Florianfilm

What Florianfilm does

Florianfilm GmbH is a Cologne-based independent documentary production company founded in 2001 by André Schäfer, with a secondary location in Tetenbüll-Wasserkoog on the North Sea. The company produces documentary films for cinema release, multi-episode documentary series for television, and web-based documentary formats, employing roughly a dozen core staff including producers, writers, directors, an editor/data coordinator, and an accountant. Its work spans cultural, historical, nature, biographical, and travel/food topics.

Florianfilm operates as a project-based commissioned and co-production studio serving primarily German and European public broadcasters (ZDF, ARTE, WDR, SWR, NDR, Radio Bremen, RBB). Revenue is generated through four streams: broadcaster commissioning fees, co-production investments, theatrical distribution through partners Mindjazz Pictures and DCM Film Distribution, and German/European film funding from bodies such as Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Deutscher Filmförderfonds, BKM, regional state funds, and Creative Europe MEDIA. Films are positioned through the international festival circuit (Berlinale, Locarno, Filmfest München, DokLeipzig, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Merlinka) as a marketing and distribution channel to secure broadcaster commitments.

The company is privately held by founder and Managing Director André Schäfer, with no external investors, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed. The technology stack is conventional documentary-production infrastructure (cinematography, editing, animation, multimedia) with no proprietary software, no app, and no AI/ML capability disclosed. The company carries industry recognition including the 2021 Filmfest München Audience Award for 'Trans - I Got Life', the Preis der Deutschen Filmkritik, and the Bayerischer Fernsehpreis.

Name

Florianfilm

Legal name

Florianfilm GmbH

Website

https://florianfilm.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Florianfilm is a Cologne-based independent documentary production company, founded in 2001 by André Schäfer, producing theatrical documentary films, TV documentary series, and web documentaries for German and European public broadcasters (ZDF, ARTE, WDR, SWR, NDR) and international festival distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Historical, Biographical & Archival Documentaries (MPADADAE), Travel & Adventure Documentaries (MPADADAM), Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI)

Keywords

• Documentary film production
• Television documentary series
• Web documentary series
• Broadcast co-production
• Theatrical documentary distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Production Revenue: Florianfilm produces documentaries commissioned by public broadcasters including ZDF, ARTE, WDR, SWR, NDR, Radio Bremen, and RBB. Production funding comes from broadcast rights fees and co-production investments.
2. Cinema Distribution: Cinematic documentary releases distributed through theatrical distributors such as Mindjazz Pictures and DCM Film Distribution for cinema box office revenue.
3. Film Festival Screening Rights: Revenue from film festival screenings and associated screening fees for festival-selected works.
4. Government Film Funding: Support from film funding bodies including Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Deutscher Filmförderfonds, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig Holstein, nordmedia, and regional film foundations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Florianfilm is a documentary film and series production company that develops, produces, and co-produces cinematic documentaries for theatrical release, multi-episode TV documentary series for public broadcasters, and web-based documentary series for digital platforms. Projects are commissioned or co-produced with European public-service broadcasters (ZDF, ARTE, WDR, SWR, NDR, Radio Bremen) and supported by German and European film funding bodies.

Product overview

Florianfilm is a German documentary film production company founded in 2001 by André Schäfer, based in Cologne and Eiderstedt at the North Sea. The company produces three core product lines: cinematic Documentary Films for theatrical release, TV Documentary Series for broadcast partners (ZDF, ARTE, WDR, NDR, SWR, Radio Bremen), and Web Series for digital platforms. Their portfolio includes award-winning documentaries such as 'Trans – I Got Life', 'Love Rituals' with Charlotte Roche, and the 'Kanadas Nationalparks' series, spanning cultural, travel, food, and historical topics. Films have been screened at festivals including Berlinale, Locarno, Filmfest München, and DokLeipzig.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Documentary Films (Dokumentarfilme)
• TV Documentary Series (Dokumentationen)
• Web Series (Web-Serien)

