Studio Babelsberg remains a key player for international productions shooting in Europe, but it’s expanding its focus in Germany and eager to offer its vast infrastructure to more local productions as the global industry continues to navigate tempestuous waters.
The studio is not only celebrating the Cannes screening of its fifth collaboration with Wes Anderson, the “The Phoenician Scheme,” which was co-produced by and shot at Babelsberg, it has also just secured two other major productions scheduled to lens this year.
Francis Lawrence is returning to the studio with “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” the latest instalment in Lionsgate’s long-running Suzanne Collins franchise.
Studio Babelsberg has also lured celebrated filmmaker and one-time CEO Volker Schlöndorff (“The Tin Drum”), who is likewise set to shoot his new work, “Heimsuchung,” there. Schlöndorff ran the studio between 1992 and 1997 when it was owned by French group Compagnie Générale des Eaux (later Vivendi).
Marcus Loges
©Studio Babelsberg AG/Sebastian Gabsch
The films are the first major productions at the studio since the arrival of Marcus Loges, who in January joined the studio as managing director overseeing German and international co-productions and production services, succeeding the outgoing Henning Molfenter. His appointment followed that of new CEO Joerg Bachmaier in November.
No stranger to Babelsberg, Loges has worked on some of the studio’s biggest productions over the past 30 years, from 1995’s “Catherine the Great,” starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Jean-Jacques Annaud’s 2001 Stalingrad epic “Enemy at the Gates” to “The Bourne Supremacy” and, more recently, series “Babylon Berlin.”
He additionally worked with Berlin-based X Filme, serving as line producer on many high-profile productions and later as managing director at the company.
In 2021, Loges was honored as a producer with the Primetime Emmy and PGA Award for the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit,” which was filmed almost entirely in Berlin.
“And after I’d done all that, at the end of last year I was asked if I’d like to succeed Henning,” Loges recalls. “I thought, I get to go home. And that’s really the best thing that can happen to you. Especially in a group like this — a well-aligned team and within a company with a century-long tradition and a strong reputation.”
A key part of the team’s strategy for co-productions and production services is to expand the studio’s scope and increase collaborations with the domestic industry.
“Studio Babelsberg used to be mainly Hollywood-focused but the studios are reorienting as budgets get tighter and tighter,” Loges explains.
Yet regional funding in Germany is still of great interest for even large U.S. studios, as demonstrated by the new “Hunger Games” pic, which just secured €800,000 ($893,975) in production coin from local funder Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
While it’s important that such big Hollywood productions continue to be well-funded, it also makes sense for Studio Babelsberg to attract more domestic productions and open up to German producers, he adds.
One of Europe’s largest film studios, Studio Babelsberg boasts 21 soundstages, versatile backlots and extensive facilities on its 42-acre lot near Berlin, offering plenty of capacity for international and local productions.
“When Volker Schlöndorff says he’s truly happy to be making this film with Babelsberg, it’s because we welcomed the project with genuine enthusiasm,” Loges notes. “We definitely want German producers to feel that they can reach out to Studio Babelsberg to explore whether there’s a way we can make something happen together.”
In expanding its scope, the studio is setting its sights on major areas where Babelsberg can be the ideal partner.
“That’s exactly what we want — international productions, especially from the U.S., but we also want to support European indie productions. These projects come from many different countries and often depend heavily on incentives and the backing of multiple partners — without that, financing can be extremely difficult. And of course, we want to work with German productions. After all, we’re based in Germany, and partnering locally is both a responsibility and a long-term strategic commitment.”
To that end, Germany’s recent funding reforms have already accomplished a lot, Loges notes. The government announced in December that it would increase two key funding incentives, raising production cost rebate levels from 25% to 30%.
“We received the 30% as an early Christmas present,” Loges quips, adding that along with a further increase in incentive caps, the reforms have “already had a big impact.”
For films with budgets of $80 million, it’s a considerable rebate, he adds. News of the increased funding was also a major point of discussion between Loges’ team and studio reps during a recent trip to Los Angeles.
Another topic being much discussed in international circles is U.S. President Donald Trump’s announced plan to slap a 100% tariff on films produced abroad.
“It may just be part of the president’s dealmaking, but things like that always create unrest,” Loges notes. “He’s the president of the United States; his words have impact.”
While the impact on big studios will likely be very small, it could frighten investors new to the film business, he adds. “The uncertainty is now there.”
At the same time, the discussion could lead to more funding opportunities in the U.S. and an increase in films shot stateside, Loges points out.