Ari Folman
Director
A great land for filmmaking.
Anita Elsani
CEO Elsani Film
NRW provides professional teams with a good sense of humour, diverse landscapes and architecture, urban and rural structures, as well as attractive film studios
Jonas Katzenstein
producer Augenschein Filmproduktion
The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, major broadcasters, first-class film schools, and funding for up-and-coming filmmakers unlike any other – if we hadn't been born here, we would have had to move here …
Martin Moszkowicz
President of Constantin Film AG
In recent years, NRW has become considerably more attractive as a media location. The Filmstiftung NRW has played a key role in this development. We, and our productions, are always happy to come to North Rhine-Westphalia.
Wim Wenders
director and artist
North Rhine-Westphalia has a sensational treasure trove of locations. There are outstanding film technicians and crews. Each year, the Wim Wenders Foundation joins forces with the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW to award a scholarship to a young filmmaker. Innovative filmmaking therefore not only has tradition, but also foresight in NRW.
Bettina Brokemper
CEO Heimatfilm
My decision about location was made according to two principles: the patriotic local anthem sung by the Höhner, Dat Hätz vun de Welt, jo dat es Kölle (“Cologne is the heart of the world”, which I am quite happy to apply to the whole of NRW), and the application to film of Article 3 of the Cologne “constitution”: Et hätt noch immer jot jejange “Things have always turned out OK”. No film would ever be made without this basic conviction.
Sönke Wortmann
CEO Little Shark Entertainment
In the last 20 years a highly competitive film and media industry with a unique profile has developed in NRW.
Stefan Arndt
CEO X Filme Creative Pool
German films would be unthinkable without NRW. And the same goes for X Filme’s international productions in 2015 like “A Hologram for the King” with Tom Hanks or “Alone In Berlin” with Emma Thompson, Brendan Gleeson and Daniel Brühl.
Christoph Friedel
producer PANDORA Filmproduktion
PANDORA grew up with the media location NRW and the Filmstiftung, and we look forward to making more great films together as Best Ager.
Ron Howard
director, producer, author and actor
We had a very successful shoot in Germany and much of it was due to the fantastic crew that Action Concept put together and the prep that they guided us through. I very much look forward to filming in Germany again sometime in the near future.
Josef Reidinger
CEO ARRI Media
For ARRI it was a vital, correct decision to become involved in the provision of services in Cologne. Major TV and movie projects are made in NRW, and the Filmstiftung’s commitment to those projects, not only the regional ones, deserves great recognition.
Michael Brink
Geschäftsführer LAVAlabs Moving Images
The location of NRW is very important for us as we can operate throughout Germany and Europe from here and the most important European metropolises are easily reached. Thus, we have an ideal catchment area for our core target group, the film industry. Düsseldorf is an important location for advertising agencies, commercials production companies and multi-national concerns, some of whom also number among our clients.
Jim Jarmusch
director and artist
Most personally, I want to thank all the amazing members of our
crew and production for all their hard work, their invaluable contributions, and their incredible spirits. I will deeply miss working together with all these truly wonderful collaborators.
Helen Mirren
Actrice
If you ever get the chance to shoot here, do it.
Christian Petzold
director
I grew up near to Düsseldorf on the Rhine. It's only become clear to me just recently that rivers and telling stories have something to do with one another. Growing up by a river seemingly influences one's creativity in some way or other.
Wolfgang Groos
director
NRW is more varied than any other region in Germany. As a consequence, I am constantly coming across extraordinary shooting locations. I think, though, that the special thing about shooting in NRW is also the people who live here. I have never heard of a complete film crew being provided with barbeque sausages by a local resident at half past two in the middle of the night. But I've experienced this in NRW.
Wotan Wilke Möhring
actor, producer
Detmold is where I was born, Herne where I grew up, Cologne where I'm now living, Dortmund has the world's best football club and Düsseldorf the greatest film funding team led by Petra Müller. This here is home for me, and that's also because of the people. There isn't any whinging here, people just get on with things. And that's why really special film projects are regularly being made.
Tom Tykwer
director
Making films in NRW means for me now: an evolved, comprehensive competence in all departments .... Many-faceted, contradictory and consequently interesting images of Germany .... The readiness to take artistic risks, face creative challenges .... and good blood sausage.
Tom Payne
Actor
I`m really happy to be here in NRW because I think it`s important that germany invests in his films which have the huge ambition that we had with the physician. And it´s showing that germany can produce these huge movies on a big scale and they can be very successful. And I hope that it opens the door for more productions like the medicus. Because I think the crews are here and the talent is here to make it happen.
Andreas Klein
Chairman of the Board, Splendid Medien AG
In my opinion, NRW/Cologne is the perfect media hub because the extensive arts scene means that there is a plurality of talents here who are creating new media content for a large and interested audience.
Peter Thorwarth
Director
I lived in Munich for 10 years and in Berlin for 10 years, and didn't regret a second about moving back to NRW. Within a very short time, I got to know lots of highly motivated, professional and fun people and am already looking forward to the next joint projects.
Michael Weber
Managing Director The Match Factory
Our film sales company, founded in 2006 with headquarters in Cologne, was able to develop to the full in this media-friendly environment in NRW. It’s easy to make contact with creative minds, distributors and film funders, and we have great employees.
Stefan Schneider
Management/Producer Gruppe|5 Filmproduktion GmbH
It's thanks to the Filmstiftung NRW that there is now a production landscape here which can easily be compared with every other region in Germany. With each day, I always look forward each day to producing new films here with all of the wonderful skilled people.