‘I believe in the cinema as a hub. It's a space for coming together, a place for exchange.’

An interview with: Gesine Mannheimer and Jutta Feit

Gesine Mannheimer (Jetzt & Morgen) and Jutta Feit (jip film & verleih) are responsible for ensuring that films receive the greatest possible visibility. The two filmmakers are particularly active in the field of literary film adaptations. In this interview, they give an insight into their work on film projects and describe what cinema means to them and which literary adaptations they particularly admire.

Would you like to introduce yourselves? Who are you, what do you do?

Gesine Mannheimer (GM): I am the founder and Managing Director of the agency Jetzt & Morgen. We bring together film, cinema and cultural actors with suitable partners from the worlds of politics, the environment, society and education. I originally come from a classic distribution background. Together with my business partner Saskia Vömel, I founded the agency in 2018. We realised that we particularly enjoy bringing people together and connecting them through cinema. We have placed a special focus on the connection between cinema and literature. We also concentrate on socio-political issues and working together with civil society players and other organisations and institutions. We want to open up the cinema space in a new way by activating target groups that might otherwise not be reached.

Jutta Feit (JF): Together with Julia Peters, I run jip film & verleih. We select films and curate an exciting film programme that cinemas can book and screen. We focus on the genres of political film, documentary film and country focus. In order to use films as a driving force for social change and to exploit them sustainably and economically, we focus primarily on impact producing and distribution. To this end, we work closely with regional and national partners. We have a large network of supporters who support the visibility of our films. As we mostly have arthouse films in our programme, we pay particular attention to addressing the audience. Our cinema tours and promotional materials are therefore very target group-specific.

At what point do you join the film project as film distributors?

JF: Ideally, we come into play when we formulate letters of intent for producers so that they can receive funding for their films. With the expertise we have as distributors, we can support project development at an early stage. We are often approached and contacted directly, but we also keep an eye out for new films at film festivals.

You co-produced the film ‘Ellbogen’ (2024), Jutta. How did that come about?

JF: We got to know the film project at a very early stage. As we come from a production background ourselves, we were able to provide very good support. Hessen Film & Medien also liked the project very much and fortunately the collaboration came about very quickly.

When does a film agency like yours come into play, Gesine?

GM: Film distributors often tell us about upcoming projects at a very early stage so that we can hold out the prospect of the films in our discussions with partners. We regularly supervise book film adaptations and are in constant dialogue with booksellers, bookfluencers and publishers.
The main work begins when the film is finished, and the cinema release is set. We define the target groups and think about how we can realise attractive campaigns together with suitable partners. Together with the film distributor, we devise a marketing strategy. We then approach potential co-operation partners.

How long does it take for a finished film to be shown in cinemas?

GM: That depends on the film. Artistically ambitious films are dependent on festivals and their seal of approval. The period between the completion of the film and its cinema release is usually longer here, because the response at festivals is an important indicator for further exploitation. With commercial films, the period is often shorter because the distributor and agencies can already work with the brand without having seen the film. To prepare a film well for theatrical release and subsequent exploitation stages, we need at least 6 months, preferably a year. The first week after the cinema release is crucial for the success of the film. This is when as many viewers as possible need to come to see the film so that it can still be used by cinemas in an attractive way. That's why the biggest pressure is always on the release date.

Why are festivals so important?

JF: Festivals are a seal of quality, especially in the arthouse sector, which helps with the marketing of a film. For example, although the author Fatma Aydemir and her debut ‘Elbow’ were already very well-known and the book was already read in many schools, it needed to be included at the Berlinale to draw greater attention to the film. That helped us to bring together the many different partners and players for marketing.

What film projects are you currently working on?

JF: We're currently very busy with the cinema tour of ‘Ellbogen’. And we're already working on our upcoming films in the background.

GM: We have three literary adaptations this autumn. We are currently working on ‘Treasure’, the film adaptation of the bestseller ‘Too Many Men’ by Lily Brett. We also have the novel adaptation ‘Der Buchspazierer’ by Carsten Henn and the film ‘Woodwalkers’, which is based on the successful children's and young adult book series by Katja Brandis. We very much hope that all three films will be well received by audiences.

