At the end of September, TOTEM was able to impress at the Schlingel International Film Festival and thus win the European Children’s Film Award in Chemnitz. The prize is endowed with 12.500€. We are very happy!
Furthermore, the film won the PELLI Award – the prize of the children’s jury – at the KinderFilmFest Muenster.
Our heartfelt thanks go to the prize donors, the cinema operators, the juries and the entire film festival teams.
„Mein Totemtier und Ich“ by Sander Burger is a co-production with the Netherlands (Volya Films), Luxembourg (Tarantula), Leitwolf Film and NDR. German distribution is handled by Farbfilm. Funding in Germany comes from MOIN.
We are incredibly happy about receiving the MAJA award yesterday for our co-production ‚Mein Totemtier & ich‘. The prize, endowed with 10,000€, was awarded for the first time this year in the course of the MICHEL Filmfest in Hamburg.
Our heartfelt thanks go to the prize donor, cinema operator Hans-Peter Jansen, the children’s jury and the entire film festival team.
Here you can find more information: https://www.filmfesthamburg.de/news/maja-fuer-mein-totemtier-ich/
We are very happy to announce that our co-production TOTEM (with Volya Films, NL, Tarantula, LUX) is represented at several national and international film festivals this year. Here in Germany, the film will screen at three festivals this fall:
At SCHLiNGEL (23.-30.09. in Chemnitz), at MICHEL (29.09.-05.10. in Hamburg) and at LUCAS (05.-12.10. in Frankfurt).
And now it’s already over again. On Wednesday, August 30, the last take of our children’s movie ‚Greetings from Mars‘ was shot in Hamburg. Shooting took place in July and August in Appen/Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg. It was an intensive and great shooting and we are now looking forward to the finished film.
A big thank you goes out to the whole team, crew & cast and the film funders who supported us: MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, nordmedia – Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen mbH, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, FFA, BKM, and DFFF.
On Tuesday, 22.08. the first take for our ‚Nordlichter‘ series FESTMACHEN fell. From 22.08. to 20.09. we will shoot the five-part series in Bremen, primarily at the Oslebshausen lock and the surrounding area.
The series is part of the Nordlichter program, which is a program of Norddeutscher Rundfunk, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein and nordmedia – Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen mbH. The series stars Salka Weber, Nina Petri, Jochen Nickel, Nils Rovira-Munoz, Karsten Antonio Mielke, Meryem Ebru Öz and many more.
Click here for the NDR start of filming announcement:
https://www.ndr.de/der_ndr/presse/mitteilungen/NDR-dreht-in-Bremen-die-Mini-Serie-Festmachen-im-Rahmen-der-Nachwuchsreihe-Nordlichter,pressemeldungndr24064.html
The time has finally come…we are very pleased that the first take for the children’s and family film Greetings from Mars fell today. The film is directed by Sarah Winkenstette (ZU WEIT WEG) and stars Eva Löbau, Michael Wittenborn and Hedi Kriegeskotte.
Filming will take place from 18.07. – 31.08.2023 in Appen/Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg.
A big thank you goes already now to the entire film team and to the film fundings: MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, nordmedia – Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen mbH, FFA, BKM, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and DFFF.
We are very happy about the support of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, which supports our production ‚Greetings from Mars‘ with 250.000€ in production funding. Shooting will take place this summer and we are really looking forward to it.
Thank you very much!
Click here for the funding decision:
Die Film- und Medienstiftung NRW fördert 22 Projekte mit rund 4,88 Mio. Euro
We are very happy about the great support of the German Federal Film Board (Filmförderungsanstalt, FFA), which supports us with 250.000€ for our production ‚Greetings from Mars‘ (by Thomas Möller and Sebastian Grusnick).
We send a heartfelt thank you to the FFA and look forward to realising the project.
Click here for the funding decisions:
FFA funding decisions
We are very happy to announce that our project ‚Lämpchen‘ (by Julia Keller) is supported by MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein with 39.000€ in the category project development.
We say: Thank you very much!
https://www.moin-filmfoerderung.de/de/foerderung/entscheidungen/High-End/2022/1412-foerderentscheidung.php
We are very happy about the great support of MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, which supports us with 480,000€ for our production ‚Greetings from Mars‘ (by Thomas Möller and Sebastian Grusnick) in the Director’s Cut panel.
