ISSUE 2-2018 ’s Ulrich Köhler’s Sergei Loznitsa’s IN CANNES ACTOR PRODUCERS DIRECTORS Godehard Giese Ulrich Köhler Rafael Parente IN MYROOM DONBASS SEARCHING FORINGMAR BERGMAN & in UnCertain Regard Ina Weisse , in UnCertain Regard Korbinian Dufter GFQ GERMAN FILMSQUARTERLY & Simon Amberger in CannesClassics of NEUESUPER CONTENTS GFQ 2-2018

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2 GFQ 2-2018 CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE

 IN CANNES  NEW DOCUMENTARIES

DONBASS AUSSORTIERT – ASIENS UNERWÜNSCHTE TÖCHTER Sergei Loznitsa ...... 4 THE BACHELOR TIME BOMB Antje Christ, Dorothe Dörholt ...... 32 IN MY ROOM Ulrich Köhler ...... 5 KUNST IM PARADIES ART IN PARADISE SEARCHING FOR INGMAR BERGMAN Joachim Haupt, Sabine Pollmeier ...... 32 Margarethe von Trotta ...... 6

 NEW SHORTS PORTRAITS BURKINA KOMPLEX PEOPLE IN HOUSES, BUT NOT AT HOME Ulu Braun ...... 33 A portrait of director Ulrich Köhler ...... 8 CARLOTTA’S FACE WORKING PARTNERSHIPS Valentin Riedl, Frédéric Schuld ...... 33 A portrait of director Ina Weisse ...... 10 LINK TEAM SPIRIT Robert Löbel ...... 34 A portrait of production company NEUESUPER ...... 12

EXPLORING INNER WORLDS  UPCOMING FILMS A portrait of actor Godehard Giese ...... 14 100 DINGE Florian David Fitz ...... 35 NEWS & NOTES ...... 16 BEAT Marco Kreuzpaintner ...... 35  NEW FEATURES DEUTSCHSTUNDE DIE DEFEKTE KATZE Christian Schwochow ...... 35 A DYSFUNCTIONAL CAT Susan Gordanshekan ...... 21 DREISSIG DRAUSSEN IN MEINEM KOPF Simona Kostova ...... 36 Eibe Maleen Krebs ...... 22 ELEFANTEN WACHSEN SCHNELL FONOTUNE: AN ELECTRIC FAIRYTALE Carlos A. Morelli ...... 36 FINT ...... 23 KENT OZANI, DER STADTSCHREIBER VON ISTANBUL FRAU MUTTER TIER Dogan Altuner ...... 36 MOTHER BEE Felicitas Darschin ...... 24 DER KRIEG IN MIR FÜNF FREUNDE – UND DAS TAL DER DINOSAURIER Sebastian Heinzel ...... 37 THE FAMOUS FIVE – AND THE VALLEY OF DINOSAURS Mike Marzuk ...... 25 PARFUM Philipp Kadelbach ...... 37 DER GESCHMACK VON LEBEN TASTE OF LIFE Roland Reber ...... 26 STILLSTEHEN Elisa Mishto ...... 37 HEILSTÄTTEN Michael David Pate ...... 27 SYSTEMSPRENGER Nora Fingscheidt ...... 38 LILIANE SUSEWIND Joachim Masannek ...... 28 TEARS OF CHANGE Ceylan Alejandro Ataman-Checa ...... 38 REISE NACH JERUSALEM THE CHAIRS GAME Lucia Chiarla ...... 29 TRÄUME VON RÄUMEN Matthias Lintner ...... 38 SCHWIMMEN SWIMMING Luzie Loose ...... 30 WARUM Bernd Böhlich ...... 39 SPIELMACHER PLAYMAKER Timon Modersohn ...... 31 WEST OF LIBERTY Barbara Eder ...... 39