But we are also already preparing titles for 2025, for example the classic ‘Stiller’ by Max Frisch. We are also working on the film ‘Mit der Faust in die Welt schlagen’, based on the novel by Lukas Rietzschel, which I personally find very exciting. The film deals with the lack of prospects for many people in East Germany.

What are the current topics and trends in the film business?

GM: Big brands are currently working much better than classic arthouse films. They certainly dominate because not much needs to be explained: People go in because the content and the actors say something directly to them. The situation is similar with literary film adaptations. If the author of the original book is well-known, you already have a fanbase that you can appeal to for the cinema. In this case, social media communication usually helps to reach the target audience. For other films, a lot more work has to be done in advance to reach the audience.

But a film like ‘Ellbogen’, which is about the coming-of-age of a young German-Turkish woman, is also well received because it captures the zeitgeist. Of course, success factors also include topics that are currently caught up in public discourse, that capture and narrate a current mood in society. In these cases, you also get more press coverage for the film titles.

JF: I think that's a good description. We mainly represent cultural-political, artistic films that are not covered by the mainstream. It sometimes makes me sad that the big names and brands only cover a small variety. The great thing about cinema is the range of themes and possibilities that can be discovered through film. With our distribution company, we bring contemporary, relevant topics to cinemas that are thought-provoking and not just entertainment. We need films for the soul and the spirit. We are therefore committed to ensuring that not only big films are shown for weeks on end, but that there is a good mix of arthouse and big names on as many screens as possible.

How do you experience the growing importance of streaming portals?

GM: Streamers are forcing the cinema industry to focus. In our work, we have to think more about what makes sense to concentrate on suitable films. However, I don't believe that streaming portals will make cinema obsolete. I still see a strong need among young people in particular to come together at the cinema and watch a film together so that they can discuss it later if they want.

I believe in the cinema as a hub. It's a space for coming together, a place for dialogue. Visitors can let themselves go or be challenged intellectually. It's a space of a special quality that streaming services can't achieve.

We never tire of showing people how great cinema is. That's why we're always thinking about attractive events and offers for the public. We can use cinema to make films stand out from the crowd. Because I see this as a problem with streaming portals: the selection is too large and not always of sufficient quality. The cinema programme provides audiences with a curated selection.

The streamers only highlight a few titles in their marketing, the rest of the content has to be included in the overall programme. This makes it important that we as an entire industry work even harder to see exactly what people want to see, what material is suitable for the cinema and how we can best reach the audience. A good way would be, for example, to network local cinemas even more closely with local bookshops and plan campaigns together.

JF: Many cinema operators place great importance on their programming and curate an excellent selection of films for their guests. They know their audience and often know what they would like to see. No streaming portal can fulfil this promise.

Cinema is being rediscovered by young target groups. Younger cinema-goers are watching films like ‘Ellbogen’ that speak their language and are very authentic. And it's also an event. You might dress up nicely, feel a sense of anticipation, meet people you know and people you don't know. We have discovered many new, interesting faces through ‘Ellbogen’ and hope that this trend will continue.

What makes a good literary film adaptation for you personally?

GM: If the film finds its own language, but captures and retains the essence of the book, then I think it's a good literary adaptation. I have to find the feeling of the book again, but I don't like a pure retelling. As a teenager, Baz Luhrmann's film version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, for example, was a total revelation for me and made me approach Shakespeare in a completely different, much more open way. And I also really liked the approach of Burhan Qurbani, who adapted his film version of ‘Berlin Alexanderplatz’ into the present day and as a migration story. That was mind blowing. I also like it when you can approach personalities through film biographies. I'm a big fan of ‘Dear Thomas’, for example. I got to know Thomas Brasch in a completely different way through this film. When a film achieves that, it's sensational.

JF: With regard to ‘Ellbogen’, I find it particularly moving the exciting way in which director Aslı Özarslan and screenwriter Claudia Schaefer have worked very closely with the book, but still developed a different perspective. The film is a very successful literary adaptation.

How do you experience the collaboration between authors and filmmakers?

JF: In the case of ‘Ellbogen’, it was a fantastic team effort between the author Fatma Aydemir, the director Aslı Özarslan, the screenwriter Claudia Schaefer and the entire cast. As an author, it was very important to Fatma Aydemir that a film adaptation should also reflect the political stance and artistic creativity of her work. She was involved in the film project and is actively shaping the film release. I believe that only arthouse films can achieve such close collaboration. Many authors want to find themselves in the film.

