16/03/2010

Audiovisual group Kinowelt has made public its plan to transfer its headquarters from Leipzig to Berlin in mid-2011.

The company – which focuses mainly on theatrical distribution in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – was set up 25 years ago and re-founded in 2003. In 2008, it became part of French pay-TV network Canal Plus, which thus gained access to the German-speaking market and enabled the German company’s sectorial and geographical expansion.

CEO Wolfgang Braun said: “Kinowelt wants to become the leading independent film distributor, for which it needs to position itself at the heart of our industry”.

Kinowelt also has a home entertainment division with 1,700 DVD titles; and an international sales department, specialised in the sale of German and European films through all possible windows (theatrical, TV and DVD).

Kinowelt also owns the subsidiary Arthaus, dedicated to the DVD release of cult and classic films. In total, the company has a catalogue of 7,000 titles and also handles television rights. It currently employs over 130 people.

Medienbord Berlin-Brandenburg director Petra Müller is pleased at the news. She welcomed Kinowelt and emphasised the growing appeal of the region within the film sector, where “it has become one of the leading film cities in Germany”.

(Translated from Spanish)