We are very grateful for the funding and look forward with great anticipation to the realisation of the project.
https://www.moin-filmfoerderung.de/de/foerderung/entscheidungen/Directors-Cut/
We are very happy to announce that our project ‚HAPPY NO END‘ (by Simone Höft) is supported by the FFA in the category screenplay with 25.000€.
https://www.ffa.de/pressemitteilungen-detailseite.html?meldung=ffa-foerdert-die-entstehung-von-acht-film-und-sieben-drehbuchprojekten-mit-36-millionen-euro
On Wednesday 12 October, TOTEM celebrated its world premiere as the opening film at cinekid in Amsterdam. We are very happy about the positive feedback from the audience and the press.
Here are a few impressions from the premiere:
The Netherlands, Amsterdam, 12 October 2022. Cinekid Opening at Pathe Noord. All photos: Corinne de Korver
We are very happy to announce that our production ‚Greetings from Mars‘ has been selected as one of the 20 projects at this year’s Junior Co-production Market 2022. The market will take place from 18-22 October in Amsterdam as part of Cinekid, the world’s leading film and audiovisual festival for children and young people. The 20 selected projects were submitted from 15 countries. The market offers space for exchange and funding opportunities for participants, producers and broadcasters.
More about the selected projects here:
https://cinekid.nl/nl/professionals/news-profs/457
Totem (by Sander Burger) will premiere on the twelfth of October as the opening film of Cinekid Amsterdam!
The renowned children’s film festival is taking place for the 36th time this year and we are very happy to present the co-production with Volya Films (NL) there.
https://cinekid.nl/nl/nieuws/447
In June, twenty writer/producer teams from all over Europe came together to work on their scripts with experienced script consultants at the Series Lab Hamburg organised by MOIN, Letterbox Filmproduktion and 15 Creative Europe Desks.
Among them was our drama series PASSEPARTOUT.
Over the course of three days, writer Florian Fey and producer Paula Lichte received valuable input and had an exciting exchange with international colleagues.
Here is a detailed report:
https://www.moin-filmfoerderung.de/de/Magazin/Stories/2022/20220722-series-lab-hamburg-2022.php
In the first awarding session of 2022, nordmedia funded the project development of our workplace drama series „Festmachen“ by Hilke Rönnfeldt as part of the „Nordlichter“ programme.
Cast off! Or rather: All clear to moor in the Bremen lock!
We are very happy and thank very much for the support!
https://www.nordmedia.de/pages/foerderung/vergabeentscheidung/subpages/die_aktuellen_entscheidungen_im_einzelnen_/index.html
We are very happy about the support of MFG Baden-Württemberg, which is funding the development of our mystery series „Looking for Sandman“ (by Lavina Stauber). Many thanks for that.
https://film.mfg.de/news/details/3173-erste-jurysitzung-2022-mfg-foerdert-23-projekte-mit-insgesamt-fast-3-millionen-euro/
Hello art!
We are very happy about the support of MOIN Filmförderung, which is funding our drama series „Passepartout“ (by Ipek Zübert, Johannes Rothe and Florian Fey) in project development! Many thanks!
Click here for the film funding website:
https://www.moin-filmfoerderung.de/de/
GREETINGS FROM MARS in the race for the Emden script award Our tragic comedy GRÜSSE VOM MARS by Thomas Möller and Sebastian Grusnick, funded by Moin Filmförderung, is one of the three nominations for the EMDER SCREENPLAY AWARD On October 8th the award ceremony takes place during the Emden Film Festival. We keep our fingers crossed and we are really happy!
GREETINGS FROM MARS is supposed to be a funny and touching comedy about the great goals of an outsider, whose otherness is at the same time his secret strength. A film that brings the different generations together, even if they sometimes perceive themselves as beings from strange planets.
Our latest children’s film “Luzie’s Mad World” by writer Anna Lott has received funding by Creative Europe MEDIA Single Project Development support in their latest funding round. Our project was supported as one of seven German projects.
We’re extremely happy and excited to continue the development of this fun project and dive deeper into Luzie’s mad world.
Here’s the link to the German press release (only in German):
Creative Europe press release
As part of the incentive funding program 3×3 initiated by the FFHSH as part of the Corona-support measures, Leitwolf was selected as 1 out of 13 companies from the funding region. The support allows us to develop the script for our new children’s film GREETINGS FROM MARS by writers Thomas Möller and Sebastian Grusnik, based on the children’s book with the same title, as well as launch the development for two new screenplays in the next three years.
In March, our international co-production, the coming of age film MNK BOY by director Mete Gümürhan had already received production support from the FFHSH. The film is a coproduction between Circe Films (NL) and Liman Film (Turkey).
We also received funding from the nordmedia film fund: Our children’s film CALYPSO ALL NIGHT (Die ganze Nacht Calypso) by writer Ulrich Klingenschmitt and director Damian Schipporeit was awarded script funding in the last funding round.
