Favorite Film

What Favorite Film does

Lieblingsfilm GmbH is a Munich-based, privately held German film production company founded in 2014 by Robert Marciniak, Philipp Budweg, Thomas Blieninger, Marcus H. Rosenmüller, and Johannes Schmid. The company produces German-language fiction for cinema and television, with a portfolio spanning feature films, children's films, TV movies, mini-series, and dance films. Its slate includes franchise properties such as the Rico & Oskar trilogy, the Ruby Red / Sapphire Blue / Emerald Green Gemstone Trilogy, and the My Life as Lotta series, plus stand-alone successes including the biographical drama Trautmann (€15M English-language co-production), the dance film Into the Beat (Netflix global top 10), and the comedy The Holy Grill (1.82M+ German viewers, CIVIS Cinema Award 2026).

The company operates a project-based production model financed through a combination of German public film funds (FFF Bayern, FFA, Filmstiftung NRW, MDM), European Union support, broadcaster commissions from ARD, ZDF, Arte, and KIKA, theatrical distribution deals with Studiocanal and Squareone Entertainment, and streaming licensing with Netflix. International co-productions extend the company into Italy, Finland, and other European markets. Distribution is multi-channel and event-driven, leveraging film premieres, festival screenings (Berlinale, Locarno, Zurich, Munich), and earned media coverage rather than performance marketing.

Commercially, Lieblingsfilm monetizes through theatrical ticket sales (transaction fees via distributors), TV and streaming licensing royalties, and project-based professional services funding from public subsidy bodies. The organization is lean (approximately 10 people) and operates without external institutional investors or disclosed revenue, relying instead on founder-led creative direction and repeat relationships with German public broadcasters and European co-production partners to underwrite each project.

Name

Favorite Film

Legal name

Lieblingsfilm GmbH

Website

https://lieblingsfilm.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lieblingsfilm GmbH is a Munich-based independent German film production company producing fiction films for cinema and television, including children's films, comedies, dramas, and mini-series, distributed via Studiocanal, ARD/ZDF/Arte/KIKA, and Netflix, and co-financed through German public film funds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Theatrical Distribution: Revenue from cinema releases through distribution partners such as Studiocanal, generating ticket sales and cinema audience reach.
2. TV Broadcasting Rights: Revenue from licensing films to German public broadcasters (ARD, ZDF, Arte, KIKA) and other TV networks for broadcast rights.
3. Streaming Platform Licensing: Revenue from licensing films to streaming platforms such as Netflix for digital distribution.
4. Film Festival Funding: Funding and grants from film festivals, film funds (FFF Bayern, FFA, Filmstiftung NRW, MDM), and European Union support for co-productions.
5. International Co-production Revenue: Revenue from international co-productions with partners in Italy, Finland, and other countries.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lieblingsfilm GmbH is a Munich-based independent film production company that develops and produces German-language fiction films for theatrical cinema, television broadcast, and streaming. Its portfolio spans feature films, children's films, TV movies, mini-series, and event series, with content monetized through theatrical distribution partners (Studiocanal, Squareone Entertainment), German public broadcasters (ARD, ZDF, Arte, KIKA), and streaming platforms such as Netflix, supported by funding from FFF Bayern, FFA, Filmstiftung NRW, MDM, and the EU.

