Wüste Film

What Wüste Film does

Wüste Film GmbH is a German independent film production company headquartered in Hamburg (Schulterblatt 58, 20357 Hamburg), with additional offices in Berlin and Cologne (Wüste Film West). The company produces theatrical feature films, television movies, Tatort crime series episodes, documentaries, animated features, and short films, with a portfolio exceeding 70 productions since 1990. Long-running strategic co-production partnerships with public broadcasters NDR, ARTE, and ZDF, together with theatrical distribution through Warner Bros. Entertainment and Senator Filmverleih, anchor the company's revenue model; international co-production activity extends across Denmark, Poland, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Finland, Austria, and Switzerland, with world sales handled by agents such as The Match Factory, Bavaria Film International, and Beta Cinema.

The business is structured as a privately held GmbH without external venture or private equity backing. Leadership is concentrated in Managing Director and shareholder Björn Vosgerau and Producer/Shareholder Daniel Perdelwitz, supported by a core team of approximately 10–15 staff across production, communications, legal/business affairs, commercial management, and controlling. Revenue is project-based and derived from a mix of theatrical box office, one-time license and royalty arrangements for broadcast rights, co-production financing shares with public and international partners, and international sales licensing. The 'Das Dach' producer network, co-founded in August 2023 with five peer companies from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, formalizes the company's cross-border co-development approach.

Commercially, Wüste Film is best known for the Golden Bear-winning 'Gegen die Wand' (2004), the European Film Award-winning animated documentary 'Another Day of Life' (2018), and 'Der Buchspazierer' — rated the most popular theatrical film of 2024 in Germany by the FFA audience study and awarded the Audience Award at the 2025 San Francisco International Film Festival. The current production pipeline includes Tatort episodes, documentaries, family features, and theatrical releases scheduled through 2026, sustaining an active and diversified release cadence.

Name

Wüste Film

Legal name

Wüste Film GmbH

Website

https://wuestefilm.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wüste Film is a German independent film production company based in Hamburg producing theatrical features, Tatort episodes, TV movies, documentaries, and animated films in partnership with public broadcasters NDR, ARTE, and ZDF and distributors such as Warner Bros.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Production Services

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Unscripted/Reality TV Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI), True Crime Documentaries (MPADADAN)

Keywords

• Film production services
• Documentary production
• TV movie production
• Theatrical feature films
• International co-productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Theatrical Film Distribution: Revenue from theatrical releases of feature films in German and international cinemas, including box office receipts and distribution agreements.
2. TV Broadcast Rights: Revenue from licensing films and series to public broadcasters (NDR, ARTE) and commercial TV networks for broadcast rights.
3. Co-production Revenue: Revenue from co-productions with broadcasters, international partners, and other production companies, sharing costs and rights.
4. International Sales and Distribution: Revenue from world sales, international distribution agreements, and licensing to foreign markets.
5. Film Festival Recognition: Awards and nominations that enhance commercial value and international visibility of productions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wüste Film is an independent German film production company that develops, produces, and licenses theatrical feature films, Tatort crime series episodes for the ARD network, TV movies and miniseries for German public broadcasters, documentaries (including animated documentaries), animated films, and short film projects. The company operates through its Hamburg headquarters and Berlin office, with a regional branch (Wüste Film West) in Cologne, and licenses broadcast rights to public broadcasters and world sales to international distributors.

Product overview

Wüste Film GmbH is a German independent film production company based in Hamburg with a second office in Berlin. The company's product portfolio consists of multiple film production services and content types: theatrical feature films (such as 'Der Buchspazierer' and 'Alma & Oskar'), episodic television productions specifically for the Tatort crime series franchise, television movies and miniseries for German public broadcasters (NDR, ARTE, SWR, WDR), documentary films (including award-winning animated documentaries), animated feature films for family entertainment, and short film projects. The company operates through affiliated entities including Wüste Film West (Cologne), Wüste Film Ost, and Wüste Medien. Wüste Film is a co-producer network 'Das Dach' together with five other independent film production companies from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Notable productions include multiple award-winning films such as 'Gegen die Wand' (Golden Bear winner), 'Head On', and internationally recognized documentaries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wüste Film West: Regional film production entity based in Cologne, Germany
• Wüste Medien

