Henning Molfenter, former head of production at Studio Babelsberg, and the German film production and distribution company DCM have launched a new joint venture. The aim of the co-operation is to bring more US and international film and series productions to Europe.

The new company, which does not yet have an official name, aims to combine the extensive experience of both partners in the areas of production services, international co-productions, financing and distribution. The announcement comes just a few days after former US President Donald Trump announced his intention to impose 100 per cent tariffs on films and series produced abroad - a proposal that has met with considerable international resistance.

Molfenter and DCM founders Marc Schmidheiny and Christoph Daniel explained to Deadlinethat with the joint venture they want to offer a "turnkey" solution for international productions that want to shoot in Europe.

The production services are to be provided by Molfenter's new company Babelsberg Production Group (BPG) while DCM - which holds a stake in the renowned production company Road Movies of Wim Wenders - contributes its expertise in the areas of financing, production and distribution. Together, they are targeting projects that are already ready to shoot or about to be shot. Molfenter and the DCM team are currently in Cannes to actively seek out such projects.

Molfenter, who has worked as an executive producer on internationally successful films such as The pianist, The Bourne Conspiracy and Inglourious Basterds sees the joint venture as the logical next step after founding his company BPG, which acts as a gateway to studio stages, film locations and funding opportunities in Germany and Europe.

"Over the years, I have worked with a large network of great people," says Molfenter. "We were often approached by projects that had a lot of potential but were still 20-30 % short of funding. As our core business had previously been purely production services, we often had to turn down such projects - even though many of them went on to win awards. Discussions with DCM then gave rise to the idea of combining our strengths."

DCM, which has already produced films such as The Artist, Moonlight and I'm Still Here with offices in Zurich and Berlin, is involved in co-productions throughout Europe - from Italy to Scandinavia. Schmidheiny and Daniel emphasise that their integrated approach of financing, production and distribution is an ideal match for Molfenter's expertise.

"Producers who want to shoot in Europe are often looking for a single, reliable point of contact who can organise the entire process smoothly," says Schmidheiny. "That's exactly what we want to offer - a central authority that coordinates everything across countries."

Together with DCM Managing Director Alexandra Bauermeister, the founders emphasise: "We see our offering as unique for anyone who wants to realise high-quality films or series in Europe. We not only offer a comprehensive production service, but also bring our passion as filmmakers and our extensive experience in financing and distribution to the table."

The declared aim is not just to bring one-off shoots to Europe, but to establish long-term partnerships with international producers.

Deadline reports in detail.