German Films Quarterly

CoverGFQ4_2016_Proof.qxp_Layout 1 21.09.16 15:35 Seite 1 GFQ GERMAN FILMS QUARTERLY

SPECIAL ISSUE: ANIMATION & VFX

DIRECTORS Toby Genkel & Ansgar Niebuhr PRODUCERS Studio Soi & Trixter ACTOR Kostja Ullmann ISSUE 4-2016 S.02-03_Anz_ACTRESS_CAMPAIGN_Layout 1 23.09.16 16:41 Seite 1

Paula saskia lilith

Beer rosendahl STANGENBERG

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sandra julia liv lisa Hüller jentsch fries © German Films/Mathias Bothor/The Dream Factory S.04_Contents_GFQ_4_2016_Layout 1 26.09.16 12:50 Seite 1

CONTENTS GFQ 4-2016

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GFQ 4-2016 CONTENTS IN T H I S I S S U E

SPECIAL REPORT & PORTRAITS  NEW SHORTS

ANIMATION & VFX IN GERMANY ...... 6 AM ENDE DER WALD WHERE THE WOODS END Felix Ahrens ...... 36 “IT’S A HIGH-PRESSURED SYSTEM” A portrait of director Toby Genkel ...... 14 AYNY Ahmad Saleh ...... 36 PULLING THE ELEMENTS TOGETHER A portrait of director Ansgar Niebuhr ...... 15 ETAGE X Francy Fabritz ...... 37 SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT A portrait of Studio Soi ...... 16 INVENTION OF TRUST Alex Schaad ...... 37 FOCUSED AND KEEN TO EXPAND A portrait of Trixter ...... 17 SEVINCE WHEN YOU LOVE Süheyla Schwenk ...... 38 START SMALL AND CARRY ON A portrait of actor Kostja Ullmann ...... 18  UPCOMING FILMS NEWS & NOTES ...... 20 BIBI & TINA – TOHUWABOHU TOTAL  NEW FEATURES Detlev Buck ...... 39

DOLORES HANNI & NANNI 2016 Michael Rösel ...... 26 Isabell Šuba ...... 39

FAMILIE VERPFLICHTET KEN – THE MOVIE FAMILY COMMITMENTS Hanno Olderdissen ...... 27 Claudia Rorarius ...... 39

DIE HÄSCHENSCHULE – JAGD NACH DEM GOLDENEN EI LOMMBOCK RABBIT SCHOOL – GUARDIANS OF THE GOLDEN EGG Christian Zübert ...... 40 Ute von Münchow-Pohl ...... 28 PLAYING GOD RICHARD THE STORK Karin Jurschick ...... 40 Toby Genkel, Reza Memari ...... 29 DAS PUBERTIER – DER FILM ROBBI, TOBBI UND DAS FLIEWATÜÜT Leander Haußmann ...... 40 ROBBY & TOBY’S FANTASTIC VOYAGER Wolfgang Groos ...... 30 ROCK MY HEART Hanno Olderdissen ...... 41 SIMPEL Markus Goller ...... 31 UNTER DEUTSCHEN BETTEN Jan Fehse ...... 41 DIE VAMPIRSCHWESTERN 3 – REISE NACH TRANSSILVANIEN VAMPIRE SISTERS 3 – JOURNEY TO TRANSYLVANIA Tim Trachte ...... 32 Shareholders & Supporters ...... 44  NEW DOCUMENTARIES Film Exporters ...... 46 ER SIE ICH HE SHE I Carlotta Kittel ...... 33 Imprint ...... 47

FOUR PASSPORTS Mihajlo Jevtić ...... 33

NICHT OHNE UNS! NOT WITHOUT US! Sigrid Klausmann ...... 34

SEHNSUCHT NACH MYANMAR TO BE WITH YOU – MY FAMILY IN MYANMAR Seng Mai ...... 34

ZWISCHEN DEN STÜHLEN TO BE A TEACHER Jakob Schmidt ...... 35

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SPECIAL REPORT GFQ 4-2016 KNIGHT RUSTY (courtesy of Sola Media) Sola of (courtesy RUSTY KNIGHT

ANIMATION & VFX IN GERMANY

hile the first German anima- Another key figure from the silent movie era the development of the experimental film tion films were made before was the avant-garde animator and painter move ment in America. the First World War, the first Oskar Fischinger, who experimented with Wanimator to command an in- photographing multiple forms such as ANIMATION UNDER THE SWASTIKA ternational reputation was Lotte Reiniger, melt ing wax, cardboard cutouts and swirling who became famous for her silhouette films liquids. He worked at the UFA studios in Meanwhile, back home under the Nazis, there created from back-lit paper cut-outs. She Babels berg on special effects for Fritz Lang’s was little chance of German animators being made her first animation film – THE ORNA- silent science fiction film WOMAN IN THE able to explore new artistic channels in the MENT OF THE LOVESTRUCK HEART – in MOON (1928) and also received commissions new climate, although Josef Goebbels’ Film 1919, while her 1926 classic THE ADVENTU- from the advertising industry. While Ministry ordered those filmmakers who had RES OF PRINCE ACHMED is regarded by Fischinger’s work earned him increasing remained in Germany to step up their produc- many as the first ever feature-length anima- inter national attention, the Nazis, however, tion and concentrate on animation features tion film consisting of 250,000 single images. did not share this enthusiasm, declaring his which could be released in the cinemas. In addition to shooting experimental shorts work to be “degenerate“ in 1936. Forced to and silhouette films from the late 1920s to leave his native Germany, he made a new Hans Fischer – also known as Fischerkoesen the mid-1930s, Reiniger also worked on sil- home in Los Angeles, working for such – directed and produced animated fairy- houette sequences for such live-action fea - studios as Paramount, MGM and Walt Disney tale fantasies such as WEATHER-BEATEN tures as Georg Wilhelm Pabst’s DON QUIXOTE (he was responsible for the memorable scene MELODY (1942), SNOWMAN (1943), and THE (1933) and Jean Renoir’s LA MARSEILLAISE of broomsticks marching in goose-step style SILLY GOOSE (1944) which were regarded by (1937) before emigrating to Great Britain in in THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE episode of many as being on a par with the productions 1936 where she lived and worked until 1980. the 1940 classic FANTASIA) and spearheaded from Walt Disney. After the war, he resumed

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GFQ 4-2016 SPECIAL REPORT

his career, working on commissions for the POST-WAR YEARS 1962 also saw Hamburg-based Helmut advertising industry with shorts for such Herbst establish his animation studio Cine- brands as Aral, Haribo and AfriCola, and is After 1945, Germany was flooded with ani - grafik to work on animation sequences for in- also credited as being the creator of the mas- mated films from the US, particularly from dustrial films and TimeLife as well as cot for public broadcaster Hessischer Rund- Walt Disney. After living under 12 years of the promotional trailers for the Third Channel of funk, the cartoon seal known as “Uncle Otto“. Nazi terror and excluded from the latest films public broadcaster NDR. Herbst subsequently (and music) from across the Atlantic, the also served as the producer for such indepen- As Jennifer Lynde Barker notes in her essay Germans were naturally keen to catch up on dent filmmakers as Hellmuth Costard and on Fischerkoesen in the 1950s for the book the pleasures forbidden them by the Nazis Harun Farocki as well Franz Winzentsen, a accompanying the Locarno Film Festival’s and this included films from Hollywood. collaborator at Cinegrafik, who made many Beloved and Rejected retrospective dedicated animation films for children’s TV schedules to the cinema in the young Federal Republic As Albrecht Ade, the founder of Stuttgart’s in- at NDR and WDR, including HIN- UND of Germany from 1949 to 1963, “Germany’s ternationally renowned animation festival, RÜCKFAHRT (1984/5) and TELEFONFIEBER Walt Disney“ was adept at tapping into inter- pointed out in a publication celebrating the (1984/5) and continues to make short anima- national trends of animation from filmmakers new generation of animators in the mid- ted films, combining the functions of director, as diverse as Disney, the Fleischer brothers, 1980s, Disney and other studios set the screenwriter, camera, animation and produ- Norman McLaren, Claire Parker and Ladislav agenda from the 1950s as far as the German cer, among others, under one hat. Starewicz for his own work. audiences’ tastes for animation were con - cerned. In the 1950s, German animators CURT LINDA Meanwhile, the three Diehl brothers – Paul, flourish ed mainly in the world of advertising Hermann and Ferdinand – concentrated on – and also produced shorts for the West The first German feature-length film in puppet animation based on fables and fairy- German election campaigns in 1957 and color – the Erich Kästner adaptation DIE tales after initially starting out in classical 1961. KON FERENZ DER TIERE – was produced in animation and silhouette films (their short 1969 by Curt Linda who had set up his own THE CALIPH STORK was inspired by the work animation studio, Linda-Film Produktion, in of Lotte Reiniger and based on the fairytale by December 1961 and won a Film Ribbon in Wilhelm Hauff). Their greatest success came Silver at the German Film Awards in 1967 for

with the films around the figure of the hedge - THE OBERHAUSEN GENERATION his satirical short DER SPEZIALIST. While he hog “Mecki“ who first appeared unnamed was mainly occupied in the 1970s on pro - with his eternal rival, the hare, in the short Meanwhile, a number of animators – Wolf- ducing animated TV series such as SEN - WETTLAUF ZWISCHEN HASE UND IGEL, gang Urchs, Boris von Borresholm – were SATIONEN UNTER DER ZIRKUSKUPPEL based on the Aesop’s fable, in 1938. After the among the group of filmmakers who signed (1971/74) and OPERA PRESTO (1976/77), war, “Mecki“ became a household name, the Oberhausen Manifesto in February 1962. Linda enchanted generations of German spawning numerous stop-motion animation Urchs had made GARDEN GNOMES the pre- children with such features as SHALOM films and books as well as a flood of toys vious year, spotlighting the social aspects of PHARAO (1982), HAROLD UND DIE GEISTER when the figure was licensed to the renowned life in the young Federal Republic, and fol - (1988, with live-action se quences), and DAS German stuffed-animal manufacturer Steiff. lowed with highly political shorts like DIE KLEINE GESPENST (1992), based on Otfried In addition, the loveable hedgehog was the PISTOLE (1963) and KONTRASTE (1964). Preußler’s popular children’s book. star of a weekly comic strip in the HörZu list ings magazine for a quarter of a century However, it was over two decades before he He closed the doors to his studio after from 1951. Based in their studio on the out - produced his first feature-length animation completing one last feature, DIE KLEINE skirts of Munich, the Diehls made more than film, IN DER ARCHE LIEGT DER WURM ZAUBER FLÖTE, inspired by Mozart’s opera, in 60 films, some combining puppet animation (known as STOWAWAY IN THE ARK in the US), 1998. Three years later, the German Film with live-action, and over 100 commercials which was released in the cinemas in 1987 Awards presented an honorary award to the until 1970. and followed this three years later with veteran animator in recognition of his out- PETER CHENS MONDFAHRT. standing services to German cinema. Linda and his team were praised for wanting to offer an alternative to the “American style of

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SPECIAL REPORT GFQ 4-2016

WERNER (courtesy of Senator Film) THE LITTLE POLAR BEAR (courtesy of Rothkirch Cartoon Film)

over-dynamic movements and the mad hectic cluding Rolf Losansky’s EIN SCHNEEMANN of the unemployed biker and his beer-swilling pace of the characters“ with imaginative IN AFRIKA (1977) and Hannelore Unter- mates to the big screen, with the first film, stories, the soft and gentle approach and berg’s KONZERT FÜR BRATPFANNE UND WERNER – BEINHART (1990), attracting care ful drawing. ORCHESTER (1976). some 5.4 million German cinemagoers.

DEFA STUDIO FOR ANIMATED FILM Known for her distinctive graphic style of ball- This spawned a highly successful film point drawings and parable-like stories, franchise – naturally with all kinds of mer- A parallel animation scene developed in the Hamacher was behind such artistically chal- chandising tie-ins – consisting of WERNER – former German Democratic Republic (GDR): lenging and politically non-conformist works EAT MY DUST (1996), WERNER – VOLLES the DEFA Studio for Animated Film was as KONTRASTE (1982) and THE SOLUTION ROÄÄÄ!!! (1999), WERNER – GEKOTZT WIRD founded in Dresden in 1955, producing mostly (1988). SPÄTER (2003) and, the last outing to date, children’s and family films as well as, on WERNER – EISKALT!, directed by veteran occasion, adult satires and artistic films. The Ratz has directed more than 60 films, in - cinematog rapher Gernot Roll in 2011. studio became a gathering place for artists cluding the internationally successful series from a variety of related disciplines, including FILOPAT AND PATOFIL (1962/68) as well as Another successful comic book property, graphic design, commercial graphics, pup - the feature-length films THE FLYING WIND- Walter Moers’ Little Asshole, was brought to petry and information films as well as pro- MILL (1981) and THE TRACE LEADS TO THE the cinema by Schaack in 1997 and became duction groups specializing in puppet SILVER LAKE (1990), a puppet animation one of the most successful domestic theatri- animation films, silhouette films and the version of a classic Western based on the Karl cal releases of that year with over 3 million classic 2-cell animation. Over 2,000 films May novel The Treasure in the Silver Lake. admissions. were made for the cinema, television and other institutions until 1990. Short films were Following the closure of the DEFA Studio, At the same time, Hahn and Schaack re - made each year for the Children’s General 1993 saw the German Federal Archive en - mained true to the animation industry’s core Program to be shown to kindergarten and trusting the German Institute for Animated audience – now known as family entertain- nursery school groups, while others served Film (DIAF) in Dresden with the studio’s ment – by producing feature films based on as supporting films before the main features estate and legacy. In addition to more than the children classics Pippi Langstrumpf and in the cinemas. 2,000 film prints, the DIAF also archives an Das doppelte Lottchen or TV series centered extensive collection of film-related materials around such characters as Benjamin Writing in Animation: A World History, and documents, particularly from the field of Blümchen, Bibi Blockberg and Urmel. Giannalberto Bendazzi observed: “The East German animated film. A permanent studio’s work was often described as spoon- exhibition was opened by the Institute in 2002 BRANDS AND CLASSICS feeding, as it had to comply with socialist on the complete works of the DEFA Studio for realism. Puppets and cartoon characters Animated Films at the Dresden Technical Moreover, the German outpost of US major could not be too aloof. They had to be as Museum. studio Warner Bros. played an important role natural as possible so they were not associ - in co-producing and/or distributing locally- ated with the negative rating, ’Formen - GERMAN ANIMATION GOES ADULT made animation from the end of the 1990s on hascherei’, (meaning, straining after formal such titles as Munich Animation Film’s up- effects). Intervention, control and eavesdrop- German animated feature films had traditio- dated version of the Bremen Town Musicians ping at the studio lasted till the end of the nally been targeted at children, but this in THE FEARLESS FOUR, or the late Thilo East German regime.“ changed at the beginning of the 1990s thanks Graf Rothkirch’s THE LITTLE POLAR BEAR to two producer-directors, Gerhard Hahn and and LAURA’S STAR franchises. Among the studio’s leading figures were the Michael Schaack, who had set up their late Kurt Weiler, Sieglinde Hamacher and animation studios in the previous decade in In recent years, Universum Film has joined Günter Rätz. Weiler – who received the DEFA Berlin and Hamburg, respectively, when Warner Bros. as one of the key distribution/ Foundation’s Award for Services to German they decided to try their hand at more “adult“ production partners for German animators, Cinema in 2004 – was known for his puppet subjects. building up such brands as COCONUT animation on such films as DIE GESCHICHTE THE LITTLE DRAGON, RAVEN THE LITTLE VON KALIF STORCH (1984) as well as provid - They joined forces with Rötger “Brösel“ Feld- RASCAL, MAYA THE BEE MOVIE, and ing the animated sequences for productions mann, the mastermind behind the cult KNIGHT RUSTY. at the DEFA Studio for Feature Films, in - Werner comic strips, to bring the adventures

