FremantleMedia, RTL Group to Launch German Film Studio

LONDON, December 17: FremantleMedia and its parent company,
the RTL Group, today unveiled plans to launch a multi-million-euros film studio
in Germany, via its local subsidiary UFA.

In a statement, the company called the move “one of the most
significant investments” it has made in its content offerings. It comes on the
heels of the announcement of a 40-million-euros Talent Fund, launched to boost
its network of creative partnerships.

The new studio will deliver full-length feature films for
local theatrical release. FremantleMedia has 40 projects in the pipeline that
will result in a slate of eight films per year from 2010 onwards. In line with
the establishment of the new studio, FremantleMedia is set to announce the
hiring of Thomas Friedl from Constantin Film AG.

The lead investors in the new studio will be RTL Group and
FremantleMedia through the UFA subsidiary UFA Cinema. In addition to state and
federal state funding, the new company’s projects will attract financing
through the newly created German Film Financing Fund (DFFF).

Tony Cohen, the CEO of
FremantleMedia, noted: “This is one of FremantleMedia’s most significant
investments in drama. Our plan now is to create a high volume of quality
feature length films with full big screen potential. At one time UFA was a huge
name in film production in Germany. The time is right for UFA to again become a
major player in the German film market. German film has gone from strength to
strength and we see the market as a springboard from which to roll out this
local market film studio model to other markets. France and Spain are potential
markets for the future.”

Wolf Bauer, the CEO of UFA, added: “We are one of Germany’s
longest-standing film and TV companies, and the creation of UFA Cinema
completes our portfolio. We see huge potential in the German feature film
market for a commercially oriented high quality producer. There are two key
factors that make the current economic conditions perfect for producing and
commercializing feature films. The new Film Funding implemented by German
Cultural Minister Bernd Neumann and the many opportunities for feature films
that will arise from the increasing importance of digital distribution. As a
result, we are once again putting a great deal of creative effort and economic
investment into film production and distribution.”

—By Mansha Daswani