# Former Telepool Chief Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann, Filmmaker Mark Wachholz Launch AI Production Company Dreamkite Studios (EXCLUSIVE) > Source: > Published: 2026-09-10 07:00:00+00:00 International media executive and producer [Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann](https://variety.com/t/yoko-higuchi-zitzmann/) and AI filmmaker [Mark Wachholz](https://variety.com/t/mark-wachholz/) have launched [Dreamkite Studios](https://variety.com/t/dreamkite-studios/), a Munich- and Berlin-based AI-native film studio, developing premium films, high-end TV series and IP-based short-form content. Dreamkite will combine generative AI with traditional filmmaking, employing professional directors and actors to create AI-first and hybrid productions. The company said it aims to become “one of the leading European premium film studios at the forefront of the rapidly evolving AI entertainment ecosystem, combining exceptional human storytelling, leading creative talent and a strong focus on European sovereignty and IP library.” ### Popular on Variety Higuchi-Zitzmann, the company’s CEO and founder, is one of Germany’s most internationally experienced media executives and producers. She served as CEO of Telepool, then part of Will Smith’s Westbrook. Before that, she was managing director of Matthias Schweighöfer’s Pantaleon Films and head of international acquisitions, sales and co-productions at Constantin Film. Her career includes internationally successful titles including the Oscar-winning “La Vie En Rose,” “Asterix at the Olympic Games,” “My Blind Date With Life,” which sold to 54 countries, and the RTL+ event series “Herzogpark.” Wachholz, who is chief creative director and co-founder, has worked as a writer across various media and genres for over 20 years, including television, video games and three fantasy novels. In the past three years, he has become a leading creative voice in AI filmmaking. His 2025 AI film “The Cinema That Never Was” attracted attention from leading filmmakers such as Alex Proyas and John Gaeta, and won major international AI film awards, including Grand Prizes at the Omni International AI Film Festival, whose jury was headed by George Miller, and the Artefact AI Film Festival, chaired by Cédric Klapisch. At Dreamkite, Wachholz will “shape the studio’s core creative and aesthetic vision and develop ambitious original projects together with its international network of AI filmmakers and creative talent,” the company said. Higuchi-Zitzmann said: “Human creativity is the most valuable thing we have, and AI is a powerful new tool for outstanding storytelling. Dreamkite Studios brings together exceptional creative talent, premium IP and cutting-edge technology to build a new generation of European entertainment. We want to use this technology responsibly, strengthen European sovereignty and create stories that inspire audiences around the world.” Wachholz added: “A new world needs new stories. We are living in a time of rapid transformation and increasing speculation — about the present, the future, what we thought was true and what we hold dear. Stories are humanity’s way of capturing reality, creating truth and generating meaning. AI technology finally allows us to become much more ambitious, independent, and bold in the worlds we create and the projects we imagine. At Dreamkite, we believe that the future of cinematic storytelling has only just begun.” **CREATIVE TALENT ON BOARD** Dreamkite is developing projects with a network of AI filmmakers, directors and creative technologists – spanning AI filmmaking, animation, directing, commercial and advertisement production and creative technology. These include: Sylvia Nitzsche: A Berlin-based director and creative technologist specializing in AI-supported storytelling. Her work includes projects for clients such as Axel Springer and Universal Music. Albert Bozesan: A Munich-based filmmaker, writer and former head of creative technology at Storybook Studios. His work spans bestselling audio storytelling, animation and AI-based productions, including “Space Vets” and “Tarmac.” Eike Swoboda: A Hamburg-based director and composer, who trained under Wim Wenders. Specializing in AI-generated filmmaking, his work includes the sci-fi epics “Expiration Day” and “Echo Chamber” for Jeff T. Thomas’ Los Angeles AI studio NeoCinema and the folk horror short “It Used to Be Different.” Florian Meimberg: A commercials director and early pioneer of AI-driven filmmaking. After 12 years as a creative director at agencies including BBDO, he developed hybrid AI productions for major brands including Persil and Lidl. Shamila Lengsfeld: A German-Iranian director, AI filmmaker and creative technologist. Her superheroine short film “Blake” is now being developed by Dreamkite as an original series. **PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT** Dreamkite launches with a slate of original AI-native and hybrid projects currently in development. These are: Wachholz’s “Céremony”: A “visually groundbreaking near-future conspiracy feature in a world where the suffering of children is publicly sanitized.” The story will expand the universe and characters of his 2025 short film of the same name, a Top 12 Finalist in the $1 million AI Film Award by 1BFS & Google Gemini. Wachholz’s “The Day the World Prayed”: A high-concept global political thriller in which irrefutable proof that Jesus Christ never existed as a historical figure triggers a worldwide crisis of faith that can only be resolved by his supernatural return to Earth. Developed as a “paradigm-breaking” limited TV show, it will explore the systems and powers behind history, storytelling and religion. Wachholz’s “Children of a Dead Star”: A Cold War sci-fi thriller in which East Germany intercepts an alien message that turns out to be a language virus capable of rewriting human thought and reality. Wachholz was born in East Germany and grew up close to the Berlin Wall. The story will “transform personal experiences into a timely reflection of today’s post-truth world.” Lengsfeld’s “Blake”: A female-led superhero series set in a dystopian sci-fi world, combining action and striking visual storytelling with a powerful story of female and LGBTQ+ representation. One of Dreamkite’s first major projects is the hybrid feature adaptation of the bestselling novel “The Color of Stars” (Die Farbe der Sterne) by Curtis Briggs and Stefan Lukschy. The crime comedy will combine cutting-edge AI filmmaking with outstanding live-action performances by professional actors. Briggs said: “I am thrilled to see ‘The Color of Stars’ enter this new creative dimension. Dreamkite Studios shares our ambition to tell the story at the highest possible level while exploring entirely new cinematic possibilities. I believe this hybrid approach can create something truly unique for audiences around the world.” Further projects will be announced soon, including the AI-animated adaptation of a high-profile bestselling European IP, as well as a cooperation with one of the world’s leading gaming companies, with whom Dreamkite is in advanced talks.