FYEO | 8 x 25 min

‘MAKEL II’ – AN AUDIO SERIES BY ROBIN POLÁK

Nora Hamann escapes forensic psychiatry to expose the truth about „Whitelight,“ putting herself and others at risk. Prosecutor Lutz Koll loses hope of finding his missing wife, overstepping his authority. He receives unexpected assistance from federal agent Afi Kwabena, who distrusts Whitelight technology. Within Whitelight, tensions rise between Freya Jonsdottir and Max von Studlar over their Patch-Walk-In-Stores. As Afi investigates, he links the popular treatments to a surge in crime, uncovering a dark history connected to the mysterious Station 4 of Brekum.

Head Writer: Robin Polák | Writer´s Room: Robin Polák, Silke Eggert, Lucas Thiem | Director: Johannes Schröder | Sound: Kraatz Studios | Casting: Antje & Uwe Bünker, Bünker Casting | Producer: Lucas Thiem, Till Gerstenberger | Producer for FYEO: Luca Hirschfeld, Tristan Lehmann | EP: Thorne Mutert (CZAR), Tristan Lehmann (FYEO)

NACKTE TIERE

FEATURE FILM

‘NAKED ANIMALS’ – A FEATURE FILM BY MELANIE WAELDE

Lost in the German countryside, five teenagers—Katja, Sascha, Benni, Laila, and Schöller—form a tight-knit gang and live by their own rules. They search for meaning, run away, kiss, fight, and love, navigating a world where intimacy and pain are intertwined. As graduation approaches, they know their paths will soon diverge. NAKED ANIMALS captures that fleeting time when you feel invincible, facing life’s challenges with resilience because you have friends to catch you. It also explores the pain of saying goodbye, without knowing what’s next.

Writer & Director: Melanie Waelde | Cinematographer: Fion Mutert | Prod. Design: Marcel Bonewald, Isabelle C. Schnabel | Editor: Jessica Schneller | Cast: Marie Tragousti, Sammy Scheuritzel, Michelangelo Fortuzzi, Luna Schaller, Paul Michael Stiehler | Producer: Anja Wedell | EP: Thorne Mutert, Jan Fincke | Verleih: Deja Vu Film | World Sales: Media Luna New Films | Festivals: Berlin International Film Festival (Encounters Competition), Internationales Frauenfilmfestival Dortmund/Köln, Viennale 2020, Giffoni IFF 2020, Seville Jury Mention – GWFF First Feature Award (Berlin International Film Festival), German Film Critics Award 2020 – Best Debut Feature

MAKEL I


Audio Series for FYEO | 6 x 25 min

‘MAKEL I’ – AN AUDIO SERIES BY ROBIN POLÁK AND JOHANNES SCHRÖDER

Nora Hamann has been confined in a forensic psychiatry facility for some time when prosecuting attorney Lutz Koll arrives, determined to reopen her case. Reluctantly, Nora begins to recount the events from two years ago on the island of Brekum, where her father, Dr. Christian Hamann, a renowned neuroscientist, and his ambitious business partner, Freya Jonsdottir, established a mysterious institute with the goal of erasing flawed human behavior. As Nora reveals her side of the story, discrepancies between the official story and her version emerge. But can Koll trust Nora—and can she trust him?

Director: Johannes Schröder | Head Writer: Robin Polák | Idea: Tristan Lehmann | Writer´s Room: Robin Polák, Johannes Schröder, Josephine Oleak, Nima Feyzi Shandi | Sound: Stefan Kraatz / Kraatz Studios | Casting: Antje & Uwe Bünker / Bünker Casting | Producer: Lucas Thiem | EP: Thorne Mutert (CZAR), Tristan Lehmann (FYEO)| Producer for FYEO: Benjamin Risom, Lucas Hirschfeld, Tristan Lehmann

OPEN DOOR


FEATURE FILM | In DEVELOPEMENT

‘OPEN DOOR’ – A FEATURE FILM BY ROBIN POLÁK

After a terrorist attack, six people seek refuge in the apartment of a stranger. However, the real threat isn’t outside—it’s within. This dramedy is an intimate play exploring unexpected tensions and dynamics.

Director: Robin Polák | Writer: Robin Polák, Janna Nandzik | Producer: Anja Wedell

Die Verlorenen

Series | in development

‘THE MISSING ONES’ – A SERIES BY KAI SCHONRATH

In late autumn of 2018, in the heart of a sprawling open-cast mining region, a journalist stumbles upon a series of strange deaths and missing persons cases that the police have scarcely investigated. All of these cases are tied to villages that have either vanished or are on the brink of disappearing. Undeterred by intimidation and bloody consequences, she delves deeper into the mystery, uncovering dark secrets that were never meant to see the light of day.

Series in development.

 

created by Kai Schonrath

BIKINI MOON 
FEATURE FILM

‚BIKINI MOON’ – a FEATURE FILM by Milcho Manchevski

BIKINI MOON

A charismatic homeless woman catches the eye of a documentary film crew who are eager to exploit her story for their chance at independent film fame. This contemporary urban fairy tale unfolds against the backdrop of a fractured family ideal. Despite facing intimidation and violence, she relentlessly searches for the truth, uncovering dark secrets that were meant to stay hidden.

A CZAR Production in association with Milkman Productions, YN Films, Banana Films and Final Frame. © Bikini Sunshine LLC

Director: Milcho Manchevski | Writer: Milcho Manchevski, Will P Rosenthal | Cinematographer: Joshua Z Weinstein | Editor: Ann Husaini | Cast: Condola Rashad, Sarah Goldberg, Will Janowitz, Sathya Sridharan a.o. | Producers: Anja Wedell, Munire Armstrong

New Money

Feature Film

NEW MONEY

It’s Debbie’s 30th birthday. She is supposed to inherit some money, but soon has to learn that her father has cut her out of his will. After a failed negotiation, Debbie kidnaps her demented father together with her boyfriend and forms a plan to access her inheritance by darker means.

Writer & Director: Jason B. Kohl | Cinematographer: Amanda Treyz | Music: Heather Mcintosh | Editor: Eric. F. Martin | Producers: Kale Davidoff, Jason B. Kohl, Ashley Young | Co-Producers: Anja Wedell, Thorne Mutert, Jan Fincke

SPEECHLESS

Short Film

SPEECHLESS

A little boy wanders through a toy store filled with people speaking a strange and incomprehensible language. Alone, he forms a bond with a young mother who finds a way to communicate with him without words. He will reveal something quite unexpected.

www.speechlessfilm.com

Writer & Director: Robin Polák | Producer: Jan Fincke, Thorne Mutert, Anja Wedell | Camera: Frank Lamm | Sound: Andreas Preschner | Editor: Katja Fischer | Cast: Heike Makatsch, Noah Papadimitru, Samir Fuchs, Stefan Nagel, Matilda Florczyk