Quantifiable outcome

• Films screened at major international festivals (Berlinale, Locarno, Filmfest München, DokLeipzig, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Merlinka Queer Film Festival)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ZDFcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman public-service TV broadcaster and primary commissioning partner for Florianfilm productions. Co-produces numerous documentaries and documentary series including 'Trans - I Got Life', 'Love Rituals', 'Kanadas Nationalparks', 'Der Zauberberg', and many others.
• ARTEcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean public channel co-produces documentary content with Florianfilm. Major partner for international co-productions including 'Love Rituals', 'Kanadas Nationalparks', '50 Jahre nach Stonewall', 'Der Zauberberg', and numerous other productions.
• WDRmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWestdeutscher Rundfunk - German public broadcaster and co-production partner for documentary productions including 'Deutschboden', 'Marie Meets Marx', 'Die Letzte Ehre', and others.
• SWRmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSüdwestrundfunk - German public broadcaster co-producing documentaries including 'Russisch Roulette', 'F. C. Gundlach', 'Der Zauberberg', and others.
• Radio BremenmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional public broadcaster and co-production partner for documentary series including 'Kanadas Nationalparks', 'Is Shakespeare Dead?', 'Bruno Ganz', and others.
• NDRmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorddeutscher Rundfunk - German public broadcaster co-producing documentary content including 'Finnland - Winter im hohen Norden', 'Südtirol', and other productions.
• SRFminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwiss Radio and Television - co-production partner for 'Der Zauberberg' (with SRG SSR) and other Swiss-related productions.
• Mindjazz PicturesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman film distribution company handling theatrical distribution for Florianfilm documentaries including 'You'll Never Walk Alone' and 'Trans - I Got Life'.
• DCM Film DistributionmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwiss-German film distributor handling theatrical distribution for 'Everything About Martin Suter' documentary.
• Filmgerberei GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for 'Der Zauberberg' and other documentary projects.
• Kimmel & Metz Filmproduktion UGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for 'Trans - I Got Life' documentary film.
• Cineplus Filmproduktion GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for 'Deutschboden' and 'Herr von Bohlen' documentary productions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Docdays Productions: German independent documentary producer producing long-form docs and series for ARTE, ZDF and WDR. Comparable mid-sized peer competing for the same commissioning slots and festival exposure.
• kineo Filmproduktion: German documentary production company producing cinema releases and TV docs for public broadcasters, with similar reliance on Filmförderung co-financing and broadcaster commissions.
• zero one film: Berlin-based independent documentary producer with a similar profile of festival-circulation features and broadcaster-funded TV docs. Competes with Florianfilm for the same pool of German director talent and commissioning editors.
• gebrueder beetz Filmproduktion: Hamburg-based independent documentary and factual production house of comparable size, producing award-winning docs for ARTE, ZDF, NDR and international partners. Closely comparable to Florianfilm in business model, broadcaster relationships, and festival-circuit positioning.
• Lichtfilm: Cologne-based documentary and short-film production company with comparable size, public-broadcaster relationships and festival-circuit focus. Direct local-market peer within the Cologne production cluster.
• Broadview TV: Cologne-based documentary production company working with the same German public broadcasters (ZDF, ARTE, WDR). Direct competitor for the same commissioning slots and a geographically proximate peer within the Cologne media ecosystem.
• looksfilm: Leipzig-based independent documentary producer producing cinema docs and TV series for German and European broadcasters. Comparable in scale, creative ambition and reliance on public-broadcaster co-production financing.

Broad incumbents

• UFA Documentary: Documentary arm of UFA (Bertelsmann-owned), one of Germany's largest production groups. Overlaps heavily with Florianfilm's broadcaster relationships but at significantly greater scale and with in-house distribution capacity.
• Autentic Distribution: Germany-based factual and documentary distribution company representing premium documentary content internationally. Adjacent peer in the same documentary value chain — Florianfilm as producer, Autentic as the kind of global distribution partner it could leverage to internationalize library sales.
• BBC Studios Documentary Unit: In-house documentary production arm of BBC Studios, producing premium long-form documentaries for global streamers and BBC platforms. Sets the production-quality benchmark Florianfilm competes against for international co-production deals and festival prestige.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Florianfilm