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A third home for German animation, Constan- However, as Akkord Film’s Dirk Beinhold ment,“ Beinhold explains. “At this stage, we tin Film, the distributor of the WERNER films, notes, “the volume of animated production only develop simple 2D designs in order to co-produced and distributed the 3D anima- out of Germany is relatively low, and budgets avoid design and technology dictating con- tion films IMPY’S WONDERLAND (2008), ANI- are modest in comparison with France or the tent. It is only then that we start modelling MALS UNITED (2010), and the family action UK.“ He produced two 2D-animated feature our characters to serve the story. Nowadays, drama TARZAN (2013). films – RAVEN THE LITTLE RASCAL 1 & 2 – 3D/CG animation like RABBIT SCHOOL sells with budgets of around $5 million each, which almost ten times better in the rest of the ANIMATION AND VFX MADE were raised from within Germany alone. “But world than 2D animation. However, German- IN GERMANY TODAY this is the exception, the budgets were rela - speaking countries and territories like France tively low, and 2D animated features are not still appreciate 2D animated features like our According to the European Audiovisual Ob- as attractive internationally anymore,“ he re- RAVEN THE LITTLE RASCAL.“ servatory’s recent study Mapping the Ani - ports. mation Industry in Europe commissioned by Meanwhile, Trixter’s Michael Coldewey points the European Commission, Germany ranked “At Akkord Film, we work very hard to adapt out that German animation nowadays tends fourth in the European Union in production our local brands like the upcoming CG- to be filed under the ’childrens film’ label capacity with 20 animation features released animated feature film RABBIT SCHOOL – whereas the US productions à la Pixar are al- theatrically between 2010 and 2014. These in- GUARDIANS OF THE GOLDEN EGG, which is ways regarded as ’family entertainment’ and cluded such films as ANIMALS UNITED, based on a traditional German Easter book, also attract adult cinemagoers who wouldn’t LAURA’S STAR, and PRINCESS LILLIFEE AND into internationally appealing family enter- necessarily go to see a German animated THE LITTLE UNICORN. tainment by spending years on story develop- feature. “There was a change with films like WERNER and LITTLE ASSHOLE when the TOP 10 GERMAN ANIMATION FILMS BY ADMISSIONS IN GERMANY – 2010-2014 German animation scene found a niche to attract adults to its films, but this develop- TITLE DIRECTOR DISTRIBUTOR ADMISSIONS YEAR ment didn’t last,“ he recalls. 1 ANIMALS UNITED Reinhard Klooss, Constantin Film 1,514,087 2010 Holger Tappe Tania Reichert-Facilides agrees that German animation feature films are invariably based 2 MAYA THE BEE MOVIE Alexas Stadermann Universum Film 763,807 2014 on existing brands and targeted specifically at 3 PRINCESS LILLIFEE AND Ansgar Niebuhr, Universum Film 626,097 2011 young children. “For example, you won’t see THE LITTLE UNICORN Hubert Weiland a teenager going to see COCONUT THE LITTLE DRAGON,“ she says. From 1998 to 4 KNIGHT RUSTY – Thomas Bodenstein, Universum Film 610,215 2012 2010, Reichert-Facilides had been the CEO of YESTERDAY’S HERO RECYCLED Hubert Weiland, Nina Wels the video distributor Universum Film, over-

5 RAVEN THE LITTLE RASCAL Ute von Münchow-Pohl, Universum Film 486,481 2012 seeing the expansion of its operations into Sandor Jesse DVD and theatrical distribution and handling the releases of such animation features as 6 WERNER – EISKALT! Gernot Roll Constantin Film 438,056 2011 PRINCESS LILLIFEE, MOONBEAM BEAR and THE FLIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. In 2013, 7 DER 7BTE ZWERG Boris Aljinovic, Universal Pictures 412,286 2014 Harald Siepermann she then set up her Munich-based boutique outfit Freebird Pictures in 2013 to focus on 8 LAURA’S STAR Thilo Rothkirch, Warner Bros. 373,807 2011 the production and distribution of films and Ute von Münchow-Pohl series for audiences from pre-school to ap- proximately 12 years with such credits as 9 COCONUT THE LITTLE Hubert Weiland, Universum Film 349,687 2014 MOLLY MONSTER and OOOPS! NOAH IS DRAGON Nina Wels GONE... 10 RABBIT WITHOUT EARS Til Schweiger, Warner Bros. 307,534 2013 AND TWO-EARED CHICK Maya Gräfin Rothkrich

Source: OBS Lumiere, Strasbourg

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DIVERSE LANDSCAPE Studio Soi (see accompanying portrait) as “German broadcasters do not invest enough well Luxx Studios (GRAND BUDAPEST money in German animated TV series pro - Many of the animation studios and VFX HOTEL, INDEPENDENCE DAY 2), Mackevision ductions, while spending large amounts on houses may still be based like their live- (GAME OF THRONES), and Pixomondo (A purely foreign acquisitions that are not even action colleagues in the traditional “produc- GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD, GRIMM). co-productions with German producers,“ Dirk tion triangle“ of Munich, Hamburg and Berlin, Beinhold explains. but the development of Germany’s patchwork The animation and VFX sectors have also of regional film funds and rapid advances in been nurtured as North Rhine-Westphalia Studio Film Bilder’s founder and CEO Tho- technology mean that there are important developed into a significant media hub over mas Meyer-Hermann acknowledges that te- players operating in every corner of Germany. the last 25 years – with such players as levision continues to be his company’s most Cologne’s TrickStudio Lutterbeck (MOLLY important client or cooperation partner, but Nowadays, you are just as likely to find a MONSTER) and Düsseldorf-based Lavalabs notes that interest in German animation is studio based in Halle, Düsseldorf or Hanover, Moving Images (MULLEWAPP – A PIG’S TAIL). “relatively weak“ at both the private and pu- away from the main centers – while the Stutt- blic broadcasters “which can be deduced gart area has developed into a veritable Further north, Ulysses Filmproduktion and from the program shares.“ magnet for animators and VFX artists thanks Studio Rakete in Hamburg collaborated on to Baden-Württemberg’s long-standing sup- the animation features NIKO 2 – LITTLE Indeed, the European Audiovisual Obser - port for this sector through the MFG film fund BROTHER, BIG TROUBLE and OOOPS! NOAH vatory’s Focus on Animation report in 2015 and the various film schools and other IS GONE..., while Sunita Struck’s Anima- cited data from ROVI International to show institutions of higher education in the region. tionsfabrik is a partner on the international that there is little German animation on the animadoc ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE with nation’s children’s TV channels like KiKA, The German capital is home to such estab - partners from Spain, Poland and Belgium, SuperRTL or Junior. In 2013, the market lished animation studios as Hahn Film and and Trikk 17 began as a stop-motion studio share came out at 14.6%, compared to 49.8% Cartoon Film as well as such players as before expanding into a full-service facility. for other animation from other EU countries MovieBrats, The Big-B Animation, and Picta- and 35.6% from non-EU territitories, while gon, and is a base for leading VFX houses – Elsewhere, Halle is home to Tony Loeser’s animation ’made in Germany’ garnered only a from Celluloid VFX (whose credits include the Motionworks (MULLEWAPP – A PIG’S TAIL), 11.4% slice of the cake in the schedules of the UNDERWORLD franchise and CRANK 2) Wiesbaden to NFP Animation and the iconic main TV channels.

through RiseFX (CAPTAIN AMERICA, HARRY Little Mainzmen characters who appear on As Reichert-Facilides points out, one of the POTTER AND THE DEATHLY SHALLOWS) to ZDF in the early evenings six days a week, challenges currently facing the German an outpost of ARRI Media (with its head - Frankfurt is the center of operations for Jan animation sector is the “signifcant reduction“ quarters in Munich and other branches in Bonath’s Scopas Medien (producing the in the financing from the broadcasters for Cologne, Halle, and Frankfurt) and Exozet Oscar®-winning Lauenstein brothers’ first animation series. “There are many rea- (CLOUD ATLAS) on the Babelsberg studio lot. animation feature MARNIE’S WORLD), and sons for this,“ she explains, “such as the Hanover a base for Ambient Entertainment existence of thematic channels, lower Meanwhile, in Munich, you will find such key (whose CGI features include TARZAN and budgets and the move to more international players as Caligari Film (behind such suc- ANIMALS UNITED) and Alexandra Schatz productions.“ cessful brands as PRINCESS LILLIFEE and Filmproduktion, a partner studio for the MOONBEAM BEAR) and Trixter (see accom- MOLLY MONSTER pre-school TV series and However, the involvement of television and the panying portrait) as well as the three times feature film. online portals play a crucial role in estab - Oscar®-nominated ScanlineVFX which won lishing brands with the young viewers. the Technical Achievement Academy Award® TV AS PARTNER in 2008 for its in-house fluid effects software “Flowline“. The global appeal of animation means that INTERNATIONAL CO-PRODUCTIONS producers can look beyond Germany’s bor- Moving westwards to the Stuttgart region, the ders to finance their projects, but expecting International co-production for the financing cluster of animation/VFX companies located German TV to be a reliable and long-term of animated feature films is “definitely indis- there include Studio Film Bilder, the Caligari partner seems to be increasingly illusory, pensable“, according to Moviebrats’ Alexander Film subsidiary Traffix Entertainment and according to some companies. Weimer, “to be able to provide state-of-the-

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GFQ 4-2016 SPECIAL REPORT

art animation which is defined by the major (2015) and the Benelux (2014). The workshop the shows and features where they can use studio productions. The budgets are con- was also used as the launchpad for the latest and develop their creative and technical stantly on the rise in independent animation edition of the Animation Made in Germany skills. German or European productions have as well, even though it is still way below the brochure showcasing animation companies very limited budgets most of the time and the price tag of typical studio features. But it’s working out of Germany (available as a challenge is to find solutions to match their nearly impossible to raise those funds from download from Producers Alliance and AG budgets. For US productions, it is often the Germany alone, so co-production usually is Animationsfilm websites – www.produzen- case that the challenge is to be able to do the the only option – and it also provides access tenallianz.de or www.ag-animationsfilm. work.“ to a wider network of artists and talents,“ he com). observes. TRAINING Other networking opportunities are offered by Akkord Film’s Dirk Beinhold, who is currently the German Reception at the Annecy Anima- Animation was high on the agenda when the producing the RAVEN THE LITTLE RASCAL TV tion Film Festival and the Animation Produc- Ludwigsburg-based Filmakademie Baden- series with the French production house 2Mi- tion Day (APD) during Stuttgart’s Festival of Württemberg was founded in 1991 by nutes and additional service providers in Animation Film (IFTS). At APD’s 2016 edition, Albrecht Ade, who served as the artistic China and Canada, points out that co-pro - around 140 participants from 18 different director until 2000 and had also been behind duction is a natural state of affairs for the countries discussed cooperations for the the launching of the Stuttgart Festival of Ani- European animation industry with such insti- 39 selected animation projects with a total mated Film (IFTS) in 1982. This particular tutionalized co-production platforms as the production volume of over 500 million euros focus received another extra boost when the CARTOON Forum and Movie events as well as in over 600 one-to-one meetings. academy then launched its own Institute of Animation Production Day during Stuttgart’s Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Post - Festival of Animated Film (IFTS). VFX IN GERMANY production in 2002 with courses to train concept artists, animation and effects direc- “Co-production plays an important role par- “From the creative and technical perspective, tors/producers, character animators and ef- ticularly when it’s a case of putting bigger German VFX are on a top level comparable fects artists as well as technical directors. budgets together,“ Freebird Pictures’ Tania with first-class international VFX studios,“ In 2014, the animation platform Animation Reichert-Facilides agrees, although she says Heiko Burkardsmaier, Head of Busi- Career Review ranked the Institute for Anima- points out that Germany has “a clear dis- ness & Legal Affairs at Stuttgart-based tion as one of the five best animation schools

a dvantage in a European context“ in not Mackevision Medien Design. He points to the worldwide. Over the years, numerous prizes having a tax incentive scheme for production fact that Trixter and Rise FX are currently ven- at German and international festivals have like most other European countries. dors for Marvel Studios blockbusters such as gone to the institute’s students including CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and GUARD - Verena Fels (MOBILE), Moritz Mayerhofer Nevertheless, in her position as a board IANS OF THE GALAXY 2, while Scanline, Luxx (URS) and Kasia Wilk (BEAR ME), while Steve member of the Animation Section at the Ger- and Mackevision joined these two companies Bache, Mahya Goudarzi, and Louise Peter’s man Producers Alliance – Film & Television, on producing effects for INDEPENDENCE DAY animated documentary EYE FOR AN EYE was she has been instrumental in organizing plat- – RESURGENCE. In addition, Mackevision one of the three titles nominated in the ’Best forms to bring German animation studios to- has been one of the biggest vendors for the Foreign Animation’ category for the Student gether with potential production partners. internationally popular GAME OF THRONES Oscar®. TV series since 2013, and Scanline’s name This September saw the staging of the third can be found in the closing credits as one In addition, one of this year’s graduates, US- edition of the “German-European Alliances in of the VFX wizards working on Timur born Andreas Feix, saw his graduation film Animation” workshop at the beginning of the Bekmambetov’s BEN HUR. CITIPATI among the five films nominated in Cartoon Forum in Toulouse where German the Short and Animation Films category for representatives from the industry and their With only very few VFX-laden productions the 2016 First Steps Awards. international counterparts discussed per- originating from Germany, the VFX houses spectives, trends and opportunities in anima- here “need to work on international pro - Meanwhile, the achievements of the ani - tion. The focus region for 2016 was the UK ductions from US studios in order to survive mation students at Cologne’s Academy of and Ireland, after the previous years had seen and hold on to personnel,“ Burkhardsmaier Media Arts (KHM) – whose alumni include the spotlight on Poland and the Baltic states explains. “The good people want to work on Vera Lalyko (WINDOW WITH A VIEW) and

