From 2020 to 2023, Wiedemann & Berg Film and Leonine Studios were behind the production or co-production of the most successful German films in cinemas. Production house Wiedemann & Berg has been producing high-quality, internationally renowned films for 20 years – such as Oscar-winning Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) and Oscar-nominated Werk ohne Autor (Never Look Away) – while Leonine Studios’ co-productions include the successful franchise Die Schule der magischen Tiere (The School of Magic Animals) and the remake of the children’s classic Das fliegende Klassenzimmer (The Flying Classroom).

Andreas Fischer, Chief Operating Officer of RTL Deutschland, says: “Wiedemann & Berg Film and Leonine Studios continue to set standards for successful German film productions. We are looking forward to the new strategic partnership, which is another important step for RTL Deutschland to offer our audience great fictional entertainment.”

Max Wiedemann, Co-Chief Production Officer and Business Development Officer of Leonine Studios and Managing Director of Wiedemann & Berg Film, says: “We are very pleased about this long-term and reliable partnership with RTL Deutscland, which is a great sign of appreciation for the quality of our content. We have celebrated great success in cinemas with our films and would now like to continue this together with our talents and partners in a new constellation.’

The multi-year framework agreement includes the upcoming Wiedemann & Berg film Alter weisser Mann. From award-winning director Simon Verhoeven and starring Jan Josef Liefers, Nadja Uhl, Friedrich von Thun, Michael Maertens, Meltem Kaptan and Elyas M'Barek, the comedy tells the story of family man Heinz Hellmich. To finally get the job he has been longing for, Heinz needs to present his “wokest” side to his company – in other words, prove he is not an “old white man”. To do this, he invites his boss and colleagues to a dinner party at his house, where his family’s politically correct façade quickly begins to crumble. The dinner party purposefully ploughs through the minefield of political correctness today, resulting in new twists, turns and unabated chaos.