Global Screen, a TELEPOOL brand, announces a raft of sales for haunting feature film The Conference, an historically accurate and emotive drama produced for the 80th commemoration day in 2022 of the Wannsee Conference in Berlin, a meeting that had only one item on the agenda: the organization of the systematic mass murder of 11 million European Jews.

The Conference has been acquired by Menemsha Films (North America), Pivot Pictures (Australia), The Klockworx (Japan), Swallow Wings (Taiwan), RAI (Italy), Flins & Piniculas (Spain), Films 4 you (Portugal), Arti Film (Benelux), Edge Entertainment (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland & Baltics), ITI Neovision (Poland), RTV (Slovenia), Italian-speaking Switzerland (RSI) and Red Cape (Israel).

The Conference - At the invitation of Reinhard Heydrich, head of the Reich Main Security Office (which included SiPo, the Gestapo and the Security Service), a meeting was held at midday on 20 January 1942 in the villa at no. 58 Großen Wannsee. It lasted approximately 90 minutes and was attended by representatives of the SS, the Nazi party and several government ministries. There was one item on the agenda: the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question". Heydrich's aim was for his leading role in the deportations to be recognized and to include important ministries and party officials in the preparations for the genocide of European Jews.

In a style that reminds us of a business meeting, the men discussed the contentious issues of authority and jurisdiction for the operation, they made suggestions and raised objections in the interests of their own units, but overall declared themselves willing to cooperate, making these prominent men of the German state apparatus conspirators and accomplices.

Heydrich announced to the participants that on the "prior approval" of Adolf Hitler, all European Jews were to be deported to Eastern Europe.

Adolf Eichmann, Head of the Judenreferat at the Reich Main Security Office, recorded the outcome of the meeting in a set of minutes.  This date, 20 January 1942, was to be the start of a program of deportation of Jewish people from all of German occupied and allied states to the extermination camps in Eastern Europe. Five days after the conference, Heydrich announced that the "preparation measures had been initiated".

Neil Friedman, President, Menemsha Films comments, “The filmmakers' authentic approach to the rendering of this event only underscores how easily this can happen again. This understated approach screams out to all of us to be constantly on "high alert".  Menemsha Films is proud to be working with Julia Weber and the Global Screen team on another world class film from their line-up.”

Julia Weber, Head of Acquisitions & Sales at Global Screen adds, “This is a restrained, dramatic reconstruction of one of the most horrific events of the Third Reich – the technically orchestrated meeting to organize the killing of human beings on an industrial scale. Universally acclaimed by the press, The Conference is a drama that global audiences should be aware of and will watch in disbelief.  Ensuring  nothing like this will happen again  is our first obligation as global citizens.“

Written by Magnus Vattrodt (The Witness House), the film is directed by multiple award-winning Matti Geschonneck (In Times of Fading Light), and produced by Reinhold Elschot (Stolberg, The Dark Valley) and Friederich Oetker (3096 Days, Axoloti Overkill). Filmed on location at Lake Wannsee and in Berlin’s Unionfilm Studios, The Conference is executive produced by Oliver Berben at Constantin Film.

Matti Geschonneck says, “We want to demonstrate what human beings are capable of.  To show how the destruction of the entire Jewish population of Europe was discussed and organized in a soberly factual dialogue.”

Reinhold Elschot adds, “The Wannsee Conference was another step towards the genocide of the Jews of Europe: the minutes on which the film is based show the complete dehumanization of Jews by the Nazi regime.”

Friederich Oetker says, “Our aim is to remind today’s audience of the persecution and murder of European Jews and the role The Conference played in the darkest chapter in German history.”

Global Screen will host two market screenings at upcoming EFM (Sun, Feb 13 @ 4:10pm Virtual Cinema 03 and Mon, Feb 14 @ 11:10am Virtual Cinema 10) and also offers an accompanying 45-min documentary, “The Wannsee Conference – a documentary”, directed by Jörg Müllner.