Biography
Thomas Peter Friedl (born January 3, 1967, in Munich) is a German media entrepreneur and film producer.
He began his career in the film industry in 1989 at the German media company Constantin Film. Friedl served on the board and held the roles of President of Distribution & Marketing and COO of Constantin Film AG until early 2008, after 18 years with the company.
Friedl was responsible for distributing two of the most successful German films: Michael Bully Herbig's Der Schuh des Manitu and (T)Raumschiff Surprise.
As an international distributor, he oversaw productions including the first three Resident Evil films, House of the Spirits, and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. He also managed several Academy Award campaigns, such as Nowhere in Africa (which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2001) and Downfall (nominated for Best Foreign Film in 2005).
In 2008, Friedl joined UFA Cinema, assuming the roles of producer and CEO of its operations.
His producer credits include adaptations of popular children’s and young adult books like Devil's Kickers and The Twins at St. Clare's, as well as the comedy The Theory of Relativity in Love and Sabine Kuegler’s autobiographical bestseller Jungle Child. Other works include thrillers such as The Fourth State, directed by Dennis Gansel, and The Coming Days, the romantic comedy Jesus Loves Me, and The Weekend, based on Bernhard Schlink’s bestseller.
Friedl left UFA Cinema at the end of 2012 to partner with Stefan Arndt, a leading German producer and CEO of X-Filme Creative Pool. Together, they founded The Amazing Film Company (TAF), focusing on commercial English-language feature films for global distribution.
Currently, Friedl is preparing international productions including A Year in the Merde, Honky Tonk Pirates, Prototype, Cathy's Book, and Fatherland—the latter based on the best-selling novels by Robert Harris.
He is a member of both the European and German Film Academies and served for many years as creative director and producer of the German Film Awards. Additionally, Friedl is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the children's charity organization "Artists for Kids," which he co-founded in 1999 with his friend and partner Bernd Eichinger.
