German Adaptation of Stockholm Underway

Filming has kicked off on Keshet Tresor Fiction’s (KTF) German adaptation of the Israeli black comedy Stockholm for TVNOW and VOX.

Unter Freunden Stirbt Man Nicht (You Don’t Die Among Friends) tells the story of a group of long-standing friends in their prime. When one of them—a renowned scientist and hottest candidate for the Nobel Prize in Business—dies unexpectedly, the bereaved come up with a plan to keep their friend’s death secret for the five days until the nominations are announced.

Each of the 45-minute-episodes is devoted to one of the four friends, giving a unique perspective on their relationship with the deceased (Hermann), as well as their own personal lives and secret hidden agendas.

Currently shooting in and around Cologne and Bonn, filming will continue on Unter Freunden Stirbt Man Nicht through into September. The four-part black comedy will premiere first on TVNOW, and then VOX afterward.

Based on the best-selling book by Noa Yedlin and the series originally produced by Artza Productions for Keshet Broadcasting and KAN, KTF’s adaptation of the comedy-drama is written by Claudius Pläging (Der Vorname, Pastewka) and produced in cooperation with TVNOW and VOX with the support of Film- und Medienstiftung NRW.

Keshet International, which distributes both the format and finished tape, licensed the format for this black comedy to Tresor. Together they launched the scripted division Keshet Tresor Fiction at the end of 2018.

Frauke Neeb and Hauke Bartel said, “Unter Freunden Stirbt Man Nicht is one of our first joint projects of the TVNOW ‘Fiction Offensive’, and with shooting underway, we are pawing our feet with great motivation and anticipation. This funny, high-spirited and, at the same time, heart-warming story about the big issues of life immediately captivates us and we are really looking forward to it being brought to life with a great cast and a strong team behind the camera.”

“In an age when people live longer and have better lives, Unter Freunden Stirbt Man Nicht offers a refreshing perspective on this fascinating age group,” added KTF’s Christina Christ. “This dark comedy breaks stereotypes and conventional assumptions, as our silver surfers’ friendships, family, loyalty, professionalism, love and lust are all put to the test—and the results are not what we may imagine! With its stellar cast and crew, and the perfect combination of VOX and TVNOW together as channel partners, we are proud that this is the first fiction project to come out of our German Keshet branch.”