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SPECIAL REPORT GFQ 4-2016

AYNY (© KHM/Ahmad Saleh) IN THE DISTANCE (© Florian Grolig) QUEST (© Thomas Stellmach)

Simon Steinhorst (EMIL) – were recognized by Babelsberg graduates have included Tomer However, Studio Film Bilder’s CEO Thomas this year’s edition of Zagreb’s World Festival Eshed’s FLAMINGO PRIDE and Nicolas de Meyer-Hermann points out that animation of Animated Film with two exhibitions and a Leval Jezierski’s HALF YOU MET MY GIRL- producers have to overcome two obstacles: film program featuring such young talents as FRIEND. Moreover, two animation students “Firstly, many funding committees are not so Anna Lytton (MIRROR), Simon Schnellmann from Babelsberg were nominated for this familiar with the characteristics of animation. (LIFE IS RUGGED), Eunjin Park (678), and year’s First Steps Awards: Benedikt Toniolo In the evaluation of projects, there is often Patrick Buhr (WHAT I FORGOT TO SAY). with CAFÉ D’AMOUR and Beatrice Baumann a lack of awareness about creative work with TOYS IN THE ATTIC. specific to animation such as design or story - Veteran German animator Raimund Krumme board, as well as knowledge about the high – whose 1986 film ROPE DANCE won the Located next to Studio Babelsberg lot, the budgetary requirements of animation. Some German Film Award for Best Short – serves Film University now offers a Bachelor of Fine regional funders play a pioneering role by in- as KHM’s Professor for Experimental Arts in Animation allowing students to take volving animation specialists in the funding Ani mation, while Lithuanian-born Zil Lilas responsibility for all stages in the production operations.“ was a technical director for Walt Disney be- of an animated film – from the development fore being appointed as Professor for of the original idea through to the sound rec- “The second obstacle for continuous work Computer Animation in 2004. ording and film playout – , while its Master of in the animation industry is the fact that fund - Fine Arts in Animation Direction enables stu- ing of TV series is only now gradually be - And one of this year’s KHM graduates, Ahmad dents to expand their artistic, technical, dra- coming possible because the institutions Saleh was the final winner of the Gold Medal maturgical, and concept design skills as well traditionally leaned more towards cinema,“ in the Student Oscar®’s Best Foreign Anima- as learn how to plan the production of an ani- Meyer-Hermann notes. tion category with his graduation film AYNY. mated film and manage a team. Meanwhile, Moviebrats Pictures’ Alexander On the other side of the country, the ani - As for the VFX sector, “Germany, and especi- Weimer points to other aspects of the produc- mation department at the Kassel School of ally the Stuttgart region, is probably the best tion process for animation films, which may Art & Design is justly proud of the two place in Europe to get an education in VFX not be fully appreciated by the funding bodies. Oscars® garnered by the Lauenstein brothers and CGI with such institutions as [Ludwigs- “For instance, the development process can for BALANCE and Tyron Montgomery and burg’s] Film Academy, the Hochschule der easily be more costly than on a live-action Thomas Stellmach for QUEST, a tragic tale of Medien, Merz Akademie, Hochschule Offen- film, and to get a project off the ground, at- a sand person searching for water in a world burg and Fachhochschule Kaiserslautern,“ tach sales etc., it’s necessary to make the of sound. says Mackevision’s Heiko Burkhardsmaier. best sales teaser possible with a high production value, but that has its price. Your typical Now overseen by animator Martina Bram- FUNDING development funding not only rarely covers kamp and producer Thomas Meyer-Hermann, the production of such a teaser, but some - the founder of Studio Film Bilder, the depart- Like their live-action and documentary col- times they also require you to make one be- ment sees new students scoring success leagues, animation producers benefit from fore you apply for the money in order to such as Elisabeth Zwimpfler (HIDDEN the fact that Germany has a federal structure convince the fund. It’s almost like a chicken TRACK, Next Generation Short Tiger 2014), and the Länder are constantly vieing with and egg situation.“ Florian Grolig (IN THE DISTANCE, winner of each other to see who has the most attractive the Audience Award at DOK Leipzig in 2015), regional funding program. Production fun- Berlin-based MovieBrats Pictures, which had Evgenia Gostrer (FRANKFURTER STR. 99A) ding can also be accessed from one of the been the German co-producer on Russian and the sisters Ines Christine and Kirsten national funds – BKM, FFA or DFFF. director Ivan Tverdovsky’s Karlovy Vary com- Carina Geisser with their Annecy winner AN petition title ZOOLOGY, is to serve as the ADVENTUROUS AFTERNOON. In recent months, MAYA THE BEE MOVIE 2 delegate producer on the international pro- received €500,000 from the German Federal duction HUMP alongside screenwriter Amin The animation department at the Film Uni- Film Board, while LATTE IGEL UND DER Matalqa and former Pixar story manager versity Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF was WASSERSTEIN, based on Sebastian Lybeck’s Ryan Lynch, with Eric Goossens of Belgium- launched in 1984 and has fostered such eponymous book series, was granted based Walking The Dog serving as co-pro - talents as Felix Gönnert (BSSS), Ingo Panke €350,000 by the Filmstiftung and COCONUT, ducer. (TROMPE L’OEIL) and Izabela Plucinska (JAM THE LITTLE DRAGON 2 picked up €400,000 SES SION). Recent festival successes by from MFG Baden-Württemberg.

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GFQ 4-2016 SPECIAL REPORT

THE 7TH DWARF (© the7thDwarf 2014) COCONUT THE LITTLE DRAGON (© Caligari Film) RABBIT SCHOOL – GUARDIANS OF THE GOLDEN EGG (© Akkord Film Produktion/Universum Film)

The 3D animated desert adventure HUMP, Energy and Technology, the additional funding fessions, particularly the creative ones,“ he written by Sundance Audience Award winner would support local companies “in this says. Matalqa and Matthew Antonelli, will be the difficult international competitive market”, feature directorial debut by the former Pixar bolster Bavaria’s position as a VFX hub and, “We regularly have Academy Award® nomi- director R.J. Gibbs whose previous credits in- simultaneously, benefit the overall sector as nees in the Student Animation section – cluded working as a story artist on such Pixar the measure would bring additional pro - people who show their talents as animation productions as TOY STORY 2, MONSTERS, INC. ductions to Bavaria. As a result, VFX studio directors –, but, instead of nurturing them and FINDING NEMO as well as directing epi- Trixter was awarded €450,000 for the virtual and getting them later to make feature films, sodes of Pixar TV shows MATER’S TALL TALES shoot of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, they move on to become animators or the like and TALES FROM RADIATOR SPRINGS. €275,000 was allocated to ScanlineVFX for at Disney of Pixar,“ Weimer adds. “That is cer- the digital sets it created for Steven Quale’s tainly great for them and probably a dream NEW INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT action film THE LAKE. come true, but it also means that this cuts ANIMATION AND VFX short the potential of directors in the making BRAIN DRAIN [back in Germany].“ Given the concentration of animation and VFX companies in the Stuttgart region, the MFG However, German VFX houses still feel at a “Germany is like a sleeping giant. We have the film fund has been a great champion for this competitive disadvantage compared to rivals talent. In theory, we also have the money for sector serving as one of the founders of the benefiting from incentive programs in making it big, but we are just not putting it Animation Media Cluster Region Stuttgart Canada, France, the UK, Belgium, and Ire- together to unleash that giant,“ he concludes. which brings some 20 VFX and animation land, among others. Lobbying efforts are companies – from Pixomondo and Studio Soi being directed at revising the current Martin Blaney through Studio88 to Mackevision and Luxx German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) and Studios – under an umbrella. In addition, the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF) to fund’s new guidelines from 2014 introduced enable the VFX sector to become a player on a new funding category to support line pro- a scale mirroring Germany’s ranking in ducers of VFX-laden feature films or inter - education, creative and technical innovative national TV productions. power.

The Oscar®-winning VFX supervisor Jörn “We have highly trained artists, but many of Großhans at Stuttgart-based Mackevision them are switching freely between animation Medien Design received €150,000 for the and VFX,“ Moviebrats Pictures’ Alexander handling of visual effects for the fifth season Weimer adds. “And since the VFX industry is of GAME OF THRONES, while Mackevision thriving in certain regions in Germany thanks and Pixomondo were awarded €300,000 to to the Hollywood VFX spectacles, we are handle the VFX on MTV/Viacom’s fantasy some times faced with a shortage of talented adventure series SHANNARA. MFG – which artists.“ has provided over €6.7 million for the development, production, and distribution of over “There is a great demand everywhere for ani- 110 animated films and series – also spon- mators and visual effects artists, whether it’s sors the Lotte Reiniger Award for Animated my own company or others like Scanline or Film for the best graduation film at the an- RiseFX or at Weta in New Zealand and Pixar nual Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film and DreamWorks in the US. In fact, we could (ITFS). train even more people,“ agrees Trixter’s Michael Coldewey, who was appointed as a Meanwhile, Bavaria’s regional film fund FFF Professor for VFX and Animation at Munich’s Bayern extended its dedicated international University of Television & Film last year. “In- co-production funding program in summer deed, all of the animation or VFX students are 2015 to include support for VFX producers able to get a job after finishing their studies based in Bavaria. According to Ilse Aigner, either in Germany or abroad – and that’s not Bavaria’s Minister for Economics and Media, something you can say about most pro -

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DIRECTOR’S PORTRAIT GFQ 4-2016 photo © Malte Christians © Malte photo

“IT’S A HIGH- PRESSURED SYSTEM” A PORTRAIT OF DIRECTOR TOBY GENKEL

n his animation adventure OOOPS! But Toby Genkel not only lends wings to pre- Under the direction of studio boss Michael NOAH IS GONE… director Toby Genkel historic creatures, he also provides a cast of Schaack, Genkel worked as a layouter and brought the hapless creatures who birds with the necessary lift off. In his latest background designer on films like DER I had missed the ark back to life on our film RICHARD THE STORK, a newly hatched KLEENE PUNKER and the WERNER films. cinema screens. This prehistoric cartoon fun sparrow is adopted by a stork-mother. As he In 1998 he co-directed OTTIFANT with Ute hit the spot perfectly for audiences all over imagines he is a stork himself, he wants to Münchow-Pohl. “I was second in command the world. accompany the migrating birds on their long, and I learned a lot.” In his 15 years at Tric- strenuous journey to Africa. “The lively little kompany he co-developed series and played “A cartoon film needs to sparkle with ideas,” sparrow is determined to fly really fast, which a decisive part in the stylistic conception of Toby Genkel explains. “We sit side by side gives the film a great deal of its energy.” The the com pany’s productions. throughout the design phase. For OOOPS! character designers studied the movements NOAH IS GONE… I needed a creature com - of birds in order to animate them as realisti- Genkel underlines that “the German market pletely incapable of living in the normal cally as possible: “We exhausted the pos - is very important, but we need to produce world.” And the way it look ed had to convey sibilities available to us and we are very proud films that can be sold internationally. Be- that hopelessness. “I need a character that of the outcome.” cause we produce our films entirely in tells me the story,” the director explains. Europe, an industry is emerging here. It’s a Genkel learned his craft at Trickompany. high-pressured system,” Genkel emphasizes. “OOOPS! NOAH IS GONE… was a dream pro- During his studies at the College for Illustra- ject.” In the meantime, the 3-D animation has tion, Fashion and Graphic Design, he com - His next 3-D animation will be TABALUGA – been sold internationally, to every conceivable pleted an internship at the Hamburg-based THE GREEN DRAGON by Sven Unterwaldt, in country. “Very few films manage that.” Emely company. “At that time I played in a band and which he is involved as co-author and co-di- Christians, who finances Genkel’s films with I wanted to be a rock star,” Genkel recalls. “I rector. And he is working on the films YAKARI her production company Ulysses Film, was hadn’t grasped how amazing it is, the anima- – THE LITTLE INDIAN and OLCHI, which are named Producer of the Year at the Cartoon tion genre.” Aged only 20, he was able to try to be made next year. “Telling stories is my Forum for the European co-production in out what suited him best in the various de- thing, rather than the actual drawing.” 2015. Due to its immense success, there are partments. “At the time there was no anima- plans to offer the scurrilous cartoon film crew tion film industry to speak of in Germany. Al- Birgit Heidsiek surrounding Noah a comeback in a prospec- most all the animators and character de- tive sequel. signers came from the USA, Ireland or Canada.

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GFQ 4-2016 DIRECTOR’S PORTRAIT

PULLING THE ELEMENTS TOGETHER A PORTRAIT OF DIRECTOR ANSGAR NIEBUHR

’ve been into films and animation since better than current live-action blockbusters fairy tales. The Irish have their mythology, the “ I was a kid,” says Ansgar Niehbuhr. “I because the latter tend to be too formulaic. US had mad fun with fairy tales as in, for ex- shot JAWS 4 using rubber sharks on Just look at ZOOTOPIA: it’s both smart and ample, SHREK. The Czechs have also revisi- Istrings and an 8mm camera! But funny! ted their past. European material is such a when I started there were few possibilities to broad and rich field and we can make the best learn animation in a classic education, so I For Germans and Europeans the narrative of it. The smartest animation today comes was very lucky to join Trickompany, an ani - signature is more poetic than going for every from the US but we have such a vast potential mation studio in Hamburg. I worked on beat and heavy movements, as in block - in our own stories.” Hayo Freitag’s nightmare scene for the ani- busters: there’s no emotional explosion every mated feature film FELIDAE, based on Akif three shots. And we, as European filmmakers, Simon Kingsley Pirici’s novel. Later I worked on Lindgren’s are still developing: there’s great stuff coming KARLSSON ON THE ROOF and many others.“ from Ireland and France at the moment.”

