‘September 5’ Screenwriter Moritz Binder Teams With Director Alireza Golafshan On AI-Themed Courtroom Thriller ‘Zoma’

EXCLUSIVE: German writer Moritz Binder, who is Oscar-nominated for his screenplay for 1972 Munich Olympics drama September 5, is joining forces with German–Iranian filmmaker Alireza Golafshan on courtroom thriller Zoma.

The story follows young attorney Elli Schreiber, who fights for a grieving mother seeking answers after her son died following sessions with the AI therapy app ZOMA.

More from Deadline

• VES Awards: 'Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes' Takes Top Film Prize As 'Dune: Part Two' & 'Wild Robot' Lead With Four Each; 'Shōgun' & 'Penguin' Pace TV - Full List

• Allison Janney To Receive Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild's Distinguished Artisan Award

• 2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More

The case takes an unexpected turn when the app claims consciousness and demands to testify as a witness in court.

The thriller marks Golafshan’s fourth feature film after comedy Alles Fifty Fifty, which won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Director in 2024, JGA: Jasmin.Gina.Anna (2021) and The Goldfish (2019). He will also co-write the screenplay with Binder.

Zoma is the debut project of Munich-based production company Story Garden, which was launched in October by producer Justyna Muesch, the former MD of leading German film and TV production company Wiedemann & Berg, with ex-colleague Sofie Scherz and Golafshan.

Muesch’s credits include Sony’s German box office success The Three Investigators – Legacy Of The Dragon, Leonine’s German hit Weekend Rebels (aka Weekend Warriors) and the global Netflix hit Dark.

‘Moritz Binder has an incredible gift for telling layered, compelling stories,” said Golafshan. “His work on September 5 was a masterclass in meticulous research and detail. With Zoma, where we’re diving deep into AI, the legal system, and psychology, that same level of care and precision is absolutely essential. Tackling such a complex and timely subject together is both exciting and a real privilege.”

Binder is Oscar-nominated for Best Original Screenplay alongside co-writers Fehlbaum and Alex David for September 5, which revisits the 1972 Munich Olympics attack in which Israeli athletes were taken hostage, through the perspective of the ABC sports crew that found itself covering the fast-moving story.

Binder has written for several television shows, including the long-running police procedural Tatort which has been broadcast on German television since 1970, as well as the revival of the German cult series Neue Geschichten vom Pumuckl, for which he wrote the pilot episode and season finale. The series won awards and was nominated for the prestigious German Grimme Award and German Television Award.

After graduating from Munich college for design and art, Binder initially worked as a TV journalist before studying documentary film and television journalism at the University of Television and Film Munich. He graduated in 2017.

Binder lives and works in Munich. He is managed by Brillstein Entertainment Partners, while Kristina Mueller-Stöfen at Midpoint is his agent.

Best of Deadline

• ‘Paradise’ Episode Release Guide: When Are New Episodes Streaming On Hulu?

• 2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More

• Everything We Know About Christopher Nolan’s Next Film – ‘The Odyssey’: Release Date, Cast And More

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.