Gaumont and award-winning writer & producer Annette Hess to develop the 2018 international bestseller 'The German House'

The German House tells the coming-of-age story of a young woman against the 1960s backdrop
of post -World War II Frankfurt. Eva Bruhns is a fun-loving, naive and smitten twenty-fouryear- old who’s life takes an unexpected turn when she is hired as a translator for the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials. Now, caught between societal and familial expectations and her unique ability
to speak truth to power, she fights to expose the dark truths of her nation’s past.

What makes this story so powerful is its ability to portray the importance of acknowledging the things we don’t want to admit because they might be too painful. However, this is almost always the path to meaningful change in both how we think and act. In my opinion, this is also where the relevance of the material lies,“ said Sabine de Mardt, President, Gaumont Germany. “We are honored to have been chosen by Annette Hess to work together on this highly sought- after project.”

„This very personal book also tells part of my own family history, which for me, as for the main character Eva, was only fully revealed during the writing process. For me, the book is about concealment and repression. Blind spots exist in almost every family. At any time and in any nation. In the young Federal Republic of Germany, silence about the past was cultivated as never before. Eva Bruhns exemplifies the people who, against society, find the courage to break the silence and demand the truth – even if they have to pay a high price for it,” said Annette Hess.

Annette Hess received the ‘Grimme-Preis’ (Grimme Award) and the ‘Deutscher Fernsehpreis’ (German Television Award) for the ARD series Weissensee which she developed, and the latter also for the ZDF multi-part series Kudamm 56, which she created. The screenwriter is currently enjoying success with the remake of Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo as a series for the streaming service Amazon Prime.PM_DEUTSCHES HAUS_V4 2021-05-05 Gaumont Germany recently produced the international success series Barbarians (NETFLIX) with a 2nd season in preparation. Currently in production are the film adaptation of Benedikt Gollhardt’s novel Westwall as a miniseries for ZDF and the series The Wasp – set in the world of darts, for SKY International.

About Gaumont
Formed in France in 1895, Gaumont is the first film company in the world, celebrating 125 years of history and innovation. With offices in Paris, Los Angeles, London, Köln and Berlin, Gaumont remains an industry leader, producing and distributing high-quality TV programming and films. Specializing in producing local stories with global appeal, Gaumont’s current slate includes talent- driven, diverse, and distinctive titles across multiple languages for the world’s leading global streaming platforms and channels: In production for Netflix, the flagship series Narcos, 6th season, F is for Family 5th season, High in the Clouds, the animated feature developed together with Paul McCartney, Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles based on the comic books by Stan Sakai, Barbarians, the period epic drama set in Germany, 2nd season and Arsène Lupin, directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Omar Sy in France, 2nd season. For Amazon Prime Video US, Do Re & Mi with Kristen Bell, El Presidente co-created by Armando Bo and Pablo Larraín in Latin America and the action thriller Totems in France. For Apple TV+ based on the Zen Shorts book series of Jon. J. Muth, Stillwater. Gaumont co-produces and distributes around ten films a year in theaters. The film library encompasses over 1400 titles from prestigious directors such as Louis Malle, Jean-Luc Godard, and more recently, Toledano and Nakache for The Intouchables, the highest- grossing Frenchlanguage movie to date with over $450 million in revenue to date.