Shareholders & Supporters ...... 45 Film Exporters ...... 46 Imprint ...... 47

3 IN CANNES GFQ 2-2018

© ma.ja.de. Fiction DONBASS

hen war is called peace, when SERGEI LOZNITSA was born in 1964 in GENRE Drama CATEGORY Feature YEAR propaganda is uttered as Baranovichi in the former USSR. He grew OF PRODUCTION 2018 DIRECTOR Sergei truth, when hatred is de - up in Kiev, and graduated from the Kiev Loznitsa SCREENPLAY Sergei Loznitsa CINE- clared to be love, life itself Polytechnic with a degree in Applied Mathe- MATOGRAPHY Oleg Mutu CAST Tamara Wbegins to resemble death. Surviving Donbass. matics. From 1987-1991, he was employed Yatsenko, Liudmila Smorodina, Olesya A practical guide to Inferno. at the Kiev Institute of Cybernetics, working Zhurakovskaya, Boris Kamorzin, Thorsten on artificial intelligence research. He also Merten, Sergei Russkin, Petro Panchuk, The action of the film takes place in a region worked as a translator for Japanese. In 1997 Irina Plesnyaeva, Zhanna Lubgane, Vadim of Eastern Ukraine, occupied by various cri- Sergei Loznitsa graduated from the Russian Dobuvsky, Alexander Zamurayev, Gerogy minal gangs, which are fighting at once with State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). He Deliev, Valeriu Andriuta, Konstantin Itunin, the Ukrainian regular army, with other gangs studied Feature Filmmaking in the class of Valery Antoniuk, Nina Antonova, Natalia and with Russian troops. The context in which Nana Dzhordzhadze. From 2000-2008 he Buzko, Sergei Kolesov, Svetlana Kolesova, the action takes place is a hybrid war, happe- work ed at the St. Petersburg Documentary Sergei Smeyan PRODUCER Heino Deckert ning alongside an open armed conflict, Film Studio. In 2001, he and his family moved PRODUCTION COMPANY ma.ja.de. Fiction, accompanied by robberies on a mass scale to . A selection of his award-winning in co-production with Arthouse Traffic, JBA and gradual degradation of the civilian popu- films includes: TODAY WE ARE GOING Production, Graniet Film, Wild at Art, Digital lation. There is fear, deception, hatred and TO BUILD A HOUSE (1996), LIFE, AUTUMN Cube RUNTIME 120 min LANGUAGE Russian, violence everywhere. Society is collapsing, (1998), THE TRAIN STOP (2000), SETTLE- Ukrainian FESTIVALS Cannes 2018 (Un and death and deadly silence lie upon the MENT (2001), PORTRAIT (2002), LANDSCAPE Certain Regard – Opening Film) place. The state of war reaches its climax. (2003), FACTORY (2004), BLOCKADE (2005), ARTEL (2006), REVUE (2008), MY JOY (2010), SALES IN THE FOG (2012), AUSTERLITZ (2016), and Pyramide Films DONBASS (2018). [email protected] www.pyramidefilms.com

4 GFQ 2-2018 IN CANNES

© Pandora Film Produktion IN MY ROOM

rmin is getting too old for his ULRICH KÖHLER was born in 1969 in GENRE Drama CATEGORY Feature YEAR OF night life habits and the woman he Marburg and studied Fine Arts in , PRODUCTION 2018 DIRECTOR Ulrich Köhler likes. He’s not really happy, but Philosophy in Hamburg and later Visual SCREENPLAY Ulrich Köhler CINEMATOG - can’t picture living a different life. Communication at the University of Fine Arts RAPHY Patrick Orth CAST Hans Löw, Elena OneA morning he wakes up: the world looks in Hamburg, where he also made his first Radonicich, Michael Wittenborn, Emma the same as always, but mankind has dis- short films. His feature films BUNGALOW Bading, Kathrin Resetarits, Ruth Bickelhaupt appeared. and WINDOWS ON MONDAY premiered in PRODUCERS Christoph Friedel, Claudia the Berlinale Forum and have screened at Steffen PRODUCTION COMPANY Pandora A film about the frightening gift of maximum many festivals worldwide, winning national Film Produktion, in co-production with Echo freedom. and international awards. His film SLEEPING Film, Komplizen Film, WDR, RUNTIME SICKNESS premiered in Competition at the 120 min LANGUAGE German, English FESTI- Berlinale and won the Silver Bear for Best VALS Cannes 2018 (Un Certain Regard) Directing. SALES The Match Factory [email protected] www.the-match-factory.com

