Pitches
#1 Pitch
ANTI-ROMANTIC
Dramedy, LGBTQ+ / 8×22’
Writer/Director: Popo Fan
Countries: China, Germany
Tao, an ambitious Chinese director, attempts to make a romantic film in Germany, but ends up failing in both his career and personal life.
Chinese filmmaker Tao (35) attempts to break into the German film industry while navigating his life here. Although he firmly identifies as an “Anti-Romanticist”, Tao paradoxically works on narratives of love stories. As he develops these projects, he finds himself developing feelings for people around him: cute and almost naive Israeli student Yonatan (25), prudevert German producer Andreas (45), and melancholic Palestinian barber Bassam (30). Holding strong opinions in the society of neoliberalism, he continuously falls into political debates with these potential romantic interests. After failing in all aspects, Tao decides to confront his true emotions, but it seems too late. Titled with philosophical terms for each episode, “Anti-Romantic” explores the distance between ideals and reality and embraces the failures that arise from that gap.
Popo Fan
Writer, Director
fanpopo@gmail.com
https://www.popofan.net/
#2 Pitch
MEDIUM
Social Drama, Thriller / 7×44’
Creator/Writer: Emre Mirza
Producers: Claudine Avetyan, Darja Pilz
Story Editor, Executive Producer: Ben Hopkins
Production Company: Immersive
Country: Germany
In Berlin, a disgraced ex-hostage negotiator finds redemption working at an offbeat conflict mediation agency. Alongside a wide-eyed and empathetic trainee, they delve into a peculiar world of ‘neighborhood disputes’, and stumble upon a vast criminal conspiracy woven into the fabric of the community.
Ivo Bellemans, a 55-year-old ex-hostage negotiator, flees to Berlin after a failed mission exposes corruption. Given refuge by his old army buddy Dex, now a small-time criminal, Ivo is forced to find a legitimate job, leading him to a conflict resolution agency. There, he meets Carla, a sharp-tongued ex-activist, and Franka, a quirky former nomad. Together, they uncover links between social decay, corruption, and mental health issues, leading to a final showdown that could either redeem or destroy Ivo and their community.
Emre Mirza
Showrunner, Producer, Writer
emre@imirzive.com
#3 Pitch
THE MAGIC WRAP
Comedy / 9×30’
Creators/Writers/Directors: Ipek Ural Demirel, Ali Demirel
Producers: Diloy Gulun, Beste Yamalioglu
Production Company: Karma Films
Countries: Turkey, Germany
Ozan and Em, a young couple, journey to Berlin with high hopes, but their dreams turn into a mysterious crime caper after biting into a magic döner.
Ozan, a nerdy programmer, and Em, an aimless hedonist, move to Berlin to fund Ozan’s start-up. When investors decline, they send a cosmic SOS to stay there, and the universe provides The Magic Wrap. After biting the Magic Döner Wrap, they wake up in a Späti with no memory, and the owner, Hikmet, is missing. They started running it, which became a cool hub for people with diverse backgrounds. As popularity grows, unwanted attention from the police and neighbors complicates things, transforming them into capable individuals rather than a naive duo.
Beste Yamalioglu
Content Producer
beste@karma-films.com
#4 Pitch
JOURNEYMAN
Drama, Adventure / 6×52’
Creators: Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine
Writer: Nicki Bloom
Producers: Christine Guenther, Chevy Chen, Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine
Production Company: Fireglory Pictures, Mile End Films
Countries: Germany, USA
Fleeing from her dark past, a young woman joins a secretive, ancient guild of wandering craftsmen, embarking on a global quest that reveals the dangers and magic of a deeply interconnected world.
Inspired by a true story. Hanna, a young woman from a struggling woodworking family in the Erzgebirge, feels trapped in her stagnant, isolated life. After a reckless decision with severe consequences, a wise elder guides her into the secretive journeyman tradition. With only €5 in her pocket and her wits to live by, Hanna gradually learns how to fend for herself on the road, using her skills as a woodworker to pay for board and lodging – all the while struggling for acceptance as a lone woman in a world traditionally dominated by men. She embarks on a journey across Germany, the U.S., Japan and beyond, battling inner demons and outer dangers, ultimately learning how to embrace her past, shape her future, and define life on her own terms.
Christine Gunther
Producer
christine@fireglory.com
#5 Pitch
ZOO ZAJAC
Drama / 6×45’
Creators/Producers: Aenn-Sophie Siebert, Jordan Louis Ivey
Production Company: Hinterhof Film & TV Productions, Zeitsprung Pictures
Country: Germany
Starting as Germany’s youngest animal breeder at only 13 years old, eccentric entrepreneur Norbert Zajac sets out to build the world’s largest pet store in Duisburg-Neumühl, a sprawling empire of over 250,000 animals— ranging from exotic species to venomous reptiles—earning his reputation as the German ‘Tiger King’.
When a shipment of exotic animals conceals a secret stash of cocaine, Norbert Zajac, the world’s largest pet dealer and Germany’s most eccentric animal lover, finds himself caught between ruthless Berlin mobsters and determined animal rights activists. To save his business, his relationship, and his reputation, Norbert must win the renowned Discus Fish World Championship in order to compensate the clan for their losses. Scared of an unexpected death, he decides to tell a young biographer his life story. A tale of smuggling, wild encounters, and his rise to fame as a controversial cult figure in the global animal trade.
Inspired by Norbert’s real life captured in the book ‘Stories from Norbert’s World’ by Norbert Zajac and Mirja Holtrop, ZOO ZAJAC dives deep into the exotic, adventurous, and often dangerous world of a man driven by a peculiar passion.
Aenn-Sophie Siebert
Managing Director and Producer
a.siebert@hinterhoffilm.com
#6 Pitch
TERMINAL TALES
Suspense, Thriller, Dark Comedy / 6×45’
Creators/Writers/Directors: Daniel Y-Li Grove & Erdi Gülac
Executive Producer: Pat Charles
Production Company: Eat the Rich
Countries: Germany, USA
Aboard a luxury airliner, a lawyer-turns-detective to solve a murder at 40,000 feet above sea level as the champagne flows and bodies pile up.
What do a politician, a steward, a housewife, a pilot, a DJ, a cleaner, a drug addict, a mother of three brats and a hitman have in common? They’re all on the same flight to Ibiza for the debauched island’s opening summer weekend. But the debauchery (and misery) will start before one foot is set on board. Terminal Tales is a pulpy tale of strangers – each with their own whimsically sordid pre-flight predicament – who board a plane at the beloved Berlin Tegel airport’s final day of operation that might never arrive at its destination.
Daniel Y-Li Grove
Writer, Director, Producer
danielygrove@me.com
#7 Pitch
WE’RE NOT ALONE
Dramedy / 8×45’
Creator/Writer: Pasha Petrovic
Countries: Serbia, Germany
When her boyfriend Timo is asked to join a famous band, Anna, a 27 year old
corporate striver, gets tossed headfirst into the turbulent, glitzy world of rockstar WAGs and groupies. As Timo’s star rises and Anna gets dragged into the behind the scenes intrigues, she realizes that the glam life of a muse isn’t so glam after all.
Anna (27) and Timo (27) are for better or worse, a typical zillenial couple living
together in Frankfurt. Highschool sweethearts, Anna is working in the marketing department of a large bank, and Timo is… sitting in his bedroom making guitar cover YouTube videos. Anna’s friends are always telling her to dump him, but it all changes when Timo gets a phone call one day. Adrenaline, a legendary German stadium rock band, fired their second guitar player just weeks before the big tour – and they want Timo to take his place! They saw one of Timo’s videos and decided he is a perfect fit for the band and they want him to come to Berlin and start immediately.
Pasa Petrovic
Creator, Writer
pasapetrovic@gmail.com
#8 Pitch
FRENCH-ISH
Mystery, Drama / 10×52’
Creator/Writer/Producer: Prudence Kolong
Writer/Co-Producer: Ines Ben Zoubir
Associate Producers: Aminata Diop-Johnson, Kylie Figueroa
Countries: France, Germany
After her friend’s suspicious death is ruled a suicide, a part-time conspiracy blogger travels to Paris to uncover a dangerous web of secrets and deceit.
When Berangere Gomis-Banza is found dead in her Paris home, the authorities quickly label it a suicide. But her Berlin-based childhood pen-pal, Anja Mueller-Kitoko, isn’t convinced. For over 30 years, they bridged the distance between their worlds through letters, emails, and packages. In her final note, Berangere hinted at danger and begged Anja to investigate if anything happened to her. Anja, a Sociology and History teacher at the Französisches Gymnasium in Berlin by day and a criminal investigative blogger by night, takes an unpaid sabbatical to honor her friend’s plea. In Paris, she must infiltrate Berangere’s circle of friends—Alexia, Aissata, Asma, and Abilene—befriending them to uncover the real culprit. But as Anja digs deeper, she becomes entangled in not only the mystery of Berangere’s death but also the hidden tensions of cultural identity, belonging, and betrayal. What starts as a personal quest for answers quickly escalates into a dangerous investigation, revealing a tangled web of deceit far more complex than she had anticipated. Anja thought she was prepared to face the City of Lights, but is she ready for the shadows that hide its darkest secrets?
Prudence Kolong
Founder YANIBES
prudence.kolong@yanibes.com
www.yanibes.com
#9 Pitch
2.000 KALT
Satire / 6 x30’
Creators: Sofia Ayala, Sorina Gajewski, Livia Valensise, Ina Lene Dinse, Teresa Provin, Freya de L’Isle
Country: Germany
A law-abiding public order officer loses faith in the system as she battles the ruthless Berlin rental market, ultimately resorting to monstrous measures to find an apartment.
Nena, a passionate public order officer in her late 30s, prides herself on keeping Berlin’s streets in check. She loves the system, and the system seems to love her back — until she arrives at her new apartment to find the door locked, the agent missing, and a tenant telling her to get lost. Nena has been scammed and is suddenly homeless. Determined to keep her situation secret from her rock-musician father, her unconventional love triangle, and her starry-eyed trainee, Nena dives into the shark tank of Berlin’s chaotic rental market. Here, she discovers a monstrous set of rules: sabotage, bizarre disguises, sexual advances, and Mafia-style deals are the norm. As her desperation grows and a naïve ex-neighbor offers her a potential inheritance, Nena wonders: must she become a monster herself just to find a roof over her head? 2,000 KALT humorously chronicles a woman’s struggle to survive in Berlin’s brutal housing market, where finding a flat for under €2,000 seems impossible — and a bed in jail might be the only affordable option left.
#10 Pitch
EXISTENCE
Sci-fi, Mystery / 8×52’
Creator: Michael Griessler
Countries: Austria, Germany
In a world, proven to be a computer simulation, various characters set out on a quest to find the true reason for their existence.
A year ago, the world glitched. Time stuttered, reality wavered, and lives were irrevocably altered. No one knows why it happened or what it means, but ever since, people have been searching for answers, clinging to theories, and questioning everything they thought they knew. In Berlin, scientist Simone is on a desperate quest to find a cure for her daughter, who suffers from a mysterious “glitch disease”. In Vienna, detective Luca, still haunted by his wife’s sudden disappearance on glitch day, pursues a bizarre serial killer, believing the case might somehow lead him back to her. Meanwhile, entrepreneur Vince ascends rapidly in his career, guided by a secret list of cheat codes — only to suspect he’s made a Faustian bargain he can’t escape. As their paths converge, they uncover a truth more disturbing than the glitch itself: they are all players in a game, and their creator is walking amongst them.
Michael Griessler
Creator
michael.griessler@gmx.at