REPORT: CineCoPro Conference @ Filmfest München 2025
- We take a closer look at the projects presented at the German event that this year focused on co-productions between Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol and Germany
Ten projects were presented during the fourth edition of the CineCoPro Conference, with the pitch taking place on 2 July. The conference ran from 30 June-3 July at Filmfest München, and focused on co-productions between Germany and the Alpine regions of Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol. Supported by key film institutions, the event brought together producers from the regions concerned and German industry professionals. Of the selected projects, five were from Germany, three from Switzerland and two from Austria. The line-up included seven fiction features, two series and one documentary. We provide a detailed breakdown of the projects below.
The Project – Tibor Baumann (Germany)
Producer: Maritza Grass (Carousel Film GmbH)
Set in rural Franconia, The Project unravels the fragile masculinity of Harri, who enlists his son Johnny in building a pavilion to win back his estranged wife. When Harri kills Marie’s lover in a rage and buries the body beneath their project, father and son form a dangerous pact. Johnny’s growing power fuels a brutal clash of pride and control. As village men look on or cheer, a cycle of violence and dominance unfolds. This dark-humoured tragedy explores inherited male roles and the struggle to break free. The estimated budget is approximately €2 million.
Dying Is Hard Work – Johanna Moder (Germany)
Producers: Carmen Stozek, Lisa Bayer (Bantry Bay Productions GmbH)
A darkly comedic and emotionally raw dramedy, Dying Is Hard Work explores the chaos that unfolds when two estranged sisters confront their mother’s decision to end her life through starvation. Set in a remote family home, the story spans three generations, and broaches themes of autonomy, caregiving and long-buried secrets. As tensions rise, absurdity and tenderness coexist in a portrait of love, control and acceptance. The project is now entering packaging and financing, with a projected budget of €2.2-2.5 million, and is actively seeking international partners and co-producers.
En Passant (working title) – Julia Neuhaus (Germany)
Producers: Virginia Martin, Anna-Sophie Philippi (Contando Films)
Set in an Alpine ski resort in the 1990s, En Passant follows 11-year-old Nanni, whose close bond with her single mother, Moni, is shaken by the arrival of a new man. As their lives unravel amid patriarchal pressures and looming real-estate threats, Nanni makes a shocking choice, shooting a man to break the silence around violence. This debut drama explores failed authority and unexpected love in a world that refuses simple order. Currently in late development, the film has secured €15,000 in development funding, with an estimated budget of €2 million.
Arrivederci (Germany)
Producers: Tanja Schmidbauer, Andreas Schmidbauer (Schmidbauer-Film)
Harti, a retired cobbler, reconnects online with Giulia, a former classmate and his teenage crush, through the platform Arrivederci. Their friendship blossoms into a heartfelt pen-pal relationship, prompting Harti to visit her after retirement. When he arrives in the Italian Alps, he discovers that Giulia is not who she claimed to be; he’s been caught in a romance scam. Thanks to old friends and new acquaintances, Harti finds the strength not to lose himself completely. This feelgood comedy set in a tragic context explores loneliness, hope and the courage to start anew. The estimated budget is €1.8 million.
Almanstadt (working title) – Thomas Taube (Germany)
Producers: Linda Hartogs, Dominik Eder (OKSUPERDANKE Filmproduktion)
Set on a surreal housing estate nestled between Alpine beauty and urban grit, the film follows six residents across five decades as they navigate identity, belonging and quiet resistance. From a lifelong tenant clinging to utopia to queer teens in hiding, a Thermomix saleswoman, estranged brothers and a woman trapped by illness, their stories unfold in parallel – connected by a wandering hairdresser and the architecture that shapes them. Directed by Thomas Taube, this absurdist multi-strand drama is in late development with BKM support secured, and is seeking further financing for its €2.3 million budget.
Who Is Afraid of God? – Rosa Friedrich (Austria)
Producer: Sabine Moser (Freibeuter Film)
In Rosa Friedrich’s satirical comedy, 17-year-old Maria wakes up with stigmata-like wounds after a blackout, prompting Bella, an attention-hungry teen, to claim she’s a saint in a viral video. As Maria becomes a social-media sensation, the girls stage miracles, but their bond fractures when Maria starts believing in her divine role. While Bella seeks redemption by caring for Maria’s grandparents, Maria spirals towards self-destruction. The film explores the blurred lines between faith, fame and manipulation. Backed by the Austrian Film Institute, the Vienna Film Fund and Creative Europe – MEDIA Slate, the €2 million project is currently in financing and seeking co-producers.
Superhumans – Inna Shevchenko (Austria)
Producer: Arash T Riahi (Golden Girls Film)
Set inside a pioneering prosthetics clinic in Lviv, Superhumans captures the second battle of Ukrainian amputee soldiers as they fight to move, laugh and reclaim their lives. This war documentary eschews the frontlines for intimate, poetic portraits of survival, bodies fused with metal, resilience forged in pain, and dark humour defying trauma. Directed by Inna Shevchenko, the film presents recovery as rebellion, where each step is a small act of victory. Currently in development, Superhumans has secured €46,000 in financing from the Austrian Film Institute and the Vienna Film Fund, with a total budget of €450,000.
Wake Up – Karin Heberlein (Switzerland)
Producer: Katrin Renz (tellfilm GmbH)
After a deadly train collision in the Gotthard Tunnel, six teenagers survive and escape into a hidden Alpine valley surrounded by barren peaks. At first thrilled, they soon face growing panic as the valley’s mysterious nature blurs reality and tests their limits. United by the will for survival, the group must turn their differences into strengths while confronting deeply personal challenges. Yet the valley seems determined to trap them, and survival may demand sacrifice. This mystery-survival series explores resilience, identity, and the boundary between life and death. It has an estimated budget of €5.7 million.
WeSHARE – Lorenz Suter (Switzerland)
Producer: Sophie Toth (Shining Nice)
WeSHARE follows a group of friends testing a new app designed to fairly split shared expenses, balancing costs so everyone pays according to their means. Initially fostering solidarity, the experiment turns tense during a holiday in Sicily, where money dominates conversations despite their agreement to avoid it. Envy and mistrust surface as friendships and romances strain over bills and entitlement. Near Mount Etna, the social experiment explodes, forcing a reckoning about fairness and the true cost of community. A satirical comedy at the exposé stage, the film’s estimated budget is €3-3.5 million.
Gold – Christian Wehrlin, Pascal Glatz (Switzerland)
Producer: Stefan Eichenberger (Contrast Film)
In this thriller series inspired by true events, Swiss gold trader Hannah Schwarz fights to save her family’s business, only to be dragged into the murky depths of the global gold trade. As she forges corrupt alliances and betrays her ideals, Hannah becomes complicit in the very system she once sought to reform. When tragedy strikes, she must finally reckon with the human cost of her choices. Developed by Christian Wehrlin and Pascal Glatz, the series is currently in development with confirmed support from Suissimage, the Zurich Film Fund and others, and is seeking further partners for its €13.7 million budget.
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