About

Cocoa Film is a Berlin-based production company founded in 2018. With many years of experience in the international documentary field, Carolin Neubauer and Christian Schidlowski joined forces to realize their vision of a boutique documentary production house.

Cocoa Film stands for high-quality documentary filmmaking. Our hearts beat for the wonders and ambiguities this world has to offer. With outstanding images and strong stories, we aim to create programme that touches the audience on a deeper level.

Team

Christian Schidlowski

Producer, Managing Director

Christian has been working as a documentary filmmaker for more than 20 years. His films have been commissioned by broadcasters such as ARTE, ZDF, WDR, NatGeo, NHK and the Discovery Channel, and sold to more than 30 countries. Aside from his directorial work, he has acted as executive producer and creative director on high-end documentary series for both the German and international market. His recent work includes “Asia from Above”, “The Borderless Sky”, and “Equator – Line of Life”. He studied at the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin and at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York.
www.christian-schidlowski.de

Carolin Neubauer

Co-Founder, Shareholder

Carolin worked for documentary production companies in Munich, Sydney, Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg for over a decade before founding Cocoa Film GmbH with Christian Schidlowski in 2018. Until 2024, she served as managing director of the company. During that time, she headed the production of 14 films for ZDF/Arte and RBB/Arte. She now has moved on to start a new venture in another business area, but still supports the Cocoa team with advice and assistance. Carolin studied Audiovisual Media in Stuttgart and holds a Master’s degree in Media Arts and Production from UTS Sydney.

Sven Heiligenstein

Line Producer, Creative Director

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Films

Thailand – A Festival of Colours

3 x 43 minutes
With ZDF/ARTE, 2020

The turquoise bays of the Andaman Sea, the upiquitous golden Buddha statues, the Safron yellow robes of monks and the lush green of the rice fields: Thailand is a festival of colors. On a three-part journey we discover its large, diverse landscapes. And explore the inner workings of a country that dares to leap into the future but wants to preserve its old beauty. How do nature, progress and traditions go together in Thailand today?

The series will air on ARTE on March 15th and 16th 2021 and will then be available for acquisition outside of Germany and France.

Europe’s Waterways

5 x 43 minutes
With ZDF/ARTE, 2019

This five-part ARTE découverte series features five of the most beautiful European waterways. Traveling along rivers, lakes and alluvial landscapes, we discover hidden habitats of rare animals and plants, and learn about contemporary concepts for a sustainable living with water. The series takes us to France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Holland and Belgium.

The series was broadcasted on ARTE in February 2020. It is now available for acquisition outside of Germany and France. Please contact us or our distributor LGI Media in Melbourne.