5 IN CANNES GFQ 2-2018

© Börres Weiffenbach SEARCHING FOR INGMAR BERGMAN

am often asked whether I have a parti- his internationally renowned actresses (Liv MADNESS (1983), ROSA LUXEMBURG (1985), “ cular role model. Who is my favorite Ullmann, Gunnel Lindblom, Julia Dufvenius), (1990), THE LONG SI- director? My answer is always the his working companions and Bergman LENCE (1993), THE PROMISE (1994), ROSEN- same: Ingmar Bergman. Of course, experts, von Trotta also met with different STRASSE (2003), I AM THE OTHER WOMAN thereI are many film directors who are important generations of directors from different (2006), VISION (2009), HANNAH ARENDT to me, but he was the first whom I perceived as countries: from Carlos Saura and Olivier (2012), FORGET ABOUT NICK (2017), and her an ‘artist’ and who sparked the wish within me Assayas, to Ruben Östlund and Mia Hansen first documentary SEARCHING FOR INGMAR to make films myself.” Margarethe von Trotta Løve. During the talks with her colleagues, BERGMAN (2018), among others. von Trotta asks: “Which films and which 40 years later and after having directed some scenes inspired you? And what remains of GENRE Art, Film History CATEGORY Docu- 24 of her own films, von Trotta set off to Bergman – of his thoughts, his characters mentary YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2018 explore the trail left by Bergman in the world and his significance to the history of cinema? DIRECTOR Margarethe von Trotta CINE - of film. She still has tremendous respect for MATOG RAPHY Börres Weiffenbach PRO- the master, but she embarks on a personal MARGARETHE VON TROTTA ranks among the DUCTION COMPANY C-Films (Deutschland), journey through the Bergman universe, his most important female directors in German in co-production with Mondex et Cie RUN- films and his life, visiting original locations cinema since the 1970s, during which time TIME 96 min LANGUAGE German, Swedish, and places to find out what was typical of she also made a name for herself as an English, French FESTIVALS Cannes 2018 Bergman. And she talks to members of his actress. Today primarily active as a screen- (Cannes Classics) family and companions, who worked with him writer and director, her most well-known for many years. His female characters and a films include: THE LOST HONOR OF SALES fresh interpretation of his masterpieces are KATHARINA BLUM (1975, in co-direction with CMG Cinema Management Group key elements of this quest. Volker Schlöndorff), THE SECOND AWAKE- [email protected] NING OF CHRISTA KLAGES (1977), SISTERS www.cinemamanagementgroup.com But what significance does Bergman have for OR THE BALANCE OF HAPPINESS (1979), today’s generation of filmmakers? Aside from (1981), SHEER

6 °efp producers on the move presented by °efp at the cannes film european film promotion festival 2018

Fabian Massah Endorphine Veselka Kiryakova Production Red Carpet Germany Biljana Tutorov Bulgaria Wake Up Films Serbia Esko Rips Lukas Trimonis Nafta Films iN SCRiPT Luisa Romeo Estonia Lithuania Frida Films Spain

Birgitta Björnsdottir Oliver Sertić Vintage Pictures Restart Iceland Croatia

Peter Badač BFILM Slovak Republic Miia Haavisto Frank Hoeve Tekele Productions BALDR Film David Herdies Finland The Netherlands Momento Film Sweden Radovan Síbrt Marco Alessi Pink Dugong Films Czech Republic

Per Damgaard Nicolas Anthomé Aija Berzina Åshild Ramborg Rok Sečen Katrin Renz Hansen Bathysphere Tasse Film Maipo Film Monoo Tellfi lm Masterplan Pictures Productions Latvia Norway Slovenia Switzerland Denmark France

EFP is a unique network of 38 European member organisations Participating EFP members who represent films and talent from their respective territories. Bulgarian National Film Center, Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Czech Under the EFP flag, they team up on initiatives to jointly promote Film Center, Danish Film Institute, Estonian Film Institute, EYE the diversity and the spirit of European cinema and talent at key International/The Netherlands, Film Center Serbia, Finnish Film international film festivals and markets. Foundation, German Films, Icelandic Film Centre, ICAA/Spain, Istituto Luce Cinecittà/Italy, Lithuanian Film Centre, National Film Contact in Cannes Centre of Latvia, Norwegian Film Institute, Slovak Film Institute, [email protected] Slovenian Film Center, Swedish Film Institute, Swiss Films, UniFrance

EFP is supported by Event partner www.efp- online.com DIRECTOR’S PORTRAIT GFQ 2-2018

PEOPLE IN HOUSES,

BUT NOT AT HOME Film Produktion © Annette Hauschild/Pandora A PORTRAIT OF DIRECTOR ULRICH KÖHLER

n Ulrich Köhler’s debut film BUNGALOW Ulrich Köhler currently lives in -Prenz- In WINDOWS ON MONDAY, a young doