Press Release

German Screen Star Til Schweiger at the ZFF Author, Director, Producer of and Actor in SCHUTZENGEL

Zurich, September 11, 2012

German screen star at the Zurich Film Festival: Actor, screenwriter, director and producer Til Schweiger presents his new film SCHUTZENGEL in Zurich on Tuesday (25.09., corso 1, 21:15). His emotional action thriller hits regular cinemas two days later.

For the past 20 years, Til Schweiger, born1963 in , has been one of the best- loved German film and TV actors. The last 15 years has seen him write, direct, and produce his own films with equal accomplishment. After attracting more than 50 M viewers to the cinema, Schweiger is currently the most successful German film actor.

DER BEWEGTE MANN

Schweiger’s career began 1990 in the TV series LINDENSTRASSE. Produced by , he played his first lead role in the 1991 comedy MANTA, MANTA. His breakthrough came in 1994 with the comedy DER BEWEGTE MANN by Sönke Wortmann, a film based on the comic by Ralf König. This was followed in 1996 by ’s MÄNNERPENSION – another box office hit.

Schweiger founded his own production company Mr. Brown Entertainment in the same year, which celebrated a huge box office hit with KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR, a film for which he also wrote the screenplay. It attracted more than three million viewers in 1997, making it that year’s most successful German cinema film.

This also marked the launch of Schweiger’s international career. He went on to play the lead alongside Neve Campbell and Nick Nolte in the 2001 comedy INVESTIGATING SEX. He appeared with Angelina Jolie in LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER in 2003, and in KING ARTHUR alongside Clive Owen and Keira Knightley in 2004.

KEINOHRHASEN

The romantic comedy BARFUSS (2005) is the first film that Schweiger wrote, directed, produced and starred in. Created by his new production company Barefoot Films, KEINOHRHASEN (2007) was his greatest ever cinema success: 6.3 M viewers watched Schweiger play for the first time alongside his four children Valentin, Luna, Lilli and Emma.

He further appeared in ’s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS alongside Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Michael Fassbender. Another self-produced film followed in 2009: ZWEIOHRKÜKEN, the sequel to KEINOHRHASEN, reached 4.2 M viewers. This figure was surpassed in the following year by KOKOWÄÄH with 4.3 M viewers, a film in which Schweiger plays alongside his youngest daughter Emma.

Schweiger also wrote, directed and produced his latest film SCHUTZENGEL, where this time he can be seen playing alongside his eldest daughter Luna. The film tells the story of a former soldier whose mission is to protect the sole witness of a crime; the two are on the run from the outset. In addition to Til and Luna, the film also stars , and Hannah Herzsprung. It hits regular cinemas on September 27.

Notice to editors: The screening of SCHUTZENGEL on 25.09. at 21:15 in the cinema corso 1 is a private event.