Picture Tree International

Overview

Picture Tree International (PTI) is a Berlin-based international sales agent founded in 2012 by Andreas Rothbauer. The company represents up to 15 audience-driven feature films per year, selling rights to territorial distributors worldwide at Cannes, the Berlinale European Film Market (EFM), Toronto, AFM, and other major markets. PTI operates from Husemannstrasse 7 in Berlin (10435) and can be reached at +49 (0) 30 4208 248-0 or pti@picturetree-international.com.

Co-Managing Directors Andreas Rothbauer and Yuan Rothbauer lead the company. Yuan joined PTI at its founding as Head of Sales and Operations and was appointed Co-Managing Director in 2017. Prior to PTI, she headed the international department at Star Image Media Group (SIMG), one of the first leading theatrical distributors in China, where her acquisition credits included Pan's Labyrinth, Black Book, and Son of the Mask. This China connection gives PTI access to Asian market intelligence and buyer relationships that most European sales agents of comparable size lack.

PTI's core business is worldwide licensing and coproduction across all platforms. The company works closely with producers from early development through financing and release strategy, not just at the finished-film sales stage. This integrated approach allows PTI to help shape projects for international marketability before they are locked, which is a meaningful advantage for producers working on films that need pre-sales or territorial commitments to close financing.

Slate and Market Position

PTI focuses on films with a clear positioning from elevated mainstream to crossover arthouse. The company's catalog spans European arthouse fiction, family films, genre-inflected independent titles, and international co-productions. PTI does not represent pure experimental cinema or films with no theatrical ambition. The programming identity targets films that combine artistic distinction with accessible narrative elements, reflecting a pragmatic sales philosophy: films that are exclusively formally adventurous are harder to sell territorially than films that pair artistic distinction with narrative momentum.

The 2025 EFM slate illustrates this positioning. Old White Man (Simon Verhoeven, Germany) racked up nearly one million admissions domestically since its German premiere in October 2024. Frieda's Case (Maria Brendle, Switzerland) reached number one at the Swiss box office in its first week after release on January 23, 2025, and PTI closed distribution deals for Germany and Austria with Arsenal Filmverleih ahead of the Munich Film Festival, plus deals for Spain (Alfa Pictures), Latin America (Encripta), and Central Europe (HBO Europe). Raptures (Jon Blahed, Sweden/Finland) world-premiered at IFFR Rotterdam and was featured at the Goteborg film market. The Badgers (Paul Magnus Lundo, Norway) is a family adventure film honored at the European Work in Progress event in Cologne. The Prank (Benjamin Heisenberg, Germany) is a family adventure-comedy set for German release in March 2025.

Additional 2025 titles include Hot Girl Summer (Mädchen Mädchen, Germany, theatrical release via Constantin Filmverleih July 3) and Almost Brothers (Ganzer Halber Bruder, Germany, theatrical release via Wild Bunch Germany September 18), both launching at the Munich Film Festival and German Film Previews in Hannover. PTI is also handling first looks at The Stolen Child (Sebastian McKinnon, Canada, a fantasy epic shooting in British Columbia, Iceland, and France) and Hallo Betty (Pierre Monnard, Switzerland, 2025).

Emerging Director Focus

PTI's investment in debut and second features from emerging directors reflects a strategic choice: by representing directors before they reach the visibility of established names, the company builds long-term relationships that can grow into significant careers. This approach carries commercial risk in the short term because debut films are harder to pre-sell than established directors' work, but it creates catalog value and filmmaker loyalty over time.

For emerging directors whose debut feature has secured a Berlinale, Rotterdam, or Locarno selection, PTI is a realistic and receptive sales representation target. The company's willingness to work with directors at an early career stage distinguishes it from sales agents that focus exclusively on established talent. PTI's Berlin base and Berlinale relationships give it natural access to the filmmakers and films most aligned with its catalog identity, though it acquires at all major festivals and markets.

Coproduction and Financing

PTI's integrated business model includes coproduction and financing strategy, not just finished-film sales. The company leverages its market relationships to help producers design financing structures that include pre-sales, territorial commitments, and coproduction partnerships. This means PTI can come aboard a project at the development or financing stage rather than waiting for a finished cut.

For producers, this creates an opportunity to involve a sales agent early enough to shape the project for international marketability. PTI's knowledge of what specific territorial buyers want (German broadcasters, Scandinavian arthouse distributors, Asian theatrical chains) can inform casting decisions, budget structure, and creative choices before the film is locked. The company's China connections through Yuan Rothbauer add a dimension that most European sales agents cannot offer.

What Filmmakers Should Know

PTI is an accessible representation target for emerging and mid-career directors from Europe and internationally whose work has festival credentials in the arthouse or arthouse-genre crossover categories. The company's Berlin base and Berlinale relationships make it most naturally aligned with films that premiere or screen at the Berlinale, though it acquires at all major festivals and markets.

Filmmakers approaching PTI for representation should have clear festival ambitions for their project and a realistic understanding of the international arthouse distribution market. The company's mid-tier scale means it has the relationships to sell to key European, North American, and Asian arthouse distributors, but does not have the leverage of larger sales agents in pre-sale negotiations with major broadcasters. PTI's strength is in targeted territorial sales to specialist distributors rather than broad pre-sale campaigns.

For producers seeking early-stage involvement, PTI's coproduction and financing strategy offers a path beyond the standard finished-film sales model. Contact the company through their website at picturetree-international.com or directly at pti@picturetree-international.com.

Notable Releases

2025: The Prank (Benjamin Heisenberg, Germany), Hot Girl Summer (Germany), Almost Brothers (Germany), The Badgers (Paul Magnus Lundo, Norway), Raptures (Jon Blahed, Sweden/Finland), Hallo Betty (Pierre Monnard, Switzerland), Frieda's Case (Maria Brendle, Switzerland, Oscar-nominated director). 2024: Old White Man (Simon Verhoeven, Germany, nearly 1 million admissions), Divine Remedy (Iceland), The Osha Rule (Spain), The Stolen Child (Sebastian McKinnon, Canada, in production). Back catalog includes Seneca (Robert Schwentke, 2022), Contra (Sonke Wortmann, 2020), Soul of a Beast (Lorenz Merz, 2021), and Mission Ulja Funk (Barbara Kronenberg, 2019).

See Also

For how international sales agents structure pre-sale and territorial deals, see Distribution Deals Explained. For the Berlinale's role as a launch platform for European and international arthouse cinema, see the Film Festivals Directory. For a comparable Berlin-based sales agent focused on documentary, see Rise and Shine World Sales in this directory. For modeling international pre-sale revenue as part of a financing stack, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.