Products and services

• Feature Films Theatrical feature films produced for cinema release, spanning drama, comedy, thriller, and documentary hybrids. Produced for German and international audiences and distributed through theatrical partners including Warner Bros. Entertainment and Senator Filmverleih. Notable examples include 'Gegen die Wand' (Head On, Golden Bear winner 2004), 'Der Buchspazierer' (The Door-to-Door Bookstore, 2024), and 'Alma & Oskar' (2023).
• Tatort Series Episodes Crime series episodes produced for the German Tatort franchise, a long-running public-broadcasting crime series format broadcast on ARD. Multiple episodes produced, including 'Im Wahn', 'Verborgen', 'Schattenleben', 'Zorn Gottes', 'Verbrannt', 'Mord auf Langeoog', 'Feuerteufel', 'Treibjagd', and 'Alles was sie sagen', with co-production financing from NDR.
• TV Movies & Miniseries Television movies and limited series produced for German public broadcasters including NDR, ARTE, SWR, WDR, and Degeto. Recent examples include 'The House' (Das Haus), 'The Roots of Evil', and 'Wir vier und der Enkeltrick'. Co-financed through public broadcaster partnerships.
• Documentaries Documentary films covering topics such as political, social, and historical subjects. Produced as single documentaries or as documentary series, including 'Where The Waves Took Her' (nominated German Camera Award 2026), 'Europa Passage' (German Film Critics Award nomination 2022), 'Another Day of Life' (award-winning animated documentary), and 'Afrika um die Ecke'. Commissioned by public broadcasters including ARTE and NDR.
• Animated Films Animated feature films spanning family entertainment and adult-oriented documentaries. Productions include 'Robbi, Tobbi und das Fliewatütüt' (2016, family entertainment) and 'Another Day of Life' (2018, animated documentary about the Angolan Civil War), the latter a co-production with Platige Films and others winning European Film Award and Goya Award.
• Short Films Short film projects, including anthology series 'Pawn Shop Stories' (Geschichten aus der Pfandleihe, 10 short films produced for ARTE) and individual short films supporting the company's artistic and slate development activity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Der Buchspazierer rated as the most popular film of 2024 by German cinema audiences in FFA study
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Das Dach NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2023Together with five independent film production companies from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Wüste Film founded the producer network 'Das Dach'. The aim of the association is to promote exchange and cooperation in the region and strengthen the role of independent producers. More information available at dasdach.net.
• Allianz Deutscher Produzenten – Film & Fernsehen e.V.minorOthersMember of the Alliance of German Producers - Film & Television. Located at Kronenstraße 3, 10117 Berlin.
• VGF Verwertungsgesellschaft für Nutzungsrechte an Filmwerken mbHminorOthersMember of VGF (Collecting society for film usage rights). Located at Beichstraße 8, 80802 München.
• VFF Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film und Fernsehproduzenten mbHminorOthersMember of VFF (Collecting society for film and television producers). Located at Brienner Straße 26, 80333 München.
• NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor co-production partner for TV movies, Tatort series, documentaries and feature films. Long-standing collaboration including productions like Tatort series, Europa Passage, Ein Tick anders, and others.
• ARTEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean co-production partner for documentaries, feature films and TV productions. Collaborative productions include Europa Passage, Ein Tick anders, Anam, and numerous other films.
• Warner Bros. EntertainmentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey distribution partner for theatrical releases including 'Zwölf Meter ohne Kopf'. Distributor and world sales agent for various productions.
• ZDFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for TV movies and series through ZDF Das kleine Fernsehspiel. Productions include 'Kurz und schmerzlos', 'Back in Trouble', and others.
• Nimbus Film (Denmark)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish co-production partner for 'Flame and Citron' (Tage des Zorns) - historical thriller based on true story of Danish resistance movement during WWII.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQlFUf0NYkc-9F-KB_xH2Gg
• Facebookfacebook.com/wuestefilm
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/w%C3%BCste-film
• Instagraminstagram.com/wueste_film

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Wüste Film