Family Business Film combines creative storytelling with innovative animation, creating compelling narratives that merge European and Indian influences. Founded by directors Franziska Schönenberger and Jayakrishnan Subramanian following their award-winning documentary Amma Appa, the studio operates internationally with bases in Munich and Pondicherry. In 2018, Stefanie Ramb joined the team, launching the podcast series Dubai Dreams as a companion to their documentary The Shadows of the Desert, produced by Nominal Film. Franziska led production efforts in India and managed the film’s distribution strategy.
In 2019, the studio produced the ARD-award-winning children’s film Rettai Jadai – The Girl with the Red Ribbons, followed by the social media short film My Mirror in 2020. In 2021, they secured script funding from FFF Bayern for the feature Bride Without Dowry. Their animated documentary Maya’s Song has just been completed, while the hybrid film Invisible Room and the children’s short Mappillai – The Groom are currently in post-production. Their immersive project The G.O.A.T., co-produced with Trampoline Media India, has successfully secured prototype funding.
Within the company, Franziska leads creative production and development, Jayakrishnan oversees post-production and the creative aspects, while Stefanie, specialising in project management, dramaturgy, and sound design, ensures efficient project execution and strategic distribution. As a writers' collective, Franziska, Jayakrishnan, and Stefanie collaboratively develop scripts, drawing from their diverse cultural backgrounds. Their semi-autobiographical novel Swapping Dirndl for Sari, co-written by Franziska and Stefanie, was published by Hoffmann und Campe.
Cinematographer Carla Muresan, who studied in the same year as Franziska at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF), has been a long-standing creative partner of Family Business Film. With a background in fine art, documentary photography, and philosophy, her cinematographic work is marked by an intuitive sensitivity for light, composition, and emotional resonance. She brings a poetic realism to the company’s visual storytelling and has lensed several of its most distinctive films, including My Mirror, The Saraswati of Öttling, Bride Without Dowry, and Mappillai – The Groom. Carla’s ability to translate complex emotions into intimate, textured images makes her a key collaborator in shaping the visual identity of the studio’s hybrid and cross-cultural productions.