THE MATCH FACTORY: SPANNING THE GLOBE FROM COLOGNE
Michael Weber’s The Match Factory has made a name for itself since 2006 as a sales agent for arthouse productions, including such award-winning titles as WILD by Nicolette Krebitz, PAULA by Christian Schwochow as well as Maren Ade’s exceptional TONI ERDMANN (which Weber’s company has sold to over 100 countries) – all of them having also been funded by the Filmstiftung NRW. The Match Factory has currently taken on world sales for Fatih Akin’s Cannes hit IN THE FADE as well as Margarethe von Trotta’s latest film FORGET ABOUT NICK (the German release is in December). There is hardly an international festival in world where The Match Factory films are not presented, whether it is in Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance or San Sebastian. The company also handles the sales for Aki Kaurismäki’s complete works and selected titles by Jim Jarmusch.
The Cologne-based company also acts as a co-producer (under the moniker of Match Factory Productions) for numerous Filmstiftung NRW-funded films such as JUPITER’S MOON by Kornél Mundruczó, which had its world premiere in competition in Cannes this year. EL OLIVO by Icíar Bollaín and the drama ROSEMARI by Sara Johnsen were also co-produced by Match Factory Productions and funded by the Filmstiftung NRW. The focus of the production company, which Michael Weber founded together with Viola Fügen in 2013, is on high-quality arthouse cinema – just like those titles which The Match Factory also represents as a world sales agent.