GAUMONT PARTNERS WITH ANNETTE HESS TO DEVELOP “THE GERMAN HOUSE” ADAPTATION

Gaumont has announced a partnership with award-winning writer and producer Annette Hess for the development of bestseller adaptation “The German House.” “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," 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.”

Gaumont Germany recently produced the international popular series "Barbarians" for Netlfix with a second season in preparation. The film adaptation of Benedikt Gollhardt’s novel "Westwall" as a miniseries for ZDF and the series "The Wasp" for SKY International are also in the works.

Annette Hess received the ‘Grimme-Preis’, or 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 established. She also contributed to the remake of "Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo" as a series for the streaming service Amazon Prime. “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," Hess said."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."

The German House tells the coming-of-age story of a young woman against the 1960s post -World War II Frankfurt atmosphere.  The twenty-four-year- old who’s life takes an unexpected turn when she is hired as a translator for the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials. She must now fight dark truths and decide whether to use her power of voice and knowledge.