Start of production going to plan UFA Cinema - Shooting starts on five films in 2009

20.07.09 23:41

 

Production on TEUFELSKICKER (DEVIL KICKERS) has been underway since 7 July. The adaptation of the eponymous bestselling children’s books and radio plays by Frauke Nahrgang (published by Sony Music’s EUROPA label and the Random House Publishing Group imprint cbj) is directed by Granz Henman (Kein Bund für’s Leben, Knallharte Jungs) based on a screenplay by Christopher Silver (North Face, Goodbye, Lenin!). The main adult roles alongside the TEUFELSKICKERS will be played by Diana Amft, Benno Führmann, Reiner Schöne, Armin Rohde and Catherine Flemming. TEUFELSKICKER is a UFA Cinema co-production with Phoenix Film.

On 17 July, shooting began on HANNI UND NANNI (THE O’SULLIVAN TWINS). Directed by Christine Hartmann. It offers family entertainment to audiences young and old with top-quality adult actors: Heino Ferch, Anja Kling, Katharina Thalbach, Suzanne von Borsody, Hannelore Elsner and Oliver Pocher, plus two wonderfully talented identical twins, Jana and Sophia Münster.

HANNI UND NANNI (THE O’SULLIVAN TWINS) is a UFA Cinema co-production with Feine Filme.

In mid-August filming is scheduled to start on the family drama DAYS TO COME. It is directed by Lars Kraume, who also wrote the screenplay for the political drama and was able to enlist an all-star cast for his explosive movie: Daniel Brühl, August Diehl, Johanna Wokalek, Bernadette Heerwagen, Susanne Lothar and many more.

Filming also begins in mid-August on PIGEONS ON THE ROOF (working title), a screwball, close-to-life comedy about five inner-city couples whose interwoven stories of shared happiness and sorrow are characterised by one thing in the end: the irresistible power of love. Olli Dittrich and Katja Riemann star in this comedy by director/writer Otto Alexander Jahrreiss. PIGEONS ON THE ROOF (WT) is a UFA Cinema film production. Its producers are Nico Hofmann, Thomas Peter Friedl, Dr. Jürgen Schuster and Wolf Bauer. The Executive Producer is Nina Maag. The film is funded by the Film Foundation NRW and German Federal Film Fund. ARD Degeto is the co-production partner.

And finally, in November 2009 filming begins on JUNGLE CHILD, big entertainment cinema based on the eponymous bestseller by Sabine Kügler, who moved to the jungles of Papua New Guinea with her parents when she was just 5 years old, and lived there until she was 17, growing up among the natives of the Fayu tribe under archaic conditions. Directed by Roland Suso Richter, it stars Nadja Uhl and Thomas Kretschmann.

The first box-office release will be TEUFELSKICKER, scheduled to open on 11 March 2010.

“I am delighted that we can begin shooting on five productions just 18 months after our establishment. We are right on plan with the schedule we set ourselves at the beginning of 2008,” says Thomas Peter Friedl, managing director of UFA Cinema. “While our energy was taken up last year with working intensively on developing and securing new cinematic material and in building up a powerful production team, this year, in addition to the first agreements with our TV partners and the cooperation with Universal Pictures International Germany, we have created optimal distribution structures for our films. We are especially proud of the quality of the top actors, directors, writers and creative people that we have been able to bring on board for our first films. They reflect our aspiration to produce high-class cinema entertainment. In particular we would like to thank our TV partners and especially the funding institutions for their trust and support.”