FOCUS: GERMANY

Focus:Germany

For the fifth year, m:brane has chosen to direct its focus towards a specific country, following the 2023 spotlight on Norway. This year, our attention turns to Germany, one of the pioneering nations outside the Nordic region to engage with and partner with m:brane. Over the years, numerous German producers and decision makers have actively participated in our forum.

m:brane has witnessed a significant influx of compelling German projects presented during our sessions. Producers have returned with fresh concepts, demonstrating a robust eagerness to invest and collaborate in crafting top-tier content for children and youth. The collaboration between m:brane and KIDS Regio in Erfurt has endured for many years and additionally, the Akademie für Kindermedien has successfully sent projects as wild cards to our pitching sessions.

Confirmed decision makers participating from Germany are (so far):

  • Anne Malewski, Acquisitions Manager International Content Acquisitions, KiKA, the children’s channel of ARD and ZDF
  • Alexander Dupont-Geisselmann, CEO Aqusitions, FarbFilm
  • Silke Wilfinger, Owner, Silkway Films
  • Johannes Plenk, Acquisition and co-production, OneGate/Studio Hamburg
  • Holger Hermesmayer, PB Fiktion und Unterhaltung, NDR

In 2024, we are set to showcase two case studies from Germany during the Opening Industry Conference:

So what does it look like, when you disrupt a traditional format or approach? Discover two inspiring CASE STUDIES from Germany that upended expectations.

First we introduce you to the classic story of Peter and the Wolf, but this time told in VR. Producer Sönke Kirchhof, founder and CEO, INVR.SPACE will take us behind the scenes in the production and share key takeaways. You can have a look at this work-in-progress for yourself, through the provided Oculus Quest during the coffee break.

Our day continues with our second case-study. For half a century, the GOLDEN SPARROW has been Germany’s leading festival for audiovisual children’s content. In addition to films and TV content, the GOLDEN SPARROW today presents the best German-speaking digital storytelling works for children. Elisabeth Wenk and Christina Maria Schollerer, the Head of Festival and the Head of the Digital Competition respectively, give an insight into their work with these quality-driven digital storytelling projects, their target groups and creators, and with the festival’s jury, consisting solely of children.

You can get your accreditation here!

As many as seven selected projects from Germany will pitch – which by the way is a hitherto unseen record for pitching projects within the frame of a focus country:

  • Fonce VR, Animation/Drama, 13-18 years, Germany/USA
  • Lampie Feature/Live action, Family, 8-14 years, Germany
  • MINTs TV-series/Live-action, Comedy, 9-12 years, Germany
  • Mora & Sora TV-series, Animation/Comedy, Family, 4-7 years, Germany
  • Ruki´s First Summer Feature/ Live-action, 7-10 years, Germany/Tunisia
  • The Reef Feature/Live-action, 10-16 years, Germany
  • Three Cave Mountain Feature/Live-action, Family, 6-12 years, Germany

Various other program highlights from Germany will be featured in other segments – such as the festive opening cocktail on Tuesday March 12th for all accredited participants generously co-hosted by INVR.SPACE GmbH, DE.

Herzlich willkommen!