Germany’s Amusement Park Hires Red Arrow Alum for TV Push (EXCLUSIVE)
By Stewart Clarke
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Malte Grunert and Daniel Bruhl’s film production company Amusement Park has brought on seasoned international exec Amelie von Kienlin as it drives more deeply into TV. Former Studio Hamburg film boss Grunert founded Amusement Park in 2009, and “Captain America – Civil War” actor Daniel Brühl joined in 2015 as a partner. They have brought in von Kienlin to build up the TV department, working on projects for the German and international markets.
Grunert said the new recruit “brings with her a unique market insight and creative talent, not to mention having a formidable international network.” He added: “We have high ambitions for the coming years, and we look forward to taking on these challenges with Amelie as a key part of the team.“
Von Kienlin was most recently SVP of scripted acquisition and co-production for Red Arrow Studios International in London. Prior to that, she was head of co-production at Wild Bunch Germany, and head of acquisitions for the international distribution arm of Telepool (now Global Screen).
“After great years, predominantly on the side of the financiers, I am hugely excited to be joining Amusement Park,” von Kienlin said. “Malte has impressed me over the years with the high-end international feature films he’s produced. By partnering with und Klaus Dohle, he has established an exciting setup for a production company. This will be a new challenge for me, and I cannot wait to start.”
German TV drama is increasingly popular at home and abroad. Shows including “Dark” and “Babylon Berlin” rank in the top tier of international scripted TV. Amusement Park’s first forays into TV include “City of Night,” an adaptation of the “Berlinoir” graphic novel, which has Dennis Gansel attached to direct.
It is also adapting Gunter Grass’ classic novel “Blechtrommel” (“The Tin Drum”) as a TV drama. The 1979 movie adaptation of the book won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and Academy Award for best foreign-language picture.
Berlin- and Hamburg-based Amusement Park already has a track record in features. It has just finished shooting “My Zoe” in Berlin, which is written and directed by Julie Delpy, who also stars alongside Brühl, Richard Armitage and Gemma Arterton. It has “Aftermath” in post-production, a period drama starring Keira Knightley and Alexander Skarsgard. Upcoming projects include “Our Man in New York,” from “Skyfall” and “Spectre” pair Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.
