International Press Coverage NSU GERMAN HISTORY X “(…)the fiction is believable; though it may not always be true, it is truthful. It could have been like this, and it is both distressing and fascinating.” “(…) a film as important as it is great – poetic, sometimes quiet and sometimes loud, tragic, cruel, vile, and then full of love nonetheless.” “It quickly becomes clear that the three levels in the three films bring an enormous advantage: putting things clearly into perspective forces us to have clear attitudes.” “NSU German History X becomes authentic because the different truths, revealed in the perspectives of the perpetrators, victims, and investigators, are not harmonized by a higher authority. The viewers need to be able to bear the resulting tensions. NSU German History X demands and expects much of them. With these films, the ARD is writing television history.” Beta Film GmbH Gruenwalder Weg 28d D - 82041 Oberhaching Tel + 49 89 67 34 69 80 General Manager: Jan Mojto Registered Office Oberhaching HRB 143 023 VAT ID no. DE 813543811 www.betafilm.com Netflix explores German History X by Jesse Whittock July 7, 2016 Netflix has bagged exclusive SVOD rights to ARD drama NSU German History X in six major territories. The streaming service has bought rights to the show in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, and will debut the scripted series on Thursday as local Netflix Originals. The high-end drama, based on true and current events, explores the story of a far-right German terrorist group called National Socialist Underground, who killed immigrants just after the fall of the Iron Curtain in the 1990s. These events became known as the Bosphorus Serial Murders, and one of the suspected members, Beate Zschäpe, is still on trial today. Distributor Beta said the Wiedemann & Berg-produced 3x90mins drama has also been sold to unnamed but “major Scandinavian public broadcasters”, plus into Belgium and the Netherlands. Other deals are in “final negotiations”. The series won the Bloggers Award at the French Series Mania event, and was nominated for the Magnolia Award at the Shanghai TV Festival. Line of Separation producer Gabriela Spearl produced the series, with The Lives of Others prodco Wiedemann & Berg and Filmpool coproducing. Thomas Wendrich, Laila Stieler, Rolf Basedow, Christoph and Jan Braren wrote the miniseries, which Beta launched at MIPTV in April. Beta Film GmbH Gruenwalder Weg 28d D - 82041 Oberhaching Tel + 49 89 67 34 69 80 General Manager: Jan Mojto Registered Office Oberhaching HRB 143 023 VAT ID no. DE 813543811 www.betafilm.com Netflix Goes for Drama NSU German History X Joel Marino 07.07.2016 MUNICH: Netflix has secured the rights for the drama NSU German History X, which will be available starting tomorrow as an original series in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The drama was produced for German public broadcaster ARD and has been sold by Beta to numerous territories, among them Scandinavia, Belgium and the Netherlands. The series is made up of three 90-minute episodes. It follows the National Socialist Underground, or NSU, which after the fall of the Iron Curtain began operating in Germany by killing immigrants in cold blood. It took the police and intelligence services more than ten years to hunt down the perpetrators. Hot Picks: NSU German History X 31 March, 2016 German drama is experiencing an explosion of international interest thanks to the global success of spy thriller Deutschland 83 (sold to Channel 4 in the UK and Sundance-TV in the US) and BBC2 acquisition Generation War. Distributor Beta Film Producer Wiedemann & Berg Length 3 x 120 minutes; 6 x 60 minutes Broadcaster WDR/ADR (Germany) Beta Film GmbH Gruenwalder Weg 28d D - 82041 Oberhaching Tel + 49 89 67 34 69 80 General Manager: Jan Mojto Registered Office Oberhaching HRB 143 023 VAT ID no. DE 813543811 www.betafilm.com The latter was distributed by Beta Film, one of Germany’s largest producers and distributors, which has even higher hopes for its latest drama, gritty thriller NSU German History X. The three-part drama tells the story of the three founders of far-right German terrorist group National Socialist Underground (NSU), from the first steps of their radicalisation to their subsequent capture. The series, which is inspired by true events, takes place just after the fall of the Iron Curtain in the early 1990s. It follows right-wing extremists Beate, Uwe and Bohni, who is described as having a “tripwire temper”. The trio were responsible for killing immigrants in cold blood in a series of crimes known as the Bosphorus Serial Murders. However, despite drawing the attention of the country’s Intelligence Service, the trio were not implicated in the crimes until 10 years after