Here are the links to the official press releases by FFHSH and nordmedia (only in German):
Projects FFHSH
Nordmedia
On Thursday, March 5th, our award-winning Dutch-German coproduction MESSI AND MAUD (LA HOLANDESA) by Marleen Jonkman will air on arte Germany and France.
The film will air at 23:40h (in Germany) and 23:35h (in France) and will be availbale for streaming online subsequently for 7 days on the arte platform:
Messi & Maud german Messi & Maud france
On January 30th, ROMY’S SALON celebrated its Hamburg premiere. Actress Beppie Melissen (Grandma Stine), writer Tamara Bos and director Mischa Kamp came to Hamburg to celebrate the German release together with the Leitwolf team and other team members.
ROMY’S SALON is in German cinemas now. All viewing times under: Viewing Times ROMYS SALON
Our family film ROMY’S SALON won Best Dutch Family Film at the renowned CINEKID children’s film festival in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The film was also awarded 2nd prize by the professional jury at Chicago International Film Festival. In Germany, ROMY’S SALON is continuing its successful festival run. After sold-out screenings in Lübeck at the Nordic Film Days, the film travels on to Oldenburg, Vienna, Cologne and Braunschweig before its official release to German theatres on January 30.
Today ROMY’S SALON is celebrating its German festival premiere at the SCHLINGEL International Film Festival in Chemnitz. More festivals in Germany are coming up. Director Mischa Kamp will present her film at the screenings in Münster and Bielefeld.
Already before its official release in January 2020, our family film ROMY’S SALON will be screening in selected cinemas in Germany. For World Alzheimer’s Day and throughout the whole week of dementia September 16-22 exclusive previews will be showing in selected German cinemas, with the support of the German Alzheimer’s Association.
To find a preview near you visit: http://www.romyssalon.de or find ROMY’S SALON on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RomysSalon.Film
We are overjoyed and thankful that regional film fund nordmedia has granted support for three of our projects. Our Belgium-Dutch-German family comedy MY DAD IS A SAUSAGE, a coproduction with A Private View (Belgium) and The Film Kitchen (The Netherlands) received production support and is currently in production in Belgium. The children’s film LUZIE’S CRAZY WORLD by Anna Lott and the thriller NACHTTAXI by Carsten Woike were granted screenwriting support.
Here’s the link to the official press release (only in German): Normedia press release
Today, principle photography begun on our Belgium-Dutch-German coproduction MY DAD IS A SAUSAGE, starring Johan Heldenbergh (known from „The Broken Circle Breakdown“). Heldenbergh plays a father, who from one day to the next decides to quit his job at a bank and pursue a career in acting instead. While his family believes he has gone mad, only daughter Zöe (Savannah Vandendriessche) believes in her dad’s dream. The debut feature by director Anouk Fortunier has received support from nordmedia and Eurimages among others and is being produced in co-production with NDR.
While finalizing the last touches of the post sound on our German-Dutch co-production ROMY’S SALON, our team received a visit from the representatives of the Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, who supported our project. Besides taking a look (and a listen) at the almost finished film, they asked director Mischa Kamp and writer Tamara Bos some questions. The complete interview has been published in the AUFBLENDE magazine of the film fund. However, it’s only available in German: https://aufblen.de/de/Interviews/2019/20190510-romys-salon-tamara-bos-mischa-kamp.php
After celebrating ist world premiere at the renowed children’s film festival in Kristiansand, Norway, our Dutch-German co-production ROMY’S SALON took home the main prize of the festival, the BFF Children’s Film Award. We’re extremely honored and proud that the film was so well received.
Here’s the explanation of the jury: The winner deals with two persons in a relationship that develops from skepticism to a growing respect and ends up with a unique cooperation. The movie is funny, wistful, tragic and full of love. It is impressively well acted and told in a way that is calm, yet full of tension. The ending brought tears to the eyes of the jury. It will be suitable for tying bonds between the youngest and oldest generation.
Our TV-Film DAS LEBEN VOR MIR will be airing on Wednesday, October 24th, 2019 at 20:15h on ARD. Directed by Anna Justice the film features a rather unusual family constellation and stars Matthias Habich, Stephan Kampwirth and Eleonore Weisgerber in the lead roles.
Even before it’s official release, our Dutch-German coproduction Romy’s Salon picked up ist first prize. The family film was awarded the prize for Best International Literary Adaptation for Children or Young Adults at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair.
School friends Nore and Jonna meet again by chance in their mid-twenties and decide to move in together. In conversation, it becomes clear that Nore was never the precocious femme fatale that Jonna admired and condemned in equal measure, but an abused child. As Nore struggles to reclaim the narrative for herself and not be a victim, a deep friendship develops and a perspective for Nore to deal with the abuse.
