The German production grouping Producers' AG (PAG) has taken its first step on the path of its planned international expansion outside of Germany by taking a stake in the Swiss film and TV production house C-FILMS.

"C-FILMS is among the most successful production companies on the Swiss market and also has excellent references here such as the three-part docudrama Die Manns [in coproduction with Bavaria Film]", declared PAG's Chief Executive Officer Friedrich-Carl Wachs.

Founded in 1999 by Peter-Christian Fueter, Edi Hubschmid and Peter Reichenbach, as the successor to the movies-and-series department of Zurich-based Condor Films and C-FILMS in Munich, the new C-FILMS has produced 107 episodes of Switzerland's first weekly soap Luethi & Blanc and was a partner with Alhena Film and GAM Film on Denis Rabaglia Swiss Film Prize-winning Azzuro which registered over 71,000 admissions at the Swiss box-office.

C-FILMS is currently serving as co-producer with Cologne-based Lichtfilm on Ulabritt Horn's documentary A Chinese With The Double Bass

Producers' AG, which was founded in 1999 by the Duesseldorf-based IKB Deutsche Industriebank, the Brandenburg Investment Bank ILB and the Hamburg's Media Venture Beteiligungsgesellschaft, has so far taken stakes in three Munich-based production outfits TV-60 Filmproduktion, MTM Medien- und Television Muenchen, and Hager Moss Film, Cologne-based Zeitsprung, Hamburg's Lichtblick Filmproduktion and Berlin-based box! Film- und Fernsehproduktion and BojeBuck Produktion as well as theatrical distributor Delphi Filmverleih.

In addition, PAG concluded a distribution agreement earlier this year with the world sales company Peppermint to handle the international distribution of films from PAG member companies.

Negotiations are still underway to bring further production companies into the PAG stable, and preparations are in full swing for the creation of two in-house film financing strands.