HANNU SALONEN

DIRECTOR / SCREENWRITER

NEWS

ADAMS ACHT (Adam's Eight) is going into production. Principal photography for the feature film begins in August 2025, with locations in Ratzeburg (Germany) and Bratislava (Slovakia). Written by Domenik Pockberger and produced by Ninety-Minute Film, Adam's Eight tells the remarkable true story of Karl Adam — a visionary rowing coach who, in 1950s Germany, brought together a group of underdogs and turned them into champions. Within just three years, his team defied all odds and won Olympic gold in Rome in 1960.

VIENNA GAME is an upcoming six-part historical satire series for Disney+, produced by Bettina Kuhn of Satel Film and co-created and written by Stefan Brunner. The series is directed by Hannu Salonen, with cinematography by Felix Cramer. Set during the Congress of Vienna in 1814, the show offers an irreverent depiction of European diplomacy, highlighting the lavish celebrations and intricate political maneuvers that followed Napoleon Bonaparte's exile to Elba. The narrative explores how the fate of Europe was influenced not only in formal negotiations but also through social events and personal relationships. Filming commenced on February 20, 2024, in Austria and Hungary. The ensemble cast includes Marlene Tanczik, Daniel Donskoy, Alexander Scheer, Vladimir Burlakov, Trystan Pütter, Emma Nova, Roxane Duran, Ben Miles, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Martin Greis-Rosenthal, Julia Anna Grob, Axel Milberg, Corinna Pumm, Valentin Postlmayr, Stefan Gorski, Rufus Beck, Jakob Diehl, Catrin Striebeck, and Heike Makatsch. As of now, VIENNA GAME is in post-production, with a release date on Disney+ yet to be announced.

WILDBUNCH acquires worldwide distribution rights to TURMSCHATTEN (Shadowtower) . Turmschatten is a German political thriller series based on Peter Grandl's 2020 novel of the same name. The six-episode series was directed by Hannu Salonen and features Heiner Lauterbach as Ephraim Zamir, a Holocaust survivor whose adopted daughter becomes the victim of a brutal neo-Nazi attack. In response, Zamir captures the perpetrators and streams their fate online, allowing the public to vote on their punishment. Originally produced for Paramount+, "Turmschatten" was acquired by Sky Deutschland following Paramount+'s decision to discontinue its German original productions. The series premiered on Sky Atlantic and the streaming service WOW on November 15, 2024, with two episodes released every Friday at 8:15 p.m. The ensemble cast includes Désirée Nosbusch as Carla Kleinfeld, Milena Tscharntke as Marie Stresemann, Klaus Steinbacher as Karl Rieger, and Murathan Muslu as KHK Achim Schuster. Filming took place near Munich, with the titular tower constructed specifically for the production. TURMSCHATTEN was nominated as best series for the Jupiter Award.

BETAFILM is handling the worldwide distribution of I AM SCROOGE (Ich bin Dagobert). I Am Scrooge is a gripping six-part German crime drama based on the true story of Arno Funke, an artist who became a bomb-making extortionist and gained notoriety in Germany during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The series is produced by Zeitsprung Pictures and directed by Hannu Salonen, with Friedrich Mücke portraying Funke. The series has been acquired by several international broadcasters including USA, Canada, Mexiko and Australia. In Germany, "I Am Scrooge" premiered on RTL+. Internationally, the series has garnered attention for its compelling narrative and strong performances, particularly Mücke's portrayal of Funke and the overall stunning visuals of the series. The show was nominated for German TV Prize, Jupiter Award and The German Criminal Festival as best series.

Director / Screenwriter Hannu Salonen