Director and producer Tom Tykwer has become managing director of Berlin-based production company X Filme Creative Pool, best known for “Babylon Berlin,” alongside Uwe Schott. Tykwer succeeds Stefan Arndt, one of Germany’s leading producers.
The reorganization of the company’s management is intended to “sharpen the focus on the development and implementation of creative, bold and unusual material for film and television,” according to a statement.
Arndt is leaving at his own request but will remain associated with the company as a producer.
X Filme Creative Pool was founded 30 years ago by Tykwer together with the writers and directors Wolfgang Becker and Dani Levy as well as Arndt. The four founders, who remain shareholders together with Beta Film and Bogey, based themselves on United Artists with the aim of producing sophisticated films with an audience appeal – or, as PvNew put it, “intelligent films that audiences want to see.”
Tykwer said: “We want to encourage creative and unconventional filmmakers from all over Europe to tell their stories for the cinema or series. Bold and original stories that seek a broad audience have been our focus since the founding of X Filme, and I still believe that audiences long to experience something new. I want to help us sharpen this focus again and not only contribute to this as a writer and director, but also actively help shape the day-to-day business together with Uwe Schott and our great team.”
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Arndt said: “I would like to withdraw from the day-to-day business so that I can concentrate more on producing again. Some exciting projects are already in the pipeline and I’m looking forward to realizing them as a freelance producer with the X Filme team.”
Schott said: “Stefan Arndt has significantly shaped and characterized the company over many years as managing director and will remain associated with X Filme as a producer. With his productions, Tom Tykwer has repeatedly set new standards and left a lasting mark on the German cinema and series landscape. In addition to his own projects, he will now also direct his creative eye to the topics of other talents and actively contribute to them.”
Tykwer’s credits include “Die Tödliche Maria” (1993), “Winter Sleepers” (1997), “Run Lola Run” (1998), “The Princess & the Warrior” (2000), “Heaven” (2002), “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” (2006), “The International” (2009), “Drei” (2010), “Cloud Atlas” (2012) and “A Hologram for the King” (2016). Since 2015, he has also been shooting high-end television series, including the international series “Sense8” (2015-2017), as well as “Babylon Berlin” (since 2017), of which the fifth season is currently in development.
Upcoming cinema projects from X Filme include Tykwer’s “Das Licht” (cinema release in Germany on Dec. 19), Wolfgang Becker’s “Der Held Vom Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse” and Dani Levy’s “Kochschule Schwarz.”
At the distribution subsidiary X Verleih AG, the two board members Leila Hamid and Martin Kochendörfer have extended their contracts until the end of 2025. They will continue to work closely with the production team but are also on the lookout for German and international acquisitions.
