Munich, January 11, 2022. PANTALEON Films, a wholly owned film production subsidiary of PANTAFLIX AG (GSIN: A12UPJ, ISIN: DE000A12UPJ7), is expanding its Management Board. Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann will become co-managing director of the production company on February 1, 2022, which she will henceforth lead together with the current Managing Directors, Dan Maag and Patrick Zorer. Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann comes from Letterbox Filmproduktion, which is part of the Studio Hamburg Production Group. As a producer and idea generator, her responsibilities there included the six-part event series "Herzogpark" for the streaming portal RTL+.
Before joining Letterbox, Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann was responsible for building up the theatrical production unit at Ziegler Film and realized as producer, among others, the film "Frisch Gepresst", distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Germany, as well as "Mein Blind Date mit dem Leben", distributed by Studio Canal, which sold in over 50 countries. At Constantin Film, where the law graduate was previously Head of film purchasing and international co-productions, Yoko was responsible for theatrical hits such as "Die Kinder des Monsieur Mathieu", "Die Reisen des jungen Che", "Asterix bei den Olympischen Spielen", and the Oscar-winning film "La vie en rose." Earlier stations were Telepool, where she drove international license trading, and Prokino.
Stephanie Schettler-Köhler, COO of PANTAFLIX Management Board: "The entertainment industry is undergoing unprecedented upheaval. The only constant here is that people love stories that excite and captivate them, whether at the cinema, on TV or streaming portals. With Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann, we are gaining an excellently networked producer with a first-class feel for stories that touch people, and the power to bring these stories to the screens and monitors. We are very excited that Yoko will join Dan and Patrick in continuing the success story of our PANTALEON Films."
Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann: "I sincerely thank PANTAFLIX Board members Nicolas Paalzow and Stephanie Schettler-Köhler for the trust they have placed in me. I am very much looking forward to working with PANTALEON Films co-founder Dan Maag, Patrick Zorer and an outstanding team of dedicated and creative colleagues. PANTALEON Films is one of the most dynamic and successful production companies in Europe, with over thirteen million moviegoers and eight number one box office hits to date, as well as international streaming blockbusters such as the current Netflix hit ARMY OF THIEVES. For me, it's an honor and also a commitment to continue this successful DNA of crowd-pleasing stories with this great team – always on the cutting edge."
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Photo credit: PANTALEON Films / Sabine Finger