Amsterdam, 1980s. When journalist Jan Brokken interviews homosexual concert pianist Youri Egorov, who has fled the Soviet Union, a close friendship unexpectedly develops between the two completely different men, who support each other and move each other forward.
When transman Leon (20) moves to Hamburg to study, he comes into contact with the ultra soccer fan scene, which seems to offer him exactly what he was missing with its unconditional cohesion and archaic image of masculinity. Finally recognized as a man among men and no longer a victim. But does that mean becoming a perpetrator?
LAMPIE (10), the daughter of the lighthouse keeper, is sent as a punishment to be a maid in the eerie house of the admiral, where rumour has it that a monster lurks. But what she finds there is stranger and more beautiful than any monster. A fairytale adventure begins…
Because TONI (11) messes with friend HEIN, a still young and inexperienced edition of the „Grim Reaper“, the soul of her beloved dog HAPPY turns into a ghost. Now they both have a deadly serious problem that they can only solve together.
There’s glamour in the smallest hut! That’s why presenter Yared Dibaba sets off on a journey to track down small, as yet unknown spots in the north! He knocks on doors, talks to the residents on the street, in the village pub or directly in the field at work, so that they show him their beautiful home. In this way, Yared discovers new things in the north – from unknown gems to funny transit villages – and lets them tell him why their inhabitants want to live here and nowhere else!
‚Emmax and Mia‘ tells how the friendship of 12-year-old Emma and Mia is put to the test when Emma finally decides to change gender identity and henceforth live as Max. Mia has a hard time with this, since they wanted to be best friends all their lives. And now she experiences what it means when her best friend suddenly becomes a boy.
In LOOKING FOR SANDMAN, 28-year-old Nathalie, following the accidental death of her mother, a respected sleep researcher, experiences an accumulation of very real nightmares that repeatedly present her with the circumstances of her mother’s death.
And seem to contain more information than Nathalie can know in reality.
When Nathalie returns to her home village in the Black Forest to care for her still teenage brother, she comes across secret and possibly illegal studies of her mother, whose participants are suffering from massive side effects. They are barely responsive while awake, but in her dreams Nathalie encounters the same people clearly and tidily.
Together with her old school friend Lothar, Nathalie gets to the bottom of her mother’s research, and soon understands that all is not right at the local research center for dreams and sleep, and that the mystery surrounding her dreams will call her entire family history into question.
Maike Jelikow (25) leads a fairytale life as an influencer dream couple with her boyfriend Max König (27). But when Max dies unexpectedly during a commercial shoot, Maike goes into shock and feels nothing. Completely enraptured, she can neither live up to her own expectations nor those of Max’s parents and fans. Doubting herself, her love for Max and her old life, she meets her old school friend Stella Hernandez (28) again.
Maike finds comfort and understanding in her relationship with the absolutely honest, life-troubled single mother and her rebellious son Finn (12), while the pressure from Max’s parents and the public rises inexorably.
The workplace dramedy tells the story of the young ship’s officer Malika, who is relieved of her duties on board after an incident for which she is responsible. After realizing that her barely existent private life on land is also collapsing, Malika is forced to find her way in an unloved job as a mooring officer on the Bremen lock.
In this new and very unique world, Malika is faced with the question of whether her great childhood dream of seafaring can actually make her happy, or whether it has turned into a mere escape in recent years.
„A fucked-up Tribute to Motherly Love“ is an adult fairy tale peppered with horror. Samuel Dirk, a 48-year-old piano tuner, is cleaning out his house because his wife recently exploded from stress. To make Samuel’s life „complete“ again, his mother, who makes magical jams, brings in Samuel’s oldest friend.
They persuade Samuel to go on a whirlwind German joyride, forcing him to grapple with the question of what makes a happy life before returning home with new perspectives for one last taste of his mother’s magical concoction.
What actually happens when you are suddenly in someone else’s body? A bunch of chaos. This is exactly what happens to two very different kids after a rather bizarre electrical short. Curtain up for: Mia and Ben.
Spring awakening is one of the most performed plays on German theatre stages. This is a modern adaption which is also set in 1891 and is very similar to the original plot but the language will be simplified and different cinematic stylistic devices will be used.
The heist of a priceless painting brings very different characters from both legal and illegal sides of the art business together. All of them try not to be caught up in a whirlwind of activity.
11-year-old Ama lives in the Netherlands as the daughter of illegal immigrants. When her family is about to be deported, she can hide but witnesses the arrest of her mother and brother. Searching for her father Ama finds herself alone wandering around Rotterdam – until her Totem animal reveals itself to her and accompanies her.
