Thoke began his career as an on-air promotion producer for the German broadcaster
RTL 2 and the German-French broadcaster
Arte. From 1996 to 2002, he was part of the management at German production companies
Bavaria Film, TaunusFilm, and CineMedia. At Taunusfilm, he oversaw international production activities, including the Los Angeles office, while at CineMedia, he was involved in film acquisitions such as
What Women Want. During this time, Thoke co-produced
Little Senegal (2001), directed by
Rachid Bouchareb. The film ran in competition at the Berlinale and was Algeria's official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 73rd Academy Awards. He also produced
Lubov and Other Nightmares (Sundance 2002),
Planet B: The Antman, and
Detective Lovelorn and the Revenge of the Pharaoh (both Berlinale 2002). In 2003, Thoke founded the production company Thoke + Moebius Film (TMF) with Axel Moebius. Through TMF, he co-produced several notable arthouse films, including
Apichatpong Weerasethakul's
Tropical Malady, which won the Jury Prize at the
2004 Cannes Film Festival, and
Bruno Dumont's
Twentynine Palms, which received regional funding in Hesse and premiered in competition at Venice 2003. He also co-produced
The Buffalo Boy (Vietnam's Oscar entry) and
The Wedding Chest (Kyrgyzstan's Oscar entry). In 2007, Thoke founded his own production outfit, Mogador Film. Its first major project was ''
Lorna's Silence, directed by the Dardenne brothers, which won Best Screenplay at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. In 2020, he co-produced the Iranian drama There Is No Evil'' (directed by
Mohammad Rasoulof), which won the
Golden Bear at the 70th
Berlin International Film Festival. A 2025 profile by Filmhaus Frankfurt described Thoke's producing approach as that of an "ambassador of world cinema" and a "bridge builder." His recent focus includes co-productions with Asian countries, most notably the Indian refugee drama
The Clouds Woke No Clocks (directed by Aniket Dutta). For this internationally noted project, Thoke's Mogador Film teamed up with Frankfurt-based Stoked Film and renowned Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua (Potocol). The film received production funding of €120,000 from Hessen Film & Medien in 2025. and have won over 250 awards globally. he has served on the jury at the Art Film Fest in Košice, Slovakia, the NDR Film Prize jury at the Nordic Film Days Lübeck, the Džada Film Festival in Montenegro, the LET'S CEE Film Festival in Austria, and the Tamil Nadu Film Festival in India. Additionally, he serves as a jury member for the
German Film and Media Review (FBW) in Wiesbaden, an institution responsible for evaluating films for national certification, and has served on the jury for the
Atelier de Tétouan at the Tétouan Mediterranean Film Festival in Morocco. He has extensive experience as a project consultant and industry expert, appearing at events such as the pitch and feedback sessions at the
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. His tutoring background also includes work with the Producers Network at the Cannes Film Festival, MedaFilmsDevelopment in Marrakech, the Babylon Feature Film Project Development Workshop, and the Rotterdam Lab. Thoke is a member of the
European Film Academy and the Deutsche Filmakademie (German Film Academy). His continuous focus on international collaborations, particularly with Asian countries, was established during the early 2010s at markets like the Indian Film Bazaar. Most recently, this resulted in the production of the Indian refugee drama
The Clouds Woke No Clocks (directed by Aniket Dutta). For this internationally noted project, Thoke's Mogador Film teamed up with Frankfurt-based Stoked Film and renowned Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua (Potocol).
Industry Panels and Workshops Beyond his jury and producing work, Thoke has regularly participated as a consultant, tutor, and panelist at international film markets and industry events. These include the Producers Network at the
Cannes Film Festival, the Rotterdam Lab, MedaFilmsDevelopment in Marrakech, and the Babylon Feature Film Project Development Workshop.
Jury Work == Oscar Submissions ==