The boom of German TV productions in the Czech Republic continues in 2016

In early March, production started on the period television film The Glassblower (Die Glasbläserin) for the German television station ZDF. From February 29th, the two-part miniseries State Justice (Landgericht) also started filming for the same channel. Both projects are supported by German film funds and are also registered for film incentives with the Czech State Fund for Cinematography.

“Since the introduction of incentives in the Czech Republic, the number of German productions and co-productions grows every year. Last year alone, there were more than ten German television films and series filmed, spending over 600 million crowns. The Germans mostly choose Czech Republic to shoot costly period films and series, whether set in ancient history or in different periods of the 20th century. The same is true of the movies being filmed right now,” said Ludmila Claussová from the Czech Film Commission.

The historical TV film The Glassblower (Die Glasbläserin) is a co-production of the German Bavaria Fernsehproduktion (producer Oliver Vogel) and the domestic production company Wilma Film, headed by Filip Hering. The filming started on March 8th in central Bohemia. The end of production is scheduled for April 16th, 2016. The Glassblower is an adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name. It tells the story of two young women living in a Thuringian glassmaking village at the end of the 19th century.

“Unlike contemporary stories, for period pieces you need a lot of filmmakers with a high expertise in various professions, from costumes to props,” explains producer Filip Hering from Wilma Film. “And in Europe these is basically no other place than the Czech Republic, with such a concentration of experts in a relatively small area, which cover the entire range of film professions needed for period films,” adds Hering.

The second film, which is being filmed for ZDF at the moment is a co-production of the German UFA Fiction (producers Benjamin Benedict, Nico Hofmann and Sebastian Werninger) and the Czech company Mia Film (with producer Michal Pokorny). The German two-part television film State Justice (Landgericht) began filming on February 22nd in Berlin and after a week of shooting the crew moved to Czech Republic for an additional 29 days of shooting. The locations of  the film include Prague and beyond.

State Justice is also a successful film adaptation of a novel and describes the fate of the hero Richard Kornitzer, who fled before the war to Cuba, from where he returned in 1947 to postwar Germany. Among his credits, the director Matthias Glasner has two Golden Bears for the Best Film of the Berlinale (Mercy/Gnade, 2012 and Free Will/Der Freie Wille, 2006).

According to Michal Pokorný of Mia Film, Czech Republic offers many advantages to producers. Besides the variety of locations, suitable for period projects, there are a lot of renowned experts in various film professions. It is also a very convenient distance away from Germany and Austria. “It is a fact that we are for them a reliable partner, with compatible and easygoing mentality,” says Pokorný.

Ludmila Claussová from the Czech Film Commission contributes additional information about the increasing number of incoming German projects. “Since the introduction of incentives in the Czech Republic in 2010, 26 German projects and co-productions filmed here (including television films and series as well as one theatrical feature) with a total spending of almost 1.3 billion crowns.