FESTIVALS:
SKIPPER’S LOGBOOK tells the story of 12-year-old Fiete who, accompanied by a stray dog named Skipper, is going on an adventurous sailing trip from Ostfriesland to the Netherlands to keep a promise he made to his deceased father.
When their mother gets ready to leave for a business trip, Tom (10) and his siblings Elmar (13) and Nina (15) have to stay with their grandparents in the middle of nowhere in Northern Germany. The problem is that granny and grandpa have completely forgotten that their grandchildren are going to be staying with them and are all but prepared. Since Tom, who is a bit peculiar, has trouble dealing with the change, his mom presents the move as a preparation for his biggest dream, a mission to Mars.
Martin, an outsider with not many friends, is forced to spend his summer holidays in an outdoor camp in the woods with his step brother and a group of kids scouts. Martin is not interested in adventures in the wildnis or camping and would much prefer staying at home and playing video games. When discovering tiny magical creatures that inhabit the forest and whose habitat is being destroyed by construction work, Martin learns to overcome his aversion to nature in order to help the forest creatures save the forest.
Festivals
Grandma, who is still actively working as a hairdresser, is struggling with the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Romy doesn’t like having to go to the hairdressing salon every day, but this changes when grandma Stine confides in her granddaughter, telling her about her increasing confusion. Romy realises that grandma is not only taking care of her, she will have to take care of her grandma in return. The bond between grandmother and granddaughter grows stronger as grandma seems to change more and more: she is sweeter than before, easier, and she recounts tales of her childhood in Denmark. Romy helps grandma run the salon the best she can, but when they can no longer manage together, Romy comes up with a plan. She decides to make grandma’s dearest wish come true.
and more
Cornelius, in his 70s, lives in a long and happy relationship with his younger husband Frank. After thirty years without any contact or an announcement, the woman who Cornelius had left after realizing that he loves men and with whom he has two children, suddenly shows up at his doorstep. Julia, formerly a successful journalist, is back in Germany after having spent most of her life in San Francisco. When asked for the reasons for her return she announces that she is terminally ill and does not have much more time to live. Out of a sense of pity and responsibility for his estranged former spouse, Cornelius takes Julia in with him – much to Frank‘s surprise. The confrontation with his former life shakes Cornelius‘ present existence…
Eleven-year old ZOË is shocked to learn that DAD has quit his bank job to make a living as an actor. His rash move upsets the family dynamic. Zoë is afraid that it may ultimately lead to a breakup between Mum and Dad. She will need to come out of her shell to save her family.
While on vacation in Chile, Dutch tourist Maud abandons her husband to travel alone. When she befriends ‘Messi’, a local boy who fills a void in her heart, the pair embark on a road trip to reinvent themselves.
Toronto International Film Festival, 2017 (World premiere) Rotterdam International Film Festival, 2018 (European premiere) Internationales Filmfest Emden-Norderney, 2018 (German premiere) Festival des deutschen Films, 2018
The Matthiesen’s seem to have an almost natural tendency for failure in their family. Stony-broke Esther, Rachel and Thirza return to the pre-pomeranian „prairie“ of their childhood, where their alcoholic father welcomes them as unruly as ever. But the once idyllic horse riding school is completely overgrown. The last refuge of the stranded siblings is in danger: the bank wants to take over the stud because of the ever increasing debt. When faced with the loss of their family‘s property, hidden powers and a strong bond awakens within the stubborn family clan.
Passion, art – and a blooming garden.
Philipp Keyer is chasing a lost painting. It‘s his last chance to get back on his feet professionally. He knows no scruples when he has to use the young painter Alma to approach the owner of the painting. Too late Philipp realizes that he is becoming more and more addicted to the young woman…
As an independent production company, LEITWOLF FILM stands for individuality, for art that touches, for the courage to create high-quality productions from initial ideas, for trust in young talents and appreciative cooperation with experienced filmmakers.
We love to tell stories, whether as a series or a feature film, whether family entertainment or mystery, whether media library formats or TV – with passion and dramaturgical expertise we are involved in our projects! We highly appreciate national and international co-productions and look back on enriching and valuable projects that have positioned us as a professional and reliable producer on the market in a short time. Topics such as sustainability, social relevance, diversity, but also humor and lightness have and will always accompany us in our productions in the future. In doing so, we never lose sight of artistic quality and high-quality content.
Founded in 2016, we are now present in northern Germany with our two locations in Hamburg and Bremen and can draw on an extensive network of national and international contacts.
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