For Niebuhr, now aged 47, “the characters With far less money to play with than US pro- need feelings and moods as well as move- ducers, “we finance through subsidy and co- ment. They have to act and show emotions, producing,” Niebuhr explains. “We bundle our which is not easy since production in Europe competences and strengths because we can’t tends to be spread over multiple places and keep rewriting scripts endlessly or develop studios – it is important to keep track of the from scratch. If you have a known property it narrative and the visual.” makes financing easier, such as with Princess Lillifee or Max and Moritz, but I would like Niebuhr, who has just taken over direction on family films to be able to achieve this inde- the feature film CONNI, has “pulled the ele- pendence one day. Never say never!” ments together so it works at various levels: we have a great script and characters, these For Niebuhr, the ideal situation would be “to are the most important elements.” have an own development fund and with producers and directors willing to take the A great admirer of Pixar and Disney, Niebuhr plunge; I am sure we will get there. There is praises how the best animation can “work such a wealth of wonderful material, such as

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PRODUCERS PORTRAIT GFQ 4-2016 THE GRUFFALO (photo © Magic Light Pictures Ltd.) Pictures Light © Magic (photo THE GRUFFALO

SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT A PORTRAIT OF STUDIO SOI

ur company’s history so far The second phase was heralded in 2008 when coming from such countries as France, Italy, “ can be divided into three the studio won two pitches to handle the Spain and the UK. phases,“ says Carsten Bunte, production of THE GRUFFALO and the Oa graduate from the Pro - Cartoon Network series THE AMAZING The studio was involved in the technical direc- duction class of the Filmakademie Baden- WORLD OF GUMBALL. tion for THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL Württemberg, who founded the animation series which revolves around the life of a 12- studio Studio Soi with six graduates from the Studio Soi was brought onboard by Michael year-old cat called Gumball Watterson, and Filmakademie’s Institute of Animation – Rose’s Magic Light Pictures to develop and has produced five seasons since 2008. A sixth Torben Meier, Klaus Morschheuser, Mathias animate a half-hour special based on Julia season is now in preparation. Schreck, Jakob Schuh, Michael Sieber and Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s bestselling Saschka Unseld – in the summer of 2003. 1999 book The Gruffalo. “A third phase in our development in 2012/13 saw us starting to develop projects in-house “From the outset, we were very diversified The film was seen by over 1 million viewers and we raised the finance to produce an inter- with specialization in design, 3D computer when it was first aired by BBC 1 on Christmas national animation series entitled KLUMP, animation and compositing, stop motion and day 2009 and went on to receive numerous in- Bunte continues. set construction,“ Bunte recalls, pointing out ternational awards as well as Oscar® and that during the studio’s first phase, “we al- BAFTA nominations. Looking back on Studio Soi’s first 13 years, ways followed the goal of working in narrative he explains that the studio has “always been terms and convincing our clients that they The collaboration with Magic Light also spaw- interested in projects that make real de- wanted something a little different.“ ned another two films based on Donaldson’s mands on us, that consciously demand we books – THE GRUFFALO'S CHILD and ROOM deliver that extra 10%, as well as help us to Award-winning productions from the early ON THE BROOM. keep developing and learning as a studio. We years included the ZDF-commissioned com- don’t want to start repeating ourselves.“ puter-animated shorts ENGEL ZU FUSS by “The change in 2008 saw the number of work - Jakob Schuh and Saschka Unseld and DER ing at Studio Soi increase from 8-10 people to Martin Blaney KLEINE UND DAS BIEST by Johannes 35 employees, and we now have between 60- Weiland and Uwe Heidschötter. 80 working with us,“ Bunte says, noting that around 90% of the staff are non-German

16 S.17_A PORTRAITOFTRIXTER.qxp_Layout123.09.1614:01Seite KEEN TO EXPAND FOCUSED AND suit for Iron Man inMarvel’s IRON MAN3.“ the designing and ULTRON, OF AGE GERS: AVEN-for Ultron of character the animating and developing for responsible were WAR, CIVIL AMERICA: CAPTAIN in Panther Black the of figure the and THALER TIMM Film’s R E T X I R T F O T I A R T R O P A GFQ “ ample, we animated some rats on Constantin ex “For - explains. Coldewey animation,“ on areeffectsdo wevisual focused the of “Most for inter effects national live-action features. visual high-end into expansion up Trixter, Inc. in Santa Monica, as part of the forpastyears the 10 supervisor heading tion while films, Kraus has been industrial based Stateside as an anima- and for work commercials on focus a with Herzberg Martin by managed Berlin, in outpost an has also company the district, Schwabing Munich’s mercials. While Trixter’s headquarters are in forfeaturemation televisioncom-films, and create visual effects and digital character ani- founded Trixter with Simone Kraus in 1998 to CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (photo © Marvel Studios) O 4-20 16 ihe Clee wo co- who Coldewey Michael living with visual effects,“ says mation, although we make our ur heart still beats for ani ani - for beats still heart ur rights to KNISTER's KNISTER's to rights film the of acquiredall we when young quite series and produced an animated TV series TV animated an produced and series mestic German productions. “Trixter was still do and foreign - for co-producer a as active duction house Blue Eyes Fiction to produce to Fiction Eyes Blue house duction pro live-action - the “Wewith forces joined recalls. then Coldewey episodes,“ 52 with At the same time, the company has also been although English isworking language.“ our half nations, different 20 to than 15 from come artists more setup,“ “And pipeline says. Coldewey good extremely an have we because Berlin and Munich in show per “We now have a capacity film of 500-700 VFX shots feature CGI the TABALUGA on for Helge Sasse’s Tempest Film. working town Awesome- Toronto-based Krech’s and Dan and 2, Filmproduktion Ulysses with studios mation GALAXY THE INDEPENDENCE DAY 2, and is one of the ani- OF such for GUARDIANS VFX handled CLASS, FIRST X-MEN: as productions studio also has Trixter hr fl wt prnr fo Asra and Austria Belgium.“ from partners with film third a preparing now are and films feature two il Te Witch The Lilly book of best-selling of author Cornelia Funke’s development the various film on projects, including an adaptation work to onboard ScharbatkebroughtLucia Coldeweyhas put, Keen to expand Trixter’s (co-)production out- in Germany. introductionthe meterstaxand of incentives para- financing film improvedfor politicians as well as represent the company in lobbying management overall company’s the handle to Kraus and Coldewey alongside company the in shareholder third a become Sommer And this summer saw Trixter’s CEO Christian Territory. Uncharted company Engel’s Volker winner ments to be produced with Academy Award Knight s ieato wt aiain ele- animation with live-action as PRODUCERS PORTRAIT PRODUCERS Martin BlaneyMartin Ghost 17 ® - S.18-19_A PORTRAIT OF ACTOR KOSTJA ULLMANN.qxp_Layout 1 23.09.16 14:03 Seite 1

ACTOR’S PORTRAIT GFQ 4-2016 photo © Michael de Boer de © Michael photo

START SMALL AND CARRY ON A PORTRAIT OF ACTOR KOSTJA ULLMANN

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GFQ 4-2016 ACTOR’S PORTRAIT

robert stadlober

kostja ullmann

alicja bachleda-curus´

summerstorm

a film by marco kreuzpaintner

BAVARIA FILM INTERNATIONAL PRESENTS A CLAUSSEN+WÖBKE PRODUCTION 'SUMMER STORM' A FILM BY MARCO KREUZPAINTNER STARRING ROBERT STADLOBER KOSTJA ULLMANN ALICJA BACHLEDA-CURUS´ MIRIAM MORGENSTERN JÜRGEN TONKEL HANNO KOFFLER TRISTANO CASANOVA MARLON KITTEL ALEXA MARIA SURHOLT CASTING SIMONE BÄR MAKE UP ARTISTS SUSANNE WOERLE-JIRITANO VERENA WEIßERT COSTUME DESIGN ANKE WINCKLER ORIGINAL SOUND FLORIAN NIEDERLEITHINGER SOUND DESIGN DIRK W.JACOB SOUND MIX MARTIN STEYER MUSIC NIKI REISER EDITED BY HANSJÖRG WEIßBRICH,BFS SET DESIGN HEIKE LANGE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DANIEL GOTTSCHALK CHIEF PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT PETER DRESS PRODUCTION MANAGER JENS OBERWETTER COMMISSIONING EDITORS KATRIN HOLETZECK STEFAN GÄRTNER BIRGIT BRANDES PRODUCERS ULI PUTZ THOMAS WÖBKE JAKOB CLAUSSEN WRITTEN BY TOM BAHMANN MARCO KREUZPAINTNER DIRECTED BY MARCO KREUZPAINTNER

IN COOPERATION WITH

is something of a platitude to which he played the heterosexual crush of a The actor from Hamburg was brought up bi- say that everyone starts in a gay teenager in 2004. “Naturally, because of lingually thanks to his mother, who was born small way, but rarely is this as its subject matter as well. And not least due in India and grew up in England, and so he ITapposite as in Kostja Ullmann’s to the response it triggered with so many has filmed one or two movies in English al- case. His parents – actor Volker Ullmann and viewers.” Some fan mail came from as far ready: in Budapest he faced the cameras for dancer Manelle Ullmann – founded the away as Russia, and according to the actor, Ridley Scott’s series based on Ken Follett’s Stage School in Hamburg not long after his there is no other film even to the present day World Without End, and he also had a small birth, and their son watched them at work that people want to talk to him about more part in Anton Corbijn’s A MOST WANTED there even when he was a very small boy. “At often. When Kreuzpaintner and he presented MAN with Philip Seymour Hoffman. that time, the desire to become an actor my- their second film together, COMING IN, at self one day was probably already developing the Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney 2016, Ullmann has no fears about getting bored in my subconscious,” Ullmann says now, the coming-out drama from 12 years pre- back at home in Germany, anyway. When he look ing back. “But when I stood on the stage viously was shown again as well. “Everyone is not actually filming (as most recently for and before the camera for the first time, in that cinema knew and loved our film – and Marc Rothemund’s MEIN BLIND DATE MIT aged eleven, at first it was just a matter of all of them seemed really grateful and happy DEM LEBEN and HAPPY BURNOUT by André fun for me, a hobby alongside my schooling. for the opportunity to see it again on the big Erkau, which are both due for launch in It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized screen. That was a truly wonderful moment.” German cinemas in the first half of 2017), he properly how it could also be a profession works on developing his own material. Or he with which you might even earn money.” By contrast to Kreuzpaintner – who promptly can be found in studios working as a voice exploited the lively interest in SUMMER for animation movies, like THE CROODS or Supported and encouraged by his parents – STORM at the Toronto International Film most recently SAM O’COOL – EIN SCHRÄGER “at least after they had realized that I really Festival to realize his first film in the USA – VOGEL HEBT AB, for which he won the enjoyed acting, not that they could have Ullmann remained faithful to German German Animated Voice Award at the 23rd stopped me by then,” as the now 32-year-old cinema. Comedies with mainstream appeal International Animation Film Festival Stutt- actor emphasizes, laughing – he appeared like SPECIAL ESCORT, SINGLE BY CON- gart this past April. subsequently in numerous student films and TRACT or 3 TURKS AND A BABY became one TV productions. By contrast, Ullmann’s of his specialties, and he was also involved “For me, that’s a completely different world,” studies at acting school were crowned by in the internationally distributed film version Ullmann says of this aspect in his pro - little glory. “I had difficulty with the fact that of the teenage bestseller RUBY RED and its fession. “All the things you can use your body they wanted to change me completely,” he two sequels. But he faced the cameras for and face for otherwise suddenly have to be explains with regard to this short chapter in Oskar Roehler as well (SOURCES OF LIFE) put into your voice. It’s incredibly complica- his career. “Of course, I know that they like and played the leading male role in Angelina ted work. I really have the greatest respect to polish the rough diamonds at such Maccarone’s drama HOUNDED about a sa- for all professional dubbing artists.” And he schools. But I felt that I had already learned domasochistic love affair between a young knows just what he is talking about – after some things in all the years I had worked for criminal and his probation officer, which won all, in this field he also started in a small television. I wanted to build on that rather the Golden Leopard in Locarno 2006. way: he lent his voice for TV series such as than forget everything and start all over BAYWATCH at the age of only eleven. again from the beginning.” When the offer of “I have always tried to avoid being typecast a cinema role turned up a few months later, in a specific kind of role. And I am really Patrick Heidmann he promptly took the opportunity to drop out. very glad that the German market offers me such diversity,” says Ullmann, who also has “To the present day, SUMMER STORM is a an agent in England. “In the end, I’m grateful very special film for me, not just because it for every convincing role that I am offered, was my first for the cinema,” Ullmann says whether in America, in Germany or any - of the movie by Marco Kreuzpaintner, in where else – that doesn’t really matter.”

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NEWS & NOTES GFQ 4-2016 NEWS1 & NOTES 1

TONI ERDMANN REPRESENTS GERMANY IN OSCAR® RACE 2017

TONI ERDMANN by Maren Ade will represent nuances of a father-daughter relationship. ERDMANN will experience even more ad - Germany as the official submission for the Universal topics like social isolation and the ventures in the future! With Sony Pictures 89th Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film. challenge of interpersonal integrity are skill- Classics we have the best partner on our This was decided by an in dependent jury fully dissected. Touching, evocative, imple- side.” appointed by German Films. Jury represen- menting societal questions, and an tative Felicitas Darschin (Bundes verband unswerving artistic clarity. Just as modern TONI ERDMANN is a production by Kom - Regie) announced the decision on 25 August international cinema should be." plizen Film, in co-production with the 2016 at a press presentation in Munich in the Austrian coop 99 Filmproduktion, knm presence of producers Janine Jackowski and Director Maren Ade commented on the jury’s (Monaco) and Missing Link Films. The pro- Jonas Dornbach and actor Thomas Loibl. decision: “I am very happy that the jury is duction was funded by Film- und Medien - sending TONI ERDMANN into the Oscar® race stiftung NRW, Eurimages, the German The nine-person jury substantiated its and am anxious to see how Toni behaves in Federal Film Fund, the German Federal Film decision as follows: "TONI ERDMANN stood Los Angeles.” Board, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, out among the eight submitted films with its BKM, the Austrian Film Institute, Film resolute artistic signature. A bold and And producers Janine Jackowski & Jonas Industry Support Austria, Film förderung stylistically confident cinematic display of Dornbach: “We are very honored! The film Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, FilmFernseh character on the pulse of the times. Maren has already had an incredible journey and Fonds Bayern and MEDIA. Ade manages to turn 162 minutes of film into this milestone is very special. Internationally, a humorous, unmasking stroll through the this is a great sign and we hope that TONI

Thomas Loibl, Felicitas Darschin, Janine Jackowski, Jonas Dornbach, Mariette Rissenbeek, Peter Herrmann (photo © Kurt Krieger)

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GFQ 4-2016 NEWS & NOTES 2

FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS (photo © German Films/Mathias Bothor)

2 3 4 FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS BABYLON BERLIN SHOOTING MEDIENBOARD AND TIFF ANNOUNCE German Films has launched a campaign to IN NRW NEW RESIDENCY EXCHANGE PROGRAM promote a new wave of German cinema achievements to international audiences and It’s one of the most elaborate series projects A new German-Canadian Residency Ex- to showcase exceptional German talent in the history of German television: BABYLON change program was announced in Septem- worldwide. The initiative – entitled FACE TO BERLIN. Two whole seasons, with eight epi- ber at TIFF. The program, which will begin in FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS – will spotlight sodes each, which the directors Tom Tykwer, 2017, will offer one German and one Cana- six of the most influential German actresses Achim von Borries and Hendrik Handloegten dian filmmaker the opportunity to live, work currently working in the industry, who repre- are dividing up among themselves, will be and find inspiration in two countries. The in- sent just some of the many dynamic ‘faces’ of produced in one go. After shooting began itiative is a collaboration between the Me- German filmmaking today. Promoting the mid-May in Berlin, the crew moved to North dienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the campaign with a series of marketing and PR Rhine-Westphalia at the end of September, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). measures across the year and making PR where they will shoot for 30 days in Cologne, The international exchange will expand the materials available to international distri - Krefeld, and Mülheim an der Ruhr. BABYLON creative reach and opportunities for the butors of German films, the stars of the cam- BERLIN is based on the best-selling series participants of Medienboard’s Artist-in-Re- paign are: Julia Jentsch – who recently by Volker Kutscher about the police inspector sidence program in Berlin and TIFF’s Len starred in 24 WEEKS in Competition at Gereon Rath who investigated during the late Blum Residency in Toronto. this year’s Berlinale and ALL OF A SUDDEN 1920s in Berlin. programmed in Berlin and London; Lilith “We are delighted to be working with TIFF to Stangenberg – star of WILD – which world Filming is to continue in the region until offer our Artist-in-Residence the opportunity premiered at Sundance earlier this year; Liv November, when Tom Tykwer’s crew will then to gain a deeper understanding of the Cana- Lisa Fries – who will star in the upcoming return to Berlin. The series will broadcast on dian and North American film industry,” said series BABYLON BERLIN; Paula Beer – who Sky in 2017, then on Germany’s pubcaster Kirsten Niehuus, CEO, Medienboard Berlin- just won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for ARD in 2018. BABYLON BERLIN is being sup- Brandenburg. “Both Berlin and Toronto are Best Young Actor or Actress in Venice for the ported by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW significant cities in the industry, with esta- lead in François Ozon’s FRANTZ; Sandra with 1.5 million euros and produced by X blished film professionals that are able to Hüller – lead actress in TONI ERDMANN – Filme Creative Pool, ARD with Degeto and share their experience and knowledge with Germany’s official submission for the 89th WDR, Sky and Beta Film. the next generation of filmmakers.” Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film, which world premiered in Cannes’ Competi- “Providing filmmakers with opportunities to tion in 2016; and Saskia Rosendahl – who can inspire and develop their craft lies at the be seen in NIRGENDWO by Matthias Starte heart of TIFF’s talent development pro- (World Premiere in Competition at Zurich grams,” said Kathleen Drumm, Director, TIFF Film Festival 2016) and will star in Oscar®- Industry. “Collaborating with Medienboard on winner Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s this exchange opens important international upcoming feature, WORK WITHOUT AUTHOR doors for participants. It also provides a great (WT). way for TIFF to expand its international remit by providing a home for outstanding German talent here at TIFF Bell Lightbox.”