GM: I find that very individual. From a marketing point of view, I always hope for a very close collaboration, especially when it comes to books with autobiographically inspired material. It's so difficult to attract attention, to penetrate the masses, so it helps if everyone pulls together. For my work, it's very important to have happy authors available as supporters who do talks, attend cinema events and take their communities with them. The author gives credibility and authenticity. We keep hearing that authors need a good gut feeling about the creatives in order to hand over their material and allow a film to be made. That seems more than reasonable to me.

How important is the book industry for the film industry and vice versa?

GM: Both sectors are united by a love of stories and storytelling. For this reason alone, the two industries logically belong together. If you look at the film side, everyone is looking for good stories; content is the most important criterion for a film. In addition, a book that has already received a good response and may have sold well, or an author who is in the public eye, can help to find an audience. There are then brands and a fan community, and it's easier to get funding. If I look at it from the perspective of the book industry, films are an easy way to access works and authors. They give a book more breadth and visibility. Cinema is still an experience, great entertainment and, above all, a seal of approval – and therefore also a valuable marketing tool for books and authors. The big cinema campaigns attract attention. And the more people know you, the easier it is to finance the new book, the more potential there is on the market.

We often underestimate how much both industries can stimulate each other. Films like ‘School of Magical Animals’ or ‘Woodwalkers’ get children reading, and they often want the whole series afterwards. After films like ‘Dear Thomas’ or ‘Ingeborg Bachmann’, works by these authors sell more again. Authors can use cinema events to address a completely different audience once again. Book fans can come together at the cinema, and booksellers can use it as an alternative way to meet customers. And, of course, literature fans are generally an important audience for book adaptations because they are simply more inclined to watch these books in the cinema and recommend them to others. There is still an incredible amount of untapped potential.

Apart from film festivals, what other events do you regularly attend?

JF: We spend a lot of time at industry events, trade fairs, festivals, premieres and similar events where you can meet the industry and exchange ideas. We also enjoy travelling to book fairs to see trends and developments.

Gesine Mannheimer, Founder of JETZT & MORGEN, Managing Director of AG Verleih - Verband der unabhängigen Filmverleihe e.V. (Association of Independent Film Distributors)

Since 2018, Gesine Mannheimer and Saskia Vömel have been successfully and passionately inspiring people for cinema with their social impact agency JETZT & MORGEN and, as a networker and marketing specialist, linking players from culture, literature, society and politics in their campaigns for the best possible synergies. Gesine Mannheimer started out as a PR manager with experience in journalism and copywriting after studying communication sciences. Before JETZT & MORGEN, she gained more than 10 years of agency experience as a marketing manager and deputy managing director in the cinema sector. Gesine Mannheimer has also been Managing Director of AG Verleih - Verband unabhängiger Filmverleih e.V., the organisation representing the interests of independent film distributors in Germany, together with Saskia Vömel since 2022. JETZT & MORGEN has overseen cinema projects such as ‘What You Can See from Here, ‘Dear Thomas’, ‘Sun and Concrete’, ‘Chess Story’ and ‘The Robber Hotzenplotz'.

Jutta Feit, Managing Director of jip film & verleih
Jutta Feit is a distributor and producer with many years of experience in the film industry. Together with Julia Irene Peters, she is the owner of JIP Film & Verleih. The expertise of the independent distribution company from Frankfurt am Main, which was founded in 2017, lies in the release of socially relevant, internationally acclaimed feature films and documentaries that require special target group approaches and must be released with attention to detail on an event-based basis. Among others, the book adaptation ‘Ellbogen’ (Berlinale 2024) and ‘Vuta N'Kuvute’ (TIFF, Seattle Film Festival, Oscar submission, Tanzania, 2022) were distributed. Other examples include ‘HIVE’ (multiple Sundance winner, Oscar submission, Kosovo, 2022), ‘A Question of Dignity’ (3-time winner Karlovy Vary, Oscar submission, Bulgaria, 2024), ‘The Other Side of the River’ (winner German Film Award: Best Documentary, winner Hessian Film Award, ‘God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya’ (Berlinale)).

The interview was conducted by Tina Pfeifer, PR Manager at Frankfurter Buchmesse.