German prodco creates Italian JV prodco with Passadore

Scripted-logo-460_2German prodco Neue Deutche Filmgesellchaft (NDF) has created a joint venture production company with Italian film and TV executive Alessandro Passadore.

Alessandro PassadoreViola Film will be a Rome-based outfit that will produce films and TV series for the Italian market, and also operate as a service and coproduction partner for foreign companies shooting in Italy.

Passadore (left) has been named CEO. He has more than 20 years experience in Italian production, including on more than 200 hours of primetime programmes such as Don Matteo and Rocco Schiavone, and as a service provider on Der Baader Meinhof Komplex and Solino.

“After 20 years as an independent producer, I’m very pleased to join forces with NDF, a strong partner, in order to realise Italian and international projects,” said Passadore.

“The latter is particularly interesting as the very attractive Italian Tax Credit for foreign productions was recently increased from 25% to 30%.”

Eric-Welbers-BetaNDF’s managing director, international, Eric Welbers (right), is well versed in Italian production after a long spell at German producer-distributor Beta Film, which has invested in Italian series such as Romanzo Criminale, Gomorrah and 1992.

Welbers left Beta midway through last year after nearly 20 years with the Munich-based company, where he was MD.

Unterfoehring-based NDF is one of Germany’s oldest indies, having launched in 1947. It produces TV dramas, event coproductions, cartoons, comedies, health programming and feature films.

“Alessandro is a very experienced and professional production executive and we are convinced that Viola Film will perfectly answer to the needs of the Italian TV and film industrym” said Welbers. “We are looking forward to this cooperation.”

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