Germany’s Beta Film has boarded world sales on the series Other People’s Money, set to world-premiere in the Panorama strand of the upcoming Berlinale (13-23 February – see the news). The show tells a story inspired by Europe’s biggest tax fraud ever, which took place when a criminal network of megarich investors, bankers and lawyers stole €146 billion from European taxpayers.

In detail, Other People’s Money, by showrunner-creator Jan Schomburg (I’m Your Man [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Maria Schrader
scheda film], Above Us Only Sky [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]), is inspired by the “CumEx-Files” investigation by European news media outlets that uncovered a global finance network which defrauded European state treasuries, and thus every European citizen, of almost €150 billion. The eight-hour series follows the culprits as well as two women from two different countries trying to put a stop to it – but the states and the banks seem to hinder their efforts at all costs.

The series stars Lisa Wagner (From Hilde, with Love [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Andreas Dresen
scheda film], The Pool), Karen-Lise Mynster (Madame Ida [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]), Justus von Dohnanyi (Downfall [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Bernd Eichinger
intervista: Joachim Fest
intervista: Oliver Hirschbiegel
scheda film]), Niels Strunk, David Dencik (No Time to Die [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], Chernobyl) and Fabian Hinrichs (Divided We Stand), among others. Dustin Loose (Divided We Stand) and Kaspar Munk (The Rain, Kamikaze) shared directorial duties. Clemens Baumeister (Divided We Stand) and Laust Trier Mørk (The Responder) were attached as the DoPs.

The project is the latest addition to Beta’s Berlinale slate, led by the opening film The Light by Tom Tykwer and the Panorama title Cicadas by Ina Weisse (see the news).

Other People’s Money is being produced by X Filme Creative Pool (Germany) and True Content Entertainment (Denmark), in co-production with EPO-Film (Austria). The commissioning broadcasters are ZDF and DR in co-production with New8, a cooperative effort involving pubcasters NRK, SVT, RÚV, YLE, NPO, VRT, DR and ZDF. The series is co-funded by Fisa+, GMPF, the European Union, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the Nordvision Fund and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.