Product overview

Lieblingsfilm GmbH is a Munich-based international film production company producing fiction films for cinema and television. The company operates as a film production studio with a diverse portfolio of feature films, children's films, TV movies, and mini-series. Key productions include the Gemstone Trilogy (Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue, Emerald Green) based on Kerstin Gier's time-travel novels, the Rico and Oskar children's detective film series, award-winning children's films like Amelie rennt and What The Finn?!, and feature comedies such as Beckenrand Sheriff and The Holy Grill. The company also produces TV films, Tatort crime films, dance movies like Into the Beat, and biographical films including Trautmann. Recent productions include The Holy Grill which achieved over 1.82 million viewers and won the CIVIS CINEMA AWARD 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Holy Grill (Extrawurst) Comedy feature film about a tennis club's controversial grill suggestion, starring Hape Kerkeling and Christoph Maria Herbst, directed by Marcus H. Rosenmüller and distributed theatrically by Studiocanal. Targeted at German cinema audiences and licensing broadcasters.
• Call Me Levi (Levi Strauss und der Stoff der Träume) Four-part historical event series for ARD telling the story of Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis, invented for German public-broadcast audiences and licensing partners.
• Familie is nich (There's no family) TV film broadcast on Arte, targeted at European public-broadcast viewers.
• Forever Us (Wir für immer) Youth drama TV film targeted at ARD primetime audiences.
• Time We Lost (Dann passiert das Leben) Feature film directed by Neele Leana Vollmar that premiered at the Zurich Film Festival and conquered the German arthouse charts with over 200,000 visitors. Targeted at German arthouse cinema audiences.
• Horse on a stick (Pferd am Stiel) Children's feature film about the Hobby Horsing trend sport, produced under the Special Children's Film initiative. Targeted at German children's cinema audiences and children's broadcasters (e.g., KIKA).
• Real Life Guys (Leben ist jetzt) Feature film shot in Hesse, Lower Saxony and Iceland, produced for German cinema audiences.
• What The Finn?! – A Summer Of Surprises (Kannawoniwasein!) Children's film about an unexpected summer road trip, awarded across multiple festivals. Targeted at family cinema audiences and children's broadcasters.
• My Life as Lotta – Okey Dokey Alpaka (Mein Lotta Leben 2) Children's film sequel featuring Lotta on a class trip, based on the bestselling Lotta book series. Targeted at German children's cinema audiences.
• Dear Mr Führer (Das Glaszimmer) Children's film awarded the Children's Film Award at the Biennale Film Festival 2021 and the audience prize at Festival de Cine Alemán in Madrid. Targeted at family cinema audiences.
• Beckenrand Sheriff (Lifeguard Off Duty) Summer comedy feature by Marcus H. Rosenmüller featuring Milan Peschel and Johanna Wokalek. Targeted at German cinema audiences.
• Hinterland Feature film by Oscar winner Stefan Ruzowitzky that won the Locarno Film Festival audience award. Distributed in Germany by Squareone Entertainment and targeted at German festival and cinema audiences.
• Tatort – Kehraus Munich Tatort crime TV film directed by Christine Hartmann, broadcast on ZDF. Targeted at German crime-drama broadcast audiences.
• Into the Beat (Dein Herz tanzt) Dance movie released on Netflix global streaming, won multiple awards including Golden Slipper at the 60th Zlín Film Festival 2020. Targeted at global streaming audiences.
• Trautmann (The Keeper) €15 million English-language biographical feature film about football legend Bert Trautmann, co-produced with Pistaccio Film/Cloud Atlas producer Alex Boden. Won international audience awards across SFJFF39, Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival, Dinard Film Festival, and GCIFF; Bavarian Film Award for Production 2019. Targeted at international festival, arthouse, and German commercial cinema audiences.
• The Pasta Detectives (Rico, Oskar und die Tieferschatten) First installment of the Rico and Oskar children's detective film series adapted from Andreas Steinhöfel's bestselling novels. Won the German Film Award (LOLA) for Best Children's Film, Bavarian Film Award 2014, and Kindertiger 2015 Best Screenplay. Targeted at German children's cinema audiences.
• The Pasta Detectives 2 (Rico, Oskar und das Herzgebreche) Second installment of the Rico and Oskar children's detective film series adapted from Andreas Steinhöfel's novels. Targeted at German children's cinema audiences.
• The Pasta Detectives 3 (Rico, Oskar und der Diebstahlstein) Third installment of the Rico and Oskar children's detective film series about a stone collection mystery. Nominated for the German Film Award 2016 in Best Children's Film. Targeted at German children's cinema audiences.
• Ruby Red (Rubinrot) First part of the Gemstone Trilogy based on Kerstin Gier's bestselling time-travel novel about a teenage girl who can travel through time. Targeted at German teen/family cinema audiences.
• Sapphire Blue (Saphirblau) Second part of the Gemstone Trilogy continuing the time-travel fantasy adventure. Targeted at German teen/family cinema audiences.
• Emerald Green (Smaragdgrün) Final part of the Gemstone Trilogy, concluding the time-travel saga. Targeted at German teen/family cinema audiences.
• Mountain Miracle – An Unexpected Friendship (Amelie rennt) German-Italian children's film about a Berlin girl with asthma who befriends a mysterious boy in the Alps. Won German Film Award (LOLA) for Best Children's Film, Golden Slipper at Zlin, Goldener Spatz triple award 2017. Targeted at German children's cinema audiences and international festival programmers.
• My Life as Lotta – Bingo Flamingo (Mein Lotta-Leben) First My Life as Lotta feature film based on Alice Paniker's popular children's book series, won Gilde Filmpreis Best Children's Film 2019. Targeted at German children's cinema audiences.
• Woozle – The Series Children's series produced by Lieblingsfilm. Targeted at children's TV broadcasters and streaming platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.82 million cinema viewers for The Holy Grill, making it one of the most successful German films of 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• StudiocanalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStudiocanal serves as the theatrical distributor for The Holy Grill (Extrawurst) and other Lieblingsfilm productions. As distributor and cooperation partner, Studiocanal brought The Holy Grill to cinemas with over 1.82 million viewers.
• Pistaccio Film (Alex Boden)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer on the Trautmann film alongside producer Alex Boden (Cloud Atlas, Inglourious Basterds). The €15 million English-language production was developed as an international co-production.
• ARD/ZDF/Arte/KIKAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman public broadcasters as major commissioning and broadcasting partners for TV films, children's films, and mini-series.
• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational streaming platform distributing Lieblingsfilm productions including Into the Beat (dancemovie) for global streaming.
• Squareone EntertainmentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman theatrical distributor bringing productions like Hinterland to German cinemas.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Studio 100 Media: German-headquartered children's and family entertainment production company, comparable to Lieblingsfilm's children's film and family-content franchise strategy (My Life as Lotta, Rico & Oskar).
• Constantin Film: Germany's largest independent film production and distribution company, producing commercial German-language feature films, children's films, and TV productions comparable in scope and market to Lieblingsfilm's slate.
• Studio Babelsberg: Historic German film production and studio operator producing German-language features, international co-productions, and children's/family films with comparable broadcaster and festival positioning.
• Telepool: Munich-based German film and TV production and distribution company producing features and TV movies for the German-speaking market, sharing geographic base and broadcaster relationships with Lieblingsfilm.
• X Filme Creative Pool: Award-winning Berlin-based German film production company producing theatrical features and TV productions for German broadcasters, with overlapping genre range in dramas and literary adaptations.
• Tobis Film: German film production and distribution company producing and releasing German-language features and family films, sharing similar broadcaster and theatrical distribution channels as Lieblingsfilm.
• Wüste Film: Hamburg-based German independent production company producing theatrical features and TV films, with comparable focus on festival-circuit titles and German broadcaster commissions.

Regional players

• Wild Bunch: Pan-European film sales, distribution, and co-production company with comparable theatrical distribution and international co-production experience to Lieblingsfilm's European feature work.

Broad incumbents

• Beta Film: Established German film and TV distribution and co-production company with deep broadcaster relationships across Europe; comparable in distribution and co-production orchestration to Lieblingsfilm's international partner network.
• UFA GmbH: Major German TV and film production group producing entertainment, drama, and children's content for German broadcasters, directly overlapping with Lieblingsfilm's ARD/ZDF/Arte/KIKA delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/lieblingsfilm
• Facebookfacebook.com/Lieblingsfilm
• Instagraminstagram.com/lieblingsfilm_productions
• Xx.com/lieblingsfilm8

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Favorite Film