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NEWS & NOTES GFQ 4-2016 5

David Kehrl, James Collier, Lisa Langseth, Alicia Vikander, Nikolaus Prediger, Eva Green, Markus Aldenhoven, Frida Bargo, Christine Ruppert (photo © Jürgen Olczyk/B-Reel Films)

5 6

INTERNATIONAL CO!PRODUCTIONS GERMAN!DUTCH FILM CONFERENCE: AND SERIES SHOOT IN BAVARIA MEET YOUR NEIGHBOUR

In late summer 2016, four extraordinary pro- From 31 August-2 September, the Mittel- frame work of the German-Dutch Co- ductions began shooting in Bavaria with sup- deutsche Medienförderung, the City of Leip- Develop ment Fund for Children’s Films, port from FilmFernsehFonds Bayern: the zig and the Netherlands Film Fund organized which MDM and the Netherlands Film Fund Swedish director Lisa Langseth is in Middle the first German-Dutch film conference with initiated last year. Franconia working on EUPHORIA with Alicia the title “Meet Your Neighbour”. Over 50 Vikander, Eva Green and Charlotte Rampling. guests from Holland and Central Germany “We have maintained long-term close con- Rupert Everett is shooting THE HAPPY gathered together for three days to exchange tacts between the Dutch film industry and PRINCE with Colin Firth and Emily Watson in their experiences with co-productions and the creative industry in Central Germany, Upper Franconia. And two series are in the discuss ideas for more intensive cooperation from which numerous successful projects pipeline too: Boris Kunz is in Olching and between the two regions in the future. The have been developed,” concluded MDM Baierbrunn directing the 6-part series HIN- program included case studies such as manag ing director Manfred Schmidt. “The DAFING about a corruptible mayor in a fictive Martin Koolhoven’s BRIMSTONE, provided in- conference opened up possibilities to main- Bavarian village. Hans-Christian Schmid is sight into European television productions tain a dialogue about creative similarities, shooting the 8-parter DAS VERSCHWINDEN and the distribution market, as well as an but also about differences and, above all, the in Upper Palatinate. overview of current projects within the common path on the European film market.”

6 7

Tom Maasen, Ellis Driessen, Brigitte Brück, Doreen Boonekamp, Manfred Schmidt (photo © MDM)

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GFQ 4-2016 NEWS & NOTES 8

Gustav Wilhelmi, Wolfgang Becker (photo © Fabian Malavolata)

7 8 9

GERMAN SHORT FILM ASSOCIATION 16° FESTIVAL DE CINE ALEMÁN EFP OPENING DOORS CONTINUES NETWORKING IN KIEV IN BUENOS AIRES IN BUSAN

Since 2006, the German Short Film Asso - Kaminski, Toni, Herbert, Rico and Oskar – Opening Doors – a program designed to ciation has been presenting a short film they were all at the Festival of German Films highlight the European films and talents mara thon with a selection of 30 German pro- in Buenos Aires along with many other presented at the Busan International Film ductions at the Molodist International Film characters from the latest German films. Festival (6-15 October 2016) – will this year Festival in Kiev. Over the years this LONG The director Wolfgang Becker opened the support 18 European filmmakers and actors, NIGHT OF GERMAN SHORT FILMS has devel - 16th edition of the festival with ME AND who will meet with industry and press and oped into a permanent audience favorite. KAMINSKI. A total of 18 feature-length films enjoy the lively discussions with the Korean Supported by German Films, it is possible for and the NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER audience. Director Johannes Naber will be filmmakers to be on hand to present their short film program were shown in the Argen- traveling from Germany to Busan for the films in person. Additionally, during this tinian capital from 15 to 21 September 2016. world premiere of his latest film HEART OF year’s edition of the festival, the award The 18 films included international festival STONE and director Tony Loeser will present winners and nominees of the German Short hits from such festivals as Sundance, Berlin, the animation film MULLEWAPP – A PIG’S Film Award will be presented in two pro- Cannes and Toronto, well-known names like TALE to local audiences and industry. grams during the festival, which is the oldest Wolfgang Becker, Doris Dörrie and Maren film festival in the Ukraine and one of the Ade, promising newcomers, as well as docu- Initiated 19 years ago by the European Film fore most industry meeting events in Eastern mentaries and family entertainment. The Promotion (EFP), the Opening Doors project Europe. Expressionist silent film DESTINY by Fritz recognized the great potential of the festi- Lang from 1921 was presented in collabo - val's special focus on European films. As one Since 2014, the German Short Film Asso - ration with the Goethe-Institut in a newly of the main gateways to the Asian market, ciation also offers industry events for Ukrain- restored version, with musical accompani- the festival has brought about an ever in - ian and German filmmakers during the ment by the Cue Trío. And this year, Argenti- creasing presence of European talent and Molodist Talent Workshops. During this nian film buffs can also continue watching sales in Korea. Opening Doors is generously year’s edition, Andrea Wink (East-West Talent German films from their sofa at home: the supported by the Creative Europe – Media Lab, goEast Festival of Central and Eastern VoD platform Qubit is making some German Programme of the European Union and the European Film) will address young professio- films – from classics to contemporary – from participating EFP member organizations. nals with her presentation on opportunities its catalogue available at no charge. for up-and-coming filmmakers and also offers a Presentation Training to selected par- German Films organizes Festivals of German ticipants. There will also be the practical Films around the globe with various partners workshop “Reassemble the City. Change to provide an international showcase for new Perspectives” held by Stephan Mueller (di- German productions as a way of supporting rector, Berlin, Kamerapferd), who has won improved perception, increasing awareness many awards for his innovative short film as well as foreign sales. Apart from Buenos collages. The aim of the various workshops Aires, Festivals of German Films are also is to encourage networking between German held in New York, Madrid, Paris, China, and Ukrainian filmmakers. The project is Moscow and Australia. The event in Buenos being supported by the German Ministry of Aires was originally planned as a “little Foreign Affairs. sister“ to the popular Festival of German Films in Madrid, but has long since deve - loped into its very own success story with excellent attendance figures.

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NEW FILMS GFQ 4-2016 RABBIT SCHOOL – GUARDIANS OF THE GOLDEN EGG (photo © Akkord Film Produktion/Universum Film) Produktion/Universum Film © Akkord (photo EGG OF THE GOLDEN – GUARDIANS RABBIT SCHOOL

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GFQ 4-2016 NEW FILMS NEW

7 FEATURES 5 DOCUMENTARIES 5 SHORT FILMS 8 UPCOMING FILMS

25 new German productions are presented on the following 16 pages. Please visit our website www.german-films.de for more information on German features, documentaries and shorts.

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NEW FEATURES GFQ 4-2016

photo © Schwabenlandfilm DOLORES

eorg Letterer is an introvert MICHAEL RÖSEL was born in 1971. He GENRE Psycho Thriller YEAR OF PRO - modeler, who builds detail-ob - studied Directing at the Filmakademie DUCTION 2016 DIRECTOR Michael Rösel sessed prototypes. He receives an Baden-Württemberg and focused his thesis SCREEN PLAY Sebastian Feld CINEMATOG - Gorder from a famous Hollywood on commercials. Since 2003, he has been RAPHY Willy Dettmeyer CAST Udo Schenk, actress, Dolores Moor, to make a model of her working as a freelance director for adver - Franziska Petri, Mona Petri, Mathias Herr- extravagant villa. This is the opportunity for tising and image films on behalf of various mann, Alexander Hörbe, Marcus Grüsser Georg to escape from suburban dreariness agencies and clients such as Mercedes-Benz, PRODUCER Frieder Scheiffele CO-PRODU- and the perfidious psychological terror of his Microsoft, DFB, Avira, McDonald’s, Haribo, CER Stefanie Groß PRODUCTION COMPANY brother. He tirelessly works on the detailed Chupa Chups, Trumpf, Vitana, Merck and Schwabenlandfilm, in co-production with model and simultaneously falls for the un - others. He also realized the first season of the SWR RUNTIME 90 min LANGUAGE German attainable Dolores. One day Georg discovers highly successful series LAIBLE UND FESTIVALS Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis an unusual power: he is able to influence the FRISCH. DOLORES is his feature film debut. Saarbrücken 2016, Comic Salon Erlangen physical reality of the villa through the proto- 2016, Biberacher Filmfestspiele 2016, type he is building. With his own interests in Festival des deutschen Films Ludwigshafen mind, Georg becomes a calculating pup - 2016, Vancouver 2016, Scottsdale 2016 peteer who holds the threads of life of every - one around him, just to win Dolores for SALES himself. Media Luna New Films [email protected] The film is based on the Belgian comic book www.medialuna.biz Dolores by François Schuiten & Benoit Peeters (text) and Anne Baltus (illustrations), published in 1991 by Casterman.

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photo © Heimathafen Film & Media FAMILIE VERPFLICHTET FAMILY COMMITMENTS

he happy gay couple David (38) and HANNO OLDERDISSEN was born in 1976. GENRE Comedy YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2015 Khaled (29) would love to marry After being a show jumper, working as a male DIRECTOR Hanno Olderdissen SCREENPLAY publicly – if there weren’t Khaled’s nurse at a mental hospital and studying Lucas Banuscha, Michael Comtesse CINE- TArab family, David’s pseudo-ortho- Sociology he finally made it into the film in- MATOGRAPHY Carol Burandt von Kameke dox Jewish mother and an unexpected preg- dustry. From 2000-2004 he gained experience CAST Max von Pufendorf, Omar El-Saeidi, nancy. Misunderstandings, outing fears, a in cinema and commercials as a dolly grip, Maren Kroymann, Ramin Yazdani, Franziska possible paternity and an art gallery in - location manager and 1st AD, and started Brandmeier PRODUCERS Knut Jäger, solvency are driving these contradictory fami- directing his own shorts. From 2004-2007 he Sebastian Weyland PRODUCTION COMPANY lies into an emotional chaos and beyond their studied Directing at the ifs international film- Heimathafen Film & Media RUNTIME 85 min borders. school in Cologne, graduating with the LANGUAGE German FESTIVALS Hamburg award-winning short ROBIN. In 2008 he 2015, Max Ophüls Festival Saarbrucken 2016, began working with fellow director Markus Boston LGBT Festival 2016 Sehr, directing commercials and virals. Also active as a screenwriter, his other films in- SALES clude: TAME AS A LAMB (short, 2004), Media Luna New Films CROSSCOUNTRY (short, 2006), COMFORT [email protected] ZONE (short, 2006), and his feature debut www.medialuna.biz FAMILY COMMITMENTS (2015).

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photo © Akkord Film Produktion/Universum Film DIE HÄSCHENSCHULE – JAGD NACH DEM GOLDENEN EI RABBIT SCHOOL – GUARDIANS OF THE GOLDEN EGG

ax, an urban rabbit boy, gets UTE VON MÜNCHOWPOHL has directed GENRE Animation, Adventure, Children & trapped in an old-fashioned several animated productions such as Youth, Family Entertainment YEAR OF PRO- Easter rabbit school that is sur- KOMMANDO STÖRTEBEKER (2001), the TV DUCTION 2016 DIRECTOR Ute von Münchow- Mrounded by a clever fox family series LITTLE DODO (2007), the features Pohl SCREENPLAY Katja Grübel, Dagmar scheming to take over Easter. With the help LITTLE DODO (2008, co-dir), LAURA’S STAR Rehbinder PRODUCER Dirk Beinhold PRO- of cute rabbit girl Emmy and training lessons AND THE DREAMMONSTERS (2011, co-dir), DUCTION COMPANY Akkord Film, in co-pro- from mysterious Madame Hermione, Max RAVEN THE LITTLE RASCAL (2012) and duction with Virgin Lands, NDR, SWR not only learns the secret magic of Easter RAVEN THE LITTLE RASCAL – THE BIG RACE RUNTIME 76 min LANGUAGE German bunnies, but also where he truly belongs. Will (2015). RABBIT SCHOOL – GUARDIANS OF this be enough to save Easter and his new THE GOLDEN EGG (2016) is her 6th animated SALES friends? feature. She is also active as a screenwriter, Sola Media storyboard artist and animator. [email protected] A story about a courageous rabbit who real - www.sola-media.com izes that home is where your heart is – and where you’ll never hop alone. Based on an all-time children’s book classic and brought to life with a fresh twist and a modern look- and-feel by some of Germany’s best writing, design & animation teams.