the first killings – amid rumours about inside jobs and informants. The series is produced by Line Of Separation producer Gabriela Sperl for Wiedemann & Berg. The German indie, set up by Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann, previously produced Stasi feature The Lives Of Others, winner of the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The series is written by Thomas Wendrich (Die Tater), Laila Stieler (Cloud 9), Rolf Basedow (In The Face Of Crime), Christoph Busche (The Old Fox) and Jan Braren (Leipzig Homicide), and is directed by Christian Schwochow (The Tower), Züli Aladag (Dating Daisy) and Florian Cossen (The Day I Was Not Born). The drama, co-produced by Filmpool, was made for German public broadcaster ARD and its regional sister channels, including SWR and WDR. Beta Film is launching the series at Mip TV, with Schwochow, Aladag, Cossen and Sperl attending to drum up sales. It is the latest high-profile European series on Beta’s books. Beta Film GmbH Gruenwalder Weg 28d D - 82041 Oberhaching Tel + 49 89 67 34 69 80 General Manager: Jan Mojto Registered Office Oberhaching HRB 143 023 VAT ID no. DE 813543811 www.betafilm.com Nordic nets nab German dramas Danish broadcaster DR, Norway’s NRK, YLE in Finland and SVT in Sweden have secured more than 40 hours of German drama from Beta Film. The quartet have acquired right-wing terror trilogy NSU German History X (3x90’) and Tom Tykwer’s 1920s crime-series Babylon Berlin (16×60′), along with Oliver Hirschbiegel’s spy drama The Same Sky (6×60′). The channels have also picked up 15th century period drama Maximilian (6×60′), which explores the life of the impoverished Austrian emperor. Stephen Mowbray, head of acquisitions at SVT, said the deal showed that German producers “are now delivering world-class fiction.” He added: “Partnering with Beta secures a raft of exciting titles for the Swedish public.” Beta Film international sales manager Justus Riesenkampff said the deal “marks a new chapter of German fiction in the Nordics and proves that now there is a steady flow of great drama coming from Germany.” Richard Middleton 29-03-20 Germany Drives Up Television Production Beta Film GmbH Gruenwalder Weg 28d D - 82041 Oberhaching Tel + 49 89 67 34 69 80 General Manager: Jan Mojto Registered Office Oberhaching HRB 143 023 VAT ID no. DE 813543811 www.betafilm.com Ed Meza @edmezavar April 4, 2016 | 11:30AM PT High-end television series are on the rise in Germany, where they have been enthusiastically embraced by leading feature film talent and supported by federal and regional funders. (…) Beta CEO Jan Mojto says more and more filmmakers are interested in doing long-running series and attracting top acting talent because series offer unique narrative advantages, not to mention the strength of Germany’s TV market and its myriad financing possibilities. “It’s interesting to tell certain stories on television which could not be told in a feature film,” Mojto says. “The quality of German TV is quite often similar to that of theatrical productions.” (…) Tackling a violent story ripped from current headlines, ARD’s “NSU — German History X” traces the bloody trail of a neo-Nazi cell — the National Socialist Underground — that murdered 10 people in Germany. Gabriela Sperl and Wiedemann & Berg Television are producing the fact-based miniseries, which focuses on Beate Zschaepe, a suspect in the killings who is currently on trial. For “NSU” director Christian Schwochow, this dark episode in Germany’s recent history is rooted in the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of the country. “I don’t think you can tell the story of Beate Zschaepe and the NSU without this turning point. Beate Zschaepe was 14 years old when the Wall fell. I have a feeling that it was a generation that was left all alone. They had to deal with a great many difficulties. Everything was reassessed. And no one really cared about them.” Beta Film GmbH Gruenwalder Weg 28d D - 82041 Oberhaching Tel + 49 89 67 34 69 80 General Manager: Jan Mojto Registered Office Oberhaching HRB 143 023 VAT ID no. DE 813543811 www.betafilm.com Babylon Beta NSU German History X follows the emergence of a terrorist group Jan Mojto, CEO of German distributor Beta Film, tells Jonathan Webdale why Berlin is providing the perfect backdrop for a boom in domestic drama with international ambitions. There’s a buzz about Berlin – a statement of the obvious perhaps, given the city’s status as centre of Germany’s cultural, economic and political life. But the capital is now poised to play a starring role in a string of high-end dramas. “Babylon Berlin is the talk of the town here,” says Jan Mojto, CEO of German distributor Beta Film, his voice hoarse amid the hubbub of the Grand Hyatt lobby.