Indi Film

What Indi Film does

INDI FILM Productions GmbH is a privately held German film production company founded in July 2001 in Ludwigsburg, now headquartered in Stuttgart with a branch office in Berlin. The company develops and produces documentary films, narrative feature films (Spielfilme), and television series for cinema, public broadcast, and festival distribution. Its portfolio spans over 50 documented projects across social, cultural, and political themes, with award-winning titles including NEUKÖLLN UNLIMITED (Berlinale Crystal Bear), FEMALE PLEASURE (Academy Awards longlist), MORRIS FROM AMERICA (Sundance Special Jury Award), ALARM AM HAUPTBAHNHOF (Grimme-Preis), and MISSING*LINK. A dedicated crossmedia extension, DIE KATHEDRALE, combines 3D documentary with web and mobile experiences.

The company's revenue is generated through project-based, one-time licensing across five streams: theatrical distribution via specialist distributors (missingFILMs for Germany, Dschoint Ventschr for Switzerland), TV licensing to public broadcasters (SWR, WDR, RBB, ARTE, ZDF, 3sat), co-production partnerships with international producers, festival participation revenue, and public film funding (MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg, FFA, BKM, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Creative Europe MEDIA). Pricing is project-specific and not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market is event-driven: films are launched via world premieres at major festivals (Sundance, Berlinale, Locarno, IDFA, DOK Leipzig) to build recognition and unlock distribution. The core team is lean at 5 members led by founder and Managing Director Arek Gielnik, supplemented by project-based freelance production staff. The company has no disclosed external investors, parent company, or funding rounds, and operates as a GmbH under private ownership following the April 2025 departure of shareholder Dietmar Ripplinger.

Name

Indi Film

Legal name

INDI FILM Productions GmbH

Website

https://indifilm.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

INDI FILM Productions GmbH is a Stuttgart-based independent German film production company founded in 2001 that develops documentary, feature, and series content for cinema, public broadcasters (SWR, WDR, ARTE, ZDF), and the international festival circuit, with a 50+ project catalog led by founder Arek Gielnik.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent 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 industry

Docuseries & Episodic Nonfiction (TV/Streaming) (MPADADAB)

Keywords

• Documentary film production
• Feature film production
• Television series production
• Co-production partnerships
• Theatrical distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Theatrical Distribution: Revenue from cinema releases through distribution partners such as missingFILMs for German theatrical release.
2. TV Licensing and Broadcast Rights: Co-productions and licensing deals with broadcasters including SWR, WDR, RBB, ARTE, ZDF, and 3sat.
3. Co-production Partnerships: Joint productions with partners like Dschoint Ventschr (Switzerland), resulting in shared revenue streams and international distribution rights.
4. Film Festival Participation: Revenue from festival awards, screening fees, and associated recognition that enhances film value.
5. Film Funding and Grants: Support from public film funding bodies including MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg, FFA, BKM, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and Creative Europe MEDIA.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

INDI FILM Productions GmbH develops and produces high-quality documentary films, narrative feature films (Spielfilme), and television series for cinema and broadcast markets. The company's portfolio spans socially relevant, stylistically sophisticated works such as NEUKÖLLN UNLIMITED, FEMALE PLEASURE, MORRIS FROM AMERICA, ALARM AM HAUPTBAHNHOF, MISSING*LINK, and the crossmedia project DIE KATHEDRALE.

Product overview

INDI FILM Productions GmbH is a German film production company that develops and produces high-quality documentary and feature films for cinema and TV. The core offerings consist of documentary films (Dokumentarfilme), feature films (Spielfilme), and series productions. Their portfolio includes notable works such as NEUKÖLLN UNLIMITED, FEMALE PLEASURE, MORRIS FROM AMERICA, ALARM AM HAUPTBAHNHOF, and MISSING*LINK. As a special crossmedia offering, they produced DIE KATHEDRALE, which combines a 3D documentary with web-based interactive elements and mobile applications. The company operates from headquarters in Stuttgart (since 2011) with a branch in Berlin (opened 2006), having been founded in Ludwigsburg in July 2001.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Documentary Films Documentary films developed and produced for cinema release and television broadcast, spanning social, cultural, and political themes. Intended for commissioning public broadcasters and theatrical distributors, with titles such as NEUKÖLLN UNLIMITED, FEMALE PLEASURE, DEMOCRACY, and MISSING*LINK.
• Feature Films (Spielfilme) Narrative feature films developed and produced for theatrical release and television broadcast. Examples include MORRIS FROM AMERICA (Sundance Special Jury Award, 2016), ALARM AM HAUPTBAHNHOF (Grimme-Preis, 2012), and WILLKOMMEN BEI HABIB (Berlinale Strittmatter Drehbuchpreis, 2012).
• Television Series Television series developed and produced for broadcast, including children's and live-action series such as SAID & ANNA (Kidscreen Award - Best Live-Action Series, 2025) and LUCY IST JETZT GANGSTER (Jurypreis ZFF for children, 2022).
• DIE KATHEDRALE Crossmedia Project A crossmedia project combining a 3D documentary film, an interactive web documentary game, mobile applications for the Strasbourg and Freiburg cathedrals, and a media library about the medieval construction of the Strasbourg Cathedral. Intended for cinemas, web users, and on-site visitors at the two cathedrals.

Named customers7 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

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• missingFILMscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 April 2026Berlin-based film distributor (Boxhagener Str. 18, 10245 Berlin) handling German theatrical distribution of MISSING*LINK with cinema release on April 16, 2026, and preview events in Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, and Köln.
• Dschoint VentschrcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Swiss film production company (Molkenstrasse 21, 8004 Zürich) as co-production partner for SOLIDARITY documentary. Dschoint Ventschr handled Swiss theatrical release starting March 19, 2026, with multiple preview screenings across Switzerland including venues in Geneva, Bern, Zürich, and Basel.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Flying Moon Filmproduktion: Berlin-based independent production company working in arthouse features and documentaries. Directly comparable to INDI FILM as a German boutique indie producer combining festival-circuit features with public broadcaster co-productions at similar scale.
• Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion: Zurich-based independent film production company. INDI FILM's named co-production partner on SOLIDARITY, operating in the same DACH indie documentary/feature space with similar broadcaster co-financing and festival-led go-to-market.
• X Filme Creative Pool: Berlin-based independent film producer known for arthouse features and series such as "Babylon Berlin." Comparable to INDI FILM as a German indie producer combining critical arthouse work with public broadcaster co-productions and festival-led distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Studio Hamburg: Long-standing Hamburg-based film and TV production group producing series, features, and documentaries. Comparable in that it produces German public-broadcaster content including documentaries, but operates as a broad incumbent across many genres.
• Beta Film: German sales and distribution group licensing content to broadcasters and platforms worldwide. Comparable to INDI FILM through involvement in international sales of premium German/European content, though operating more as a sales/distribution incumbent than a hands-on producer.
• UFA: Bertelsmann-owned German production group producing prime-time TV, drama series, and features. A broad incumbent that shares INDI FILM's broadcaster-facing business model but at vastly greater scale and across mainstream entertainment formats.
• Tobis Film: Long-established German film distribution and production company handling theatrical releases in Germany. Overlaps with INDI FILM through theatrical distribution and co-financing of arthouse/feature titles, but operates at much larger scale across distribution.
• Studio Babelsberg: Germany's largest film studio, producing major theatrical features and high-end series. A broad incumbent in the same production space but at much greater scale, with broader genre and international studio output than INDI FILM's documentary/feature niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/indi-film
• Facebookfacebook.com/indifilm
• Instagraminstagram.com/indi_film
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/indi-film-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Indi Film