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GFQ 4-2016 NEW FEATURES

photo © Knudsen & Streuber Medienmanufaktur RICHARD THE STORK (3D)

rphaned at birth and raised by TOBY GENKEL started his education in 1991 International Animation Film Festival Stutt- storks, the sparrow Richard beat the animation studio TRICKOMPANY in gart for RICHARD THE STORK. He took part lieves he is one of them. But Hamburg. He began as a background design- in the Academy for Children's Media work- Owhen the time comes to migrate, er, created layouts and storyboards for seve- shop in 2010. his stork family must reveal his true identity ral feature films and television productions and leave him behind in the forest, since he before becoming a co-director. Genkel’s films GENRE Animation, Family Entertainment would not survive the journey to Africa. as a director or co-director include the ani - YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2016 DIRECTORS Determined to prove he is a stork after all, mations WERNER – GEKOTZT WIRD SPÄTER Toby Genkel, Reza Memari SCREENPLAY Richard ventures south on his own, joined by and DIETER – DER FILM, which both enjoyed Reza Memari PRODUCER Kristine Knudsen an eccentric owl with an imaginary friend and great popularity in Germany, and the inter - CO-PRODUCERS Emely Christians, Eric a narcissistic, disco-singing parakeet. Along national co-production LEGENDS OF VAL- Goossens, Stephan Roelants PRODUCTION their epic journey, they run into many obsta- HALLA – THOR (3D), which has already been COMPANY Knudsen & Streuber Medien - cles, like deadly bats, internet-addicted pige- sold to over 50 countries. His last 3D ani - manu aktur, in co-production with Ulysses ons, mafia crows and a thundering jumbo jet. mation OOOPS! NOAH IS GONE… has sold out Filmproduktion, Walking The Dog, Melusiné When they finally find their way to Africa, it’s worldwide. Productions, Den Siste Skilling RUNTIME 85 up to Richard to rescue his stork brother from min LANGUAGE English the clutches of a monstrous honey badger. REZA MEMARI studied Marketing Communi- The tiniest stork must learn to see himself as cations at the Bavarian Academy for Adver- SALES the greatest sparrow to unleash his true po- tising in Munich before working at the video Global Screen tential and be reunited with his family. games company Acclaim Entertainment as a [email protected] PR and Product Manager. He later became an www.globalscreen.de A fresh and entertaining, yet deeply touching editor for film and TV and moved to Berlin, 3D-animated feature, coming from an award- where he wrote, directed and produced seve- winning screenplay. From the makers and the ral short films. In 2009 he was nominated for director of OOOPS! NOAH IS GONE… Best German Animation Screenplay at the

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NEW FEATURES GFQ 4-2016

photo © Wüste Film ROBBI, TOBBI UND DAS FLIEWATÜÜT ROBBY & TOBY’S FANTASTIC VOYAGER

his is the story of Toby, the most WOLFGANG GROOS was born in 1968. He GENRE Family Entertainment YEAR OF PRO- creative 11-year-old child and in - studied Production at the German Film and DUCTION 2016 DIRECTOR Wolfgang Groos ven tor you can think of. Television Academy Berlin (DFFB), graduating SCREENPLAY Jan Berger CINEMATOGRAPHY T in 2003. He directed the short WENN ZWEI Armin Golisano CAST Arsseni Bultmann, One day, the little robot Robby enters into SICH STREITEN (2004) and various TV shows Alexandra Maria Lara, Sam Riley, Friedrich his life. He’s been separated from his robot such as FREUNDE FÜR IMMER (2005), Mücke, Jördis Triebel, Bjarne Mädel, Ralph parents when his spaceship crashed and now SWITCH RELOADED (2006) and RUDI – THE Caspers PRODUCERS Uwe Kolbe, Björn he’s looking for them. Toby decides to offer RACING PIG (2007-2009). In 2009, his award- Vosgerau, Kristina Löbbert, Stefan Schubert, his help and the two of them become friends. winning debut feature HANGTIME was re- Hejo Emons CO-PRODUCERS Eric Goosens, Teaming up, they build an invention that can leased theatrically, followed by THE Anton Roebben, Kalle Friz, Isabel Hund PRO- fly, float, and drive on a road – a fantastic CROCODILES – ALL FOR ONE (2011), WHEN DUCTION COMPANIES Wüste Film, Wüste Voyager especially designed to help their INGE IS DANCING (2013), VAMPIRE SISTERS Film West, in co-production with STUDIO - search. Meanwhile, the unscrupulous Sir (2012), VAMPIRE SISTERS 2 (2014), RICO, CANAL Film, Walking The Dog RUNTIME 90 Joshua and his super bad agents are hot on OSKAR AND THE BROKEN HEARTED (2015), min LAN GUAGE German their heels, wanting to use Robby and the and ROBBY & TOBY’S FANTASTIC VOYAGER fantastic Voyager for their own evil plans. But (2016). SALES even super bad agents should never, ever ARRI Media International under estimate the power of best friends! [email protected] www.arrimedia.de/international

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GFQ 4-2016 NEW FEATURES

photo © Universum/Gordon Timpel SIMPEL

en and his brother Barnabas have MARKUS GOLLER’s films include: KG GENRE Comedy, Drama YEAR OF PRODUC- been bosom buddies for as long as SESSION (1999), THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE TION 2016 DIRECTOR Markus Goller he can remember. Although RACING (2000), MASK UNDER MASK (2001), SCREENPLAY Dirk Ahner CINEMATOGRAPHY BBarnabas, known as “Simpel”, is FRIENDSHIP (2009), HOT LINE (2011), FRAU Ueli Steiger CAST David Kross, Frederick Lau, now 22, he has stayed at the mental age of a ELLA (2013), and SIMPEL (2016). Emilia Schüle, Devid Striesow, Axel Stein, three-year-old. He may get on his brother's Anneke Kim Sarnau, Tim Wilde, Annette Frier nerves at times, but Ben could never imagine PRODUCER Michael Lehmann CO-PRO - life without him. However, when their mother DUCERS Benjamin Seikel, Cornel Schäfer unexpectedly dies, it is decided to put Simpel PRODUCTION COMPANY Letterbox Film - in a home. The brothers go on the run and produktion, in co-production with C-FILMS Ben realizes after a crazy odyssey that only (Germany), Amalia Film RUNTIME 100 min one option is left open to him: he must find LANGUAGE German the father they last saw 15 years ago. SALES Global Screen [email protected] www.globalscreen.de

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NEW FEATURES GFQ 4-2016

photo © CLAUSSEN+PUTZ Filmproduktion DIE VAMPIRSCHWESTERN 3 – REISE NACH TRANSSILVANIEN VAMPIRE SISTERS 3 – JOURNEY TO TRANSYLVANIA

he beloved VAMPIRE SISTERS are TIM TRACHTE was born in 1976 and studied GENRE Adventure, Family Entertainment back! This time they have a new Dramaturgy in Munich. After work experience YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2016 DIRECTOR Tim baby brother, Franz, a sweet half- as an editor in New York, he studied Directing Trachte SCREENPLAY Ursula Gruber, Sigrun Tvampire. But he is in danger! The at the University of Television and Film in De Pascalis CINEMATOG RAPHY Fabian evil vampire queen Antanasia wants him in Munich. His second feature DAVON WILLST Rösler CAST Marta Martin, Laura Roge, her castle, as her heir. When Silvania acciden- DU NICHTS WISSEN won the World Showcase Christiane Paul, Stipe Erceg PRODUCERS tally hypnotizes her parents Mihai and Elvira, Award for Best International Feature at the Jakob Claussen, Uli Putz PRODUCTION COM- thus putting them temporarily out of action, Soho International Film Festival in 2012. PANY CLAUSSEN+PUTZ Filmproduktion, in Antanasia kidnaps baby Franz. Daka pursues VAMPIRE SISTERS 3 is his second collabora- co-production with Deutsche Columbia her to Transylvania to rescue him. With tion with CLAUSSEN+PUTZ Filmproduktion. Pictures Filmproduktion RUNTIME 95 min Murdo’s help she breaks into the castle, but LANGUAGE German is, instead, captivated by Antanasia because she is living what Daka has always dreamed SALES of, the life of a free vampire! Meanwhile ARRI Media International Silvania and Dirk van Kombast are on their [email protected] way to the castle. Together with Murdo they www.arrimedia.de/international have to free Franz and Daka from Antanasia’s clutches before Franz is crowned successor to the throne.

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GFQ 4-2016 NEW DOCUMENTARIES

wo people, two sets of perceptions and memories – did Angela and Christian love each other? Were Tthey ever a proper couple? What did they expect of each other? All questions bring forth contradictory answers. The only indis- putable fact is that they met in 1986 in Berlin. Yet when Angela became pregnant and de - cided to keep the child, they broke off contact. Since then they have never spoken about what transpired. 25 years later, their daughter sets up a cam era. She interviews Christian, she interviews Angela. She then plays the respec- tive recording back to them – hers to him, his to her. Suddenly, a dynamic unfolds between the two parents, without them actually encoun ter ing each other. In this space, their history is recast in the context of the present. Felt truths appear amongst true feelings.

photo © Andac Karabeyoglu/Filmuniversität Babelsberg

HE SHE I

HE SHE I is a film about the power to tell your graduate program at the Film University TOGrAPHY Andac Karabeyoglu PrODUCEr own story, and the powerlessness to prevent Babelsberg in 2016. She has worked as a Isabell Wackers PrODUCTIOn COMPAnY a second version of it – a conversation that freelance editor for German and international Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF never happened. cinematic productions, most notably CENTER rUnTIME 88 min LAnGUAGE German OF MY WORLD (dir: Jakob M. Erwa) in 2015. CArLOTTA KITTEL was born in 1988. After HE SHE I marks her directorial debut. SALES studies in Editing at the Film University Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF Babels berg KONRAD WOLF and the Lodz GEnrE Biopic, Family YEAr OF PrODUCTIOn [email protected] Film School in Poland, she completed a post- 2016 DIrECTOr Carlotta Kittel CInEMA- www.filmuniversitaet.de

OUR PASSPORTS is a partly ani - mated first-person documentary about emigration and identity in the Faftermath of former Yugoslavia’s dissolution, told from the perspective of filmmaker Mihajlo Jevtić. The story of four passports and one country – a farewell 25 years in the making.

MIHAJLO JEVTIĆ was born in 1978. He studied Documentary Filmmaking in Paris and participated in the Berlinale Talent Cam- pus. Active as a writer, producer and director, his films include: IN THE BOX (short doc, 2004), ALONE, ALONE, YOU SHOULD NEVER BE ALONE (short doc, 2006), MILAN IN THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS (short, 2007), SNARE DRUM (short, 2008), GAGARIN AND ME (short, 2012), SLOW DAYS IN BEPPU

photo © parabellum film

(short doc, 2014), and the feature documen- DUCErS Morana Komljenović, Iva Tkalec SALES tary FOUR PASSPORTS (2016). PrODUCTIOn COMPAnY parabellum film, in parabellum film co-production with Film the World, Fade In [email protected] GEnrE Family, Migration, Society YEAr OF rUnTIME 83 min LAnGUAGE Serbian FESTI- www.parabellumfilm.de PrODUCTIOn 2016 DIrECTOr Mihajlo Jevtić VALS Trieste 2016, achtung Berlin 2016, Bel- SCrEEnPLAY Mihajlo Jevtić CInEMATOG - docs 2016, Cinema City IFF Novi Sad 2016, rAPHY Mihajlo Jevtić, Staša Tomić, Bojana Sarajevo 2016, World of Film IFF Glasgow Burnać, Slavko Jevtić, Stefan Vogt PrODU- 2016, Osteuropäische Filmtage Dresden 2016 CErS Natalia Imaz, Mihajlo Jevtić CO-PrO-

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NEW DOCUMENTARIES GFQ 4-2016

OT WITHOUT US! follows children, whose personalities are as varied as the landscapes in which they Nlive, on their way from home to school: Vincent, the skiing ace, zips down the steep slopes of the Feuerkogel mountain; HIV-positive Luniko from the South African township Khayelithsa is always accompanied by fear; Enjo, the little philosopher, feels deeply connected to his world between the mountains and the lake; Sanjana who lives in a red-light district in India; and To from Laos, who doesn’t find school so difficult, but the journey there sure is. They share their hopes and plans, and tell us of their dreams and their fears – of child labor, prostitution, war, and crime. All are worried about the destruc- tion of nature. A film about the future of the planet – a future that these children are going to shape. photo © Gemini Film/Schneegans Productions

NOT WITHOUT US!

SIGRID KLAUSMANN’s films include: YOU’RE GENRE Ecology, Educational, Road Movie TIME 87 min LANGUAGE Arabic, English, GONNA FLY (2004-2006), LISETTE’S CHIL- YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2016 DIRECTOR Spanish, French, Swiss German, Japanese, DREN (2009), CHERKEZI (2008), UBUNTU – Sigrid Klausmann SCREENPLAY Sigrid Laotian, Nepalese, Hindi, Icelandic, German THE SECOND CHANCE (2009), THOMAS Klausmann CINEMATOGRAPHY Justyna HITZLSPERGER AND THE TOWNSHIP KIDS Feicht, John Pennebaker, Simon Drescher, SALES (2010), DAHEIM (2012), 199 LITTLE HEROES Lina Luzyte PRODUCER Gerhard Schmidt Gemini Film & Library (2015) and NOT WITHOUT US! (2016, with Lina CO-PRODUCER Walter Sittler PRODUCTION [email protected] Luzyte, Ariana Kessissoblou, Insa Onken, and COMPANY Gemini Film & Library, in co-pro- www.gemini-film.de Ali Kareem). duction with Schneegans Productions RUN-

young filmmaker takes a trip to Myanmar into her own past, re - visiting the places of her child- Ahood. A journey to look for her missing father, but also into the warmth and security of living memory embodied by her friends and family. Shot in still, poetic frames, the film discreetly captures the present day echoes of a country kept in isolation for de - cades. Caught between romanticized pictures of her childhood and the contemporary moderniz ed mega city of Yangon, Seng Mai goes to see those who brought her up, who implanted the longing in her which pulled her halfway around the globe; a passionate journey that changes her life forever.

TO BE WITH YOU – MY FAMILY IN MYANMAR photo © avindepdendents

SENG MAI was born 1987 in Myanmar. After GENRE Road Movie YEAR OF PRODUCTION SALES studying Fine Arts, she worked as a news 2016 DIRECTOR Seng Mai SCREENPLAY Mai avindependents - Film & Television photographer and attended the Yangon Film Seng CINEMATOGRAPHY Tilman Holzhauer [email protected] School. She recently participated in an ex- PRODUCERS Ümit Uludag, Ina Fister PRO- www.avindependents.com change program at the Filmakademie Baden- DUCTION COMPANY avindependents - Film & Württemberg, where she was the first inter- Television RUNTIME 60 min LANGUAGE Eng- national student to take part in the series lish, Burmese FESTIVALS Hof 2016 YOUNG DOC’S with SWR. TO BE WITH YOU – MY FAMILY IN MYANMAR is her graduation film.

