On the big screen:
»Shifters« (»Die Düsteren«) (episodes 1 & 2)
(Mystery thriller, miniseries, Germany 2026, 6 × 45 min., ZDFneo; OV with English subtitles; recommended for ages 16+; written by Arne Nolting & Jan Martin Scharf; directed by Lea Becker; produced by Tobias Ketelhut and Andi Wecker, Network Movie)
Followed by a Q&A with Jan Martin Scharf, Professor of Serial Storytelling at the ifs, and Arne Nolting, moderated by Carolin Große Hellmann (ifs), discussing their collaboration on the series, collaborative writing processes, and their work with the students in the international Master’s Programme MA Serial Storytelling.
Questions from the audience are welcome.
Please note: The discussion following the screening will be held in English.
A mysterious tear between dimensions opens on the North Sea island of Kaltenoog, unleashing terrifying beings into our world: twisted alternate versions of people whose lives were shaped by their darkest choices. These sinister doubles are determined to replace their counterparts and claim their lives as their own.
When young Soma (Lisa-Marie Koroll) sets out to uncover the truth about her unknown origins, she is drawn into a nightmare consuming the entire island. People disappear without a trace, families are torn apart, and trust becomes impossible. As more and more mysterious "Shifters" emerge, Soma begins to realise that the key to the mystery may lie within her own past. Together with her friends, she confronts the growing threat of the dark doubles.
Fresh from its premiere at the Hamburg Film Festival, »Die Düsteren/Shifters« is a gripping mystery thriller that explores identity, fate, and the haunting question of whether a life can ever truly be rewritten.
Jan Martin Scharf
For more than 25 years, Jan Martin Scharf has worked successfully as a freelance screenwriter, director and showrunner. Since November 2025, he has been sharing his extensive professional experience with students as Professor of Serial Storytelling at the ifs International Film School Cologne.
After studying film at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, he received a scholarship from the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW to attend the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing in Warsaw. He also received a Nordmedia scholarship for the Lower Saxony Screenwriting Workshop, where he trained as a European Script Consultant.
Alongside numerous episodes of Tatort, he and Arne Nolting developed series and serial productions including Friesland, Wild Republic, Rampensau, and Alphamännchen. Among their greatest successes are Weinberg (Grimme Award Special Prize for Screenwriting and Best Series Concept; nominated for the German Television Award), Club der roten Bänder (International Emmy Award, German Television Award for Best Series, Grimme Award for Children & Youth/Innovation), and Barbarians (which was, for a time, Netflix's most successful non-English-language series).
Arne Nolting
Arne Nolting studied Theatre, Film and Television Studies, German Studies, and Political Science in Marburg and Cologne. Like Jan Martin Scharf, he received a scholarship from the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW to attend the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing and was awarded a scholarship for the Lower Saxony Screenwriting Workshop, including training as a European Script Consultant.
He works as a freelance screenwriter and showrunner.
MA Serial Storytelling
The international Master’s Programme MA Serial Storytelling is the first, and still the only, international master’s programme in Europe dedicated to collaborative series writing. Addressing both national and international television markets, it combines story and concept development with collaborative writers’ room practices and innovative approaches to artistic research.
Students analyse the success factors behind outstanding series and develop original series concepts of their own under the guidance of Professor Jan Martin Scharf and other renowned series creators. The programme culminates in the development and completion of an original series concept and pilot screenplay as a master’s project.
Applications are now open for the next cohort (2027-2029). Learn more at www.serialstorytelling.com.