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GFQ 4-2016 NEW DOCUMENTARIES

ducation is one of our most valuable resources. This is a rare look behind the scenes, this is a story of Ethree young teachers in the making that are thrown in the (harsh) reality of the German educational system. TO BE A TEACH - ER is the emotional story of three young teach ers and their first years in school, a period called “Referendariat” in Germany. Here they come to realize that their studies did not prepare them at all for what it means to work in one of the most responsible and important jobs of society. A rare insight into fabricating one of the most essential re - sources of modern times: education. A coming-of-age story about three young people whose idealism clashes with a harsh reality.

photo © Evgeny Revvo

TO BE A TEACHER

JAKOB SCHMIDT was born in 1989. He has GENRE Educational YEAR OF PRODUCTION SALES worked in journalism and completed several 2016 DIRECTOR Jakob Schmidt SCREENPLAY Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF production internships. A student at the Film Jakob Schmidt CINEMATOGRAPHY David [email protected] University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, his Schittek, Evgeny Revvo, Jakob Schmidt PRO- www.filmuniversitaet.de films include: the shorts I'D RATHER BE A DUCER Marie-Luise Scharf PRO DUC TION MURDERER (2012), 517 FÜWATOWN (doc, COMPANY Filmuniversität Babelsberg KON- 2012), RESTLESS (2013), STORM CELLS RAD WOLF, in co-production with ZDF Das (2015), and his feature-length documentary kleine Fernsehspiel RUNTIME 101 min LAN - TO BE A TEACHER (2016). GUAGE German FESTIVALS DOK Leipzig 2016

Check out the new GFQ digital issue www.germanfilmsquarterly.de

Specially designed for desktop and mobile devices, to keep you informed on all the latest German ﬁlms and ﬁlmmakers, and a whole lot more!

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NEW SHORTS GFQ 4-2016

STUDENT ACADEMY WHERE THE WOODS END AWARD

lke, a young police officer, and her GENRE Action, Drama, Thriller YEAR OF PRO- colleague Armin are on patrol close DUCTION 2016 CATEGORY Short DIRECTOR to the Czech border. During a rou- Felix Ahrens SCREENPLAY Lucas Flasch, Etine stop and search operation a Felix Ahrens CINEMATOG RAPHY Sabine Pa- young Czech man resists their police orders nossian, Stephan Buske CAST Henrike v. and in the heat of the moment gets shot by Kuick, Tom Keune, Anna Schinz, Justus Elke. As a result, Elke gets suspended while Carrière PRODUCER David Nienhold CO- the police investigate internally and she sinks PRODUCERS Adrian Paul, Meike Goetz PRO- into a deep sense of guilt. While her emotions DUCTION COMPANY Filmuni versität Babels- become unbearable, Elke decides to make berg KONRAD WOLF, in co-production with her way to the Czech Republic in order to find MDR RUNTIME 30 min LANGUAGE German the family of the man she killed. FESTIVALS Max Ophüls Preis Saarbrücken 2016, Sehsüchte Potsdam 2016, Kurzfilmfest FELIX AHRENS was born in 1986. He com - Landshut 2016, Indepdendent Film Festival pleted several internships at German TV Osnabrück 2016, FilmZ Mainz 2016 AWARDS stations. Working as a production manager, Student Academy Award (Foreign Narrative: he co-founded CURLY PICTURES Film Pro- Silver) 2016 duction. In 2012 he started studying Directing at the Film University Babelsberg. His films SALES include: BADENIXE (2011), HEUTE UND Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF MORGEN (2012), DIE FLIEHKRAFT DES [email protected] KOMETEN (2013), MAILBOX (2014), VAKUUM www.filmuniversitaet.de (2015), MEMOIRE (2015), and AM ENDE DER WALD (2016).

photos © S. Buske/S. Pannossian/Filmuniversität

STUDENT ACADEMY AWARD

cruel war has taken two brothers’ GENRE Animation YEAR OF PRODUCTION home. Their mother protects 2016 DIRECTOR Ahmad Saleh SCREENPLAY them under her arms and fosters Ahmad Saleh CINEMATOGRAPHY Lionel Athe seed of their new life, anxious Poutiaire Somé ANIMATION Frank Pingel her sons could come into danger if they leave PRODUCERS Stefan Gieren, Naser Abu Zer, the house. But the boys chase their dream to Saleh Saleh PRODUCTION COMPANIES play a music instrument they’ve fallen in love Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln (KHM), with. A beautiful Oud. They collect scrap Fiction 2.0 RUNTIME 11 min LANGUAGE metal to earn the money and must find out Arabic AWARDS Student Academy Award that their mother’s fear was for a good (Foreign Animation: Gold) 2016 reason. But as strong birds will always fly, the two boys become one to overcome their SALES trauma. Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln (KHM) [email protected] AHMAD SALEH was born in 1980 in Saudi www.khm.de Arabia of Palestinian descent. From 1998- 2003, he studied Engineering in Palestine before moving to Germany to study Digital Media at the Bremen University of the Arts (HFK). He started out writing short stories before he found his passion in filmmaking. His debut short HOUSE (2012) was nominated for the German Short Film Award 2012. AYNY (2016) was awarded the Student Academy

Award for Best Foreign Animation 2016. photos © KHM/Ahmad Saleh

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GFQ 4-2016 NEW SHORTS

n accidental meeting in an eleva- GENRE Erotic YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2016 tor at a department store leads DIRECTOR Francy Fabritz SCREENPLAY two older women to their limits Francy Fabritz, Manuela Kay CINEMATOG - Aand forces them to improvise by RAPHY Sarah Vetter CAST Eva Medusa the time the elevator gets stuck. Gühne, Morgana Muses PRODUCER Eike Eckold PRODUCTION COMPANY Deutsche FRANCY FABRITZ was born in 1985 in Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) Dresden. While studying Cultural Sciences, RUNTIME 14 min LANGUAGE German FESTI- Aesthetics and Applied Arts, she also worked VALS Locarno 2016, San Sebastian 2016 in the fields of theater and documentary AWARDS Panavision Award San Sebastian film. Since 2013, she has been studying at 2016 the German Academy of Film & Television (DFFB). Her films focus on sexuality and SALES gender from the female perspective and in- Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin clude: the shorts GIER (2012), MAHLZEIT [email protected] (2013), BUTCH IS BEAUTIFUL (2013), DURST www.dffb.de (2014), SCHWEIN (2015), and ETAGE X (2016).

STUDENT ACADEMY AWARD

he young teacher Michael Gewa re- GENRE Drama, Thriller YEAR OF PRODUC- ceives a mysterious message – the TION 2016 DIRECTOR Alex Schaad SCREEN- personal rating service “b.good” has PLAY Dimitrij & Alex Schaad CINEMATOG- Tbought his online and mobile data to RAPHY Ahmed El Nagar CAST Dimitrij evaluate his professional skills and his Schaad, Ulrich Wessel, Petra M. Nerette, personality in several categories. After ne - Patrick Finger, Sierk Radzei, Omid Memar, glecting the consequences, he finds himself Lilly Forgach, Ercan Karacayli PRODUCER in a moral fight for trust in the midst of Richard Lamprecht PRODUCTION COMPANY students, colleagues and friends. Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film Mün- chen, in co-production with Donndorffilm ALEX SCHAAD was born in 1990. After LENGTH 30 min LANGUAGE German FESTI- various jobs in film, television and the theater, VALS Max Ophüls Preis Saarbrücken 2016 he began studying at the University of Tele - AWARDS Max Ophüls Preis Saarbrücken vision & Film in Munich. His films include: the 2016, Student Academy Award (Foreign shorts THOMAS BALDER UND DER FORT- Narrative: Gold) 2016 GANG (2014), MARIE (2015), and INVENTION OF TRUST (2016). SALES Donndorffilm [email protected] www.donndorffilm.de

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NEW SHORTS GFQ 4-2016

WHEN YOU LOVE

eri is a Turkish woman, who lives GENRE Drama YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2016 with her husband and her daughter DIRECTOR Süheyla Schwenk SCREENPLAY in Germany. Her life is bound be - Süheyla Schwenk CINEMATOGRAPHY Florian Ptween doing the household chores, Wurzer CAST Tanya Erartsin, Sascha Ö. shopping, taking care of her child and man - Soydan, Ali Ekber PRODUCERS Süheyla aging the home. Her husband is not aware of Schwenk, Florian Wurzer PRODUCTION COM- her emotions. One day he gives her a sur- PANY Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie prise, being very sure it will make her as Berlin (DFFB) RUNTIME 30 min LANGUAGE happy as he is. Instead, it turns Peri’s world Turkish FESTIVALS Toronto 2016 upside down. SALES SÜHEYLA SCHWENK is a student at the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin German Film & Television Academy Berlin. [email protected] Her films include the shorts OPFER (2012), www.dffb.de PERI GEHT AUS (2014), MERAL, KIZIM (2015), and SEVINCE (2016).

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GFQ 4-2016 UPCOMING FILMS

BIBI & TINA – TOHUWABOHU TOTAL

t’s perfect pandemonium this time when GENRE Family Entertainment CATEGORY Bibi and Tina meet a runaway boy with an Feature DIRECTOR Detlev Buck SCREENPLAY Iattitude problem, who turns out to actually Bettina Börgerding, Detlev Buck CAST Lina be a girl, named Adea. Adea’s uncle is so Larissa Strahl, Lisa-Marie Koroll, Louis Held, narrow-minded and stubborn that even with Lea van Acken, Michael Maertens, Winnie all her magic spells, Bibi can’t manage to get Böwe, Fabian Buch, Martin Seifert, Joachim the two to reconcile. Meanwhile, Falkenstein Meyerhoff, Albert Kitzl, Karim Günes PRODU- Castle is being renovated, which is driving the CERS Christoph Daniel, Marc Schmidheiny, Count to his wits’ end. Especially since Alex is Sonja Schmitt, Detlev Buck CO-PRODUCERS planning to hold a music festival at Falken- Dario Suter, Joel Brandeis, Claus Boje, Ga- stein and is determined to go through with it briele Salomon PRODUCTION COMPANY DCM over his father’s objections. And if all that was Pictures, in co-production with Boje Buck not enough, Tina gets kidnapped. Despite the Produktion, Kiddinx Filmproduction, ZDF complete chaos, one thing is clear – in the LANGUAGE German end, real change comes from everybody work ing and pulling together, not by magic. SALES Beta Film

his summer saw producers UFA GENRE Family Entertainment CATEGORY FICTION and Feine Filme embarking Feature DIRECTOR Isabell Šuba SCREEN- Ton a reboot of their successful HANNI PLAY Katrin Milhahn, Antonia Rothe-Lier- & NANNI franchise, based on Enid Blyton’s mann, Sandra Nettelbeck CAST Laila classic St Clare’s book series, with the Meinecke, Rosa Meinecke, Maria Schrader, newcomers 11-year-old twins Laila and Rosa Julia Koschitz, Katharina Thalbach, Jessica Meinecke cast as the title characters. Much Schwarz, Sascha Vollmer, Henry Hübchen to the twins’ dismay, their mother (Jessica PRODUCERS Sebastian Werninger, Hermann Schwarz) decides to pack them off to the Florin PRODUCTION COMPANY UFA Fiction, Lindenhof boarding school for the rest of the in co-production with Feine Filme LANGUAGE school year since absolute chaos would be on German the cards if their musician father (TheBoss- Hoss singer Sascha Vollmer) was to look after SALES them back home in Berlin. The twins are hell Global Screen bent on doing everything to be thrown out of [email protected] school, but then events take an unexpected www.globalscreen.de

KEN – THE MOVIE

roduced via a mixture of crowdfunding GENRE Drama, Music, Road Movie, Tragi - and classic subsidy, the film follows comedy CATEGORY Feature DIRECTOR PKen Stringfellow reliving parts of his Claudia Rorarius SCREENPLAY Claudia life and fraying the line between reality and Rorarius CAST Ken Stringfellow, Kim Taylor fiction in the process. The story follows PRODUCER Claudia Rorarius PRODUCTION the musician on tour in the U.S.. It’s a very COMPANY Soquiet Filmproduktion LAN - familiar road, but this time his world is turned GUAGE English upside down. The towns appear deserted, his shows are going badly, and his nerves are at CONTACT breaking point. One morning he wakes to find Soquiet Filmproduktion his voice gone, which sends him over the [email protected] edge, plunging into a catastrophic breakdown. www.soquietfilms.com Stranded and distressed, he is haunted by the www.ken-themovie.com memory of his mother abandoning him as a child. He de cides to take fate into his own hands and begins the search for her: it is a

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UPCOMING FILMS GFQ 4-2016

LOMMBOCK

ifteen years after Christian Zübert’s GENRE Comedy CATEGORY Feature DIREC- feature debut, the pothead comedy TOR Christian Zübert SCREENPLAY Christian FLAMMBOCK, that took the cinemas by Zübert CAST Lucas Gregorowicz, Moritz storm, the director is now back with lead ac- Bleibtreu, Louis Hofmann, Alexandra Neldel, tors Lucas Gregorowicz and Moritz Bleibtreu Melanie Winiger, Mavie Hörbiger, Wotan Wilke for a new chapter – with unexpected twists Möhring, Antoine Monot Jr., Dar Salim PRO- and turns – in the lives of best friends Stefan DUCERS Tom Spieß, Ulf Israel, Sönke Wort- and Kai. While Stefan is about to settle down mann CO-PRODUCERS Stefan Gärtner, Birgit to a glamorous existence with the tough busi- Rothörl, Josef Brandmaier PRODUCTION nesswoman Yasemin, whose father is one of COMPANIES Little Shark Entertainment, the most influential men in Dubai, Kai Senator Film, Zampano Filmproduktion, in muddles through life in their native city of co-production with SevenPictures Film, Würzburg with the “Lommbock” delivery ser- Schubert International LANGUAGE German vice. When the friends meet up again after all these years, things start going awry after they CONTACT “take a drag first”... Little Shark Entertainment

hy is the life of a fire-fighter who GENRE Human Interest, Society, Politics died in the Twin Towers on Sep- CATEGORY Documentary DIRECTOR Karin Wtember 11 worth on average a Jurschick PRODUCER Birgit Schulz CO-PRO- million euros less than that of a stockbroker DUCER Annemiek van der Hell PRODUCTION who lost his life in the same disaster? How COMPANY Bildersturm Filmproduktion, in co- much money should oil giant BP pay the production with Windmill Films LANGUAGE fishermen on the Gulf of Mexico after the English, German largest oil spill in history? How can Vietnam veterans be compensated for their suffering, SALES which stems from exposure to Agent Orange? Films Transit International Questions that almost appear cynical, but not [email protected] for America’s famous compensation spe - www.filmstransit.com cialist: Ken Feinberg. PLAYING GOD reveals what happens within our system of values when economic interests and people’s lives become intertwined by tragedy.

DAS PUBERTIER – DER FILM

irector Leander Haußmann has GENRE Comedy CATEGORY Feature DI - collaborated with author Jan Weiler RECTOR Leander Haußmann SCREENPLAY Din adapting his bestseller about Leander Haußmann, Jan Weiler CAST Jan grumpy, uncommunicative pubescents and Josef Liefers, Heike Makatsch, Detlev Buck, their equally embarrasing parents for the big Monika Gruber, Harriet Herbig-Matten, screen. Newcomer Harriet Herbig-Matten Justus von Dohnányi PRODUCER Günter plays teenager Carla who transforms from Rohrbach PRODUCTION COMPANY Constan- daddy’s little princess into a petulant little tin Film Produktion LANGUAGE German madam shortly before her 14th birthday. Her journalist father Hannes (Jan Josef Liefers) CONTACT decides to stay home to help Carla get Constantin Film Produktion through this difficult phase, but puts his foot [email protected] in it at every move. And other fathers aren't www.constantin-film.de any better: Hannes’ best friend Holger (Detlev Buck) prefers to be shot at in the Middle East rather than have to deal with his teenage

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GFQ 4-2016 UPCOMING FILMS

ROCK MY HEART

ana (16) has a heart defect that could GENRE Family Entertainment CATEGORY end her life at any moment. Furious at Feature DIRECTOR Hanno Olderdissen Jher fate, she rebels against her illness SCREENPLAY Clemente Fernandez-Gill CAST and her despairing parents. She also rejects Lena Klenke, Dieter Hallervorden, Emilio a new treatment for fear of the side effects. Moutaoukkil, Michael Lott, Annette Frier, When she meets the reclusive racing trainer Milan Peschel, Anneke Kim Sarnau PRODU- Paul (75) and the seemingly wild stallion CER Boris Schönfelder CO-PRODUCERS ‘Rock My Heart’, it becomes clear that she is Christine Strobl, Marc Gabizon, David Kehrl, the only one who can work with the highly Antonio Exacoustos PRODUCTION COMPANY sensitive animal. Paul convinces her to enter Neue Schönhauser Filmproduktion, in co- a prize race with Rock, training her to be a production with Degeto Film, Senator Film, jockey. Although at her physical limits, Jana ARRI Media LANGUAGE German hides her illness from Paul. Not even her parents know of her plans. Even when her ill- CONTACT ness seems to strike her down, she doesn't Neue Schönhauser Filmproduktion let go of her dreams. She knows it takes cou- [email protected]

photo © Bernd Spauke rage to race, but it takes even more to say yes www.neueschoenhauser.de to life again. UNTER DEUTSCHEN BETTEN

ased on Justyna Polanska’s epony- GENRE Comedy CATEGORY Feature DIREC- mous best-seller, actress-producer TOR Jan Fehse SCREENPLAY Lucy Astner BVeronica Ferres’ latest project sees CAST Veronica Ferres, Heiner Lauterbach, her playing the one-hit wonder Linda Leh- Magdalena Boczarska, Milan Peschel, Eray mann who dreams of making a big comeback Egilmaz, Simon Schwarz, Thelma Buabeng, to the music charts...until she sees that her Lore Richter, Anna Julia Kapfelsperger, long-term boyfriend and producer Friedrich Johannes Zirner, Oliver Pocher, Monika only has eyes for a new starlet. What’s more, Gruber PRODUCER Nina Maag CO-PRODU- it looks like she may have reached her sell-by CER Magdalena Prosteder PRODUCTION date in the music industry. Salvation of sorts COMPANY Construction Film, in co-produc- comes in the shape of her former cleaner tion with Fox International Productions (Ger- Justyna, although the pampered diva is many) LANGUAGE German thrown in the deep end when she has to help Justyna out with her cleaning job for two SALES weeks. Chaos inevitably ensues, but the two 20th Century Fox (Germany) very different women come to learn the value [email protected]

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GERMAN FILMS: A PROFILE GFQ 4-2016 GERMAN FILMS SERVICE + MARKETING

is the national infor mation and advisory SUPERVISORY. BOARD center for the promotion of German films worldwide. It was established in 1954 under Peter Herrmann Chairman the name Export-Union of German Cinema as Jana Cernik the umbrella association for the Association Katharina Cramer-Hadjidimos of German Feature Film Producers, the Peter Dinges Association of New German Feature Film Antonio Exacoustos Producers and the Association of German Petra Müller Film Exporters, and operates today in the legal form of a limited company. In 2004, the TEAM company was re organized and now operates under the name: German Films Service + Mariette Rissenbeek Managing Director Marketing GmbH. Christine Harrasser Distribution Support, Business Affairs Angela Hawkins Communications & Marketing SHAREHOLDERS are the German Pro - Nicole Kaufmann Regional Coordinator: USA, UK & Northern Europe ducers Association, the German Pro ducers Birgit Koch Press & PR Alliance, the Association of German Film Ex- Verena Köstler Accounts porters, the German Federal Film Board Dennis Ruh Festival Relations (FFA), the Deutsche Kinemathek, the German Maike Schantz Regional Coordinator: Southern Europe & Latin America Documentary Association, FilmFernsehFonds Martin Scheuring Project Coordinator & Short Film Bayern, Film- und Medien stiftung NRW, Sabrina Schrödl Assistant to the Managing Director Medien board Berlin-Brandenburg, and the Bernhard Simek Regional Coordinator: Eastern Europe & Australia, Documentary Film German Short Film Association. Konstanze Welz Television, Regional Coordinator: Asia

German Films’ budget of presently €4.55 RANGE OF ACTIVITIES million comes from film export levies, the office of the Federal Government Com -  Close cooperation with major interna -  Publication of informational literature missioner for Culture and the Media, and the tional film festivals, in cluding Berlin, Cannes, about current German films and the German FFA. The seven main regional film funds Venice, San Sebastian, Locarno, Rome, film industry, as well as international market (FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Filmförderung Karlovy Vary, Montreal, Toronto, New York, analy ses and special festival brochures Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Film- und Shanghai, Warsaw, Moscow, and Busan Medien stiftung NRW, Medienboard Berlin-  A website (www.german-films.de) offer - Brandenburg, MFG Baden-Württemberg,  Organization of umbrella stands for ing in forma tion about new German films, a Mittel deutsche Medien förderung, and Nord- German sales companies and producers at film archive, in formation and links to German media) make a financial contribution – international television and film markets and international film festivals and institu - currently amounting to €319,000 – towards (Berlin, Cannes, AFM Los Angeles, Shanghai, tions the work of German Films. Toronto, Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy)  Organization of the selection procedure German Films is a founding member of the  Staging of Festivals of German Films in for the German entry for the Oscar® for Best European Film Promotion, a network of selected inter national territories in coopera- Foreign Language Film European film organizations with similar tion with the Goethe-Institut responsibilities to those of German Films.  Collaboration with Deutsche Welle’s The organiza tion, with its headquarters in  Staging of industry screenings in key DW-TV KINO program which features the Hamburg, aims to develop and realize joint international territories latest German film releases and inter national projects for the pre sentation of European productions in Germany films on an inter national level.  Providing advice and information for rep - resentatives of the international press and  Organization of the German Films Pre- In association and cooperation with its share - buyers from the fields of cinema, home views geared toward arthouse distributors holders, German Films works to promote fea- entertain ment, and television and buyers of German films ture, documentary, television and short films.  Providing advice and information for  Selective financial Distribution Support In addition, German Films has foreign re p - German filmmakers and press on inter - for the foreign releases of German films resentatives for Eastern Europe, China/ national festivals, conditions of participation, Southe ast Asia, and the USA/Canada. and German films being shown  Organization with UniFrance of the annual German-French film meeting  Organization of the annual Next Genera- tion Short Tiger short film program, which presents a selection of shorts and is inter - nationally premiered in Cannes

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FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE CINÉMA NYON DOC OUTLOOK INTERNATIONAL MARKET VISIONSDUREEL.CH

DESIGN : DESIGN

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SHAREHOLDERS & SUPPORTERS GFQ 4-2016

Allianz Deutscher Produzenten – Film & Fernsehen e.V. German Producers Alliance Kronenstr. 3 | 10117 Berlin/Germany phone +49-30-2 06 70 88 0 | fax +49-30-2 06 70 88 44 | [email protected] | www.produzentenallianz.de

Arbeitsgemeinschaft Dokumentarfilm e.V. German Documentary Association Schweizer Str. 6 | 60594 Frankfurt am Main/Germany phone +49-69-62 37 00 | fax +49-61 42-96 64 24 | [email protected] | www.agdok.de

Arbeitsgemeinschaft Kurzfilm e.V. German Short Film Association Förstereistr. 36 | 01099 Dresden/Germany phone +49-3 51-4 04 55 75 | fax +49-3 51-4 04 55 76 | [email protected] | www.ag-kurzfilm.de

Deutsche Kinemathek Museum für Film und Fernsehen Potsdamer Str. 2 | 10785 Berlin/Germany phone +49-30-30 09 03-0 | fax +49-30-30 09 03-13 | [email protected] | www.deutsche-kinemathek.de

FilmFernsehFonds Bayern GmbH Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Medien in Bayern Sonnenstr. 21 | 80331 Munich/Germany phone +49-89-54 46 02-0 | fax +49-89-54 46 02 21 | [email protected] | www.fff-bayern.de

Filmförderungsanstalt German Federal Film Board Große Präsidentenstr. 9 | 10178 Berlin/Germany phone +49-30-27 57 70 | fax +49-30-27 57 71 11 | [email protected] | www.ffa.de

Film- und Medienstiftung NRW GmbH Kaistr. 14 | 40221 Düsseldorf/Germany phone +49-2 11-93 05 00 | fax +49-2 11-93 05 05 | [email protected] | www.filmstiftung.de

Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH August-Bebel-Str. 26-53 | 14482 Potsdam-Babelsberg/Germany phone +49-3 31-74 38 70 | fax +49-3 31-7 43 87 99 | [email protected] | www.medienboard.de

Verband Deutscher Filmproduzenten e.V. German Producers Association Bavariafilmplatz 7 | 82031 Grünwald/Germany phone +49-89-64 95 64 18 | fax +49-89-64 95 64 40 [email protected] | www.filmproduzentenverband.de

Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien Federal Government Commissioner for Culture & the Media Köthener Str. 2 | 10963 Berlin/Germany | phone +49-30-18 68 10 fax +49-30-1 86 81 54 43 51 | [email protected] | www.kulturstaatsminister.de

Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein GmbH Friedensallee 14–16 | 22765 Hamburg/Germany phone +49-40-398 37-0 | fax +49-40-398 37-10 | [email protected] | www.ffhsh.de

Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung GmbH Hainstr. 17-19 | 04109 Leipzig/Germany phone +49-3 41-26 98 70 | fax +49-3 41-2 69 87 65 | [email protected] | www.mdm-online.de

nordmedia – Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen mbH Expo Plaza 1 | 30539 Hanover/Germany phone +49-5 11-1 23 45 60 | fax +49-5 11-12 34 56 29 | [email protected] | www.nordmedia.de

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ASSOCIATION OF GERMAN FILM EXPORTERS GFQ 4-2016 ASSOCIATION OF GERMAN FILM EXPORTERS

Verband deutscher Filmexporteure e.V. (VDFE) Robert-Koch-Str. 1 80538 Munich/Germany phone +49-89-570 877 53 Berlin office: fax +49-89-570 877 60 Winterfeldtstr. 56 [email protected] 10781 Berlin/Germany www.vdfe.de phone +49-30-8 61 23 93

ARRI Media International Films Boutique GmbH Picture Tree International GmbH Türkenstr. 89 Köpenicker Str. 184 Husemannstr. 7 80799 Munich/Germany 10997 Berlin/Germany 10435 Berlin/Germany phone +49-89-38 09 12 88 phone +49-30-69 53 78 50 phone +49-30-420 824 80 fax +49-89-38 09 16 19 fax +49 30-69 53 78 51 fax +49-30-420 824 812 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.arrimedia.de/international www.filmsboutique.com www.picturetree-international.com

Beta Cinema GmbH Global Screen GmbH SOLA Media GmbH Grünwalder Weg 28d Sonnenstr. 21 Rotebühlplatz 29 82041 Oberhaching/Germany 80331 Munich/Germany 70178 Stuttgart/Germany phone +49-89-6 73 46 98 28 phone +49-89-24 41 29 55 00 phone +49-7 11-96 89 44 40 fax +49-89-6 73 46 98 88 fax +49-89-24 41 29 55 20 fax +49-7 11-96 89 44 51 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.betacinema.com www.globalscreen.de www.sola-media.com

Constantin Film Verleih GmbH Media Luna New Films UG Feilitzschstr. 6 Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring 38, 6th Floor 80802 Munich/Germany 50672 Cologne/Germany phone +49-89-44 44 60 0 phone +49-2 21-51 09 18 91 fax +49-89-44 44 60 666 fax +49-2 21-51 09 18 99 [email protected] [email protected] www.constantin-film.de www.medialuna.biz

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GFQ 4-2016 IMPRINT & FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES

German Films Quarterly is published by: Editor FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES Angela Hawkins German Films Service + Marketing GmbH Eastern Europe Herzog-Wilhelm-Str. 16 Contributors Simone Baumann 80331 Munich/Germany Martin Blaney, Patrick Heidmann, Saxonia Entertainment phone +49-89-5 99 78 70 Birgit Heidsiek, Simon Kingsley Altenburger Str. 9 fax +49-89-59 97 87 30 04275 Leipzig/Germany [email protected] Translations phone +49-3 41-35 00 45 36 www.german-films.de Lucinda Rennison fax +49-3 41-35 00 77 45 36 [email protected] Cover RICHARD THE STORK (photo © Knudsen USA & Canada & Streuber Medienmanufaktur) Oliver Mahrdt Hanns Wolters International Inc. Design & Art Direction 599 Eleventh Ave., 3rd Floor Werner Schauer www.triptychon.biz New York, NY 10036/USA ISSN 1614-6387 phone +1-212-714 0100 Printing Office [email protected] Credits are not contractual for any of www.esta-druck.de the films mentioned in this publication. China German Films supports the use of paper from sustainable forestry. The pages of this magazine are made of PEFC certificated cellulose. Anke Redl © German Films Service + Marketing GmbH PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification China Media Management Inc. schemes) is the largest independent organization worldwide for securing and continuously improving a sustainable forest manage- Galaxy SOHO, Tower D-50931 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or ment and it guarantees ecological, social and economic standards. No. 7 Xiaopaifang Hutong Currently there are 258 million hectares of PEFC certificated forest transmission of this publication may be made worldwide. Dongcheng without written permission. Beijing 100010/China phone +86-10-65 20 64 30 fax +86-10-65 20 64 50 [email protected] GmbH worldwide transport solutions Int. Medienspedition FILMTRANSPORTS . FIRST CLASS SERVICE ! AIRFREIGHT WORLDWIDE: EXPORT . IMPORT . WAREHOUSE INTERNATIONAL COURIERSERVICE: WORLDWIDE „DOOR TO DOOR“ TRUCKING SERVICE . OVERNIGHT FESTIVALS . FILMPRODUCTION-HANDLING

www.multi-logistics.de

Airport Offices: München Frankfurt Berlin Hamburg 089/97 58 07-0 069/69 52 36-0 030/412 20 34 040/50 75 15 73 Fax 089/97 59 52 82 Fax 069/69 52 36 15 Fax 030/412 20 94 Fax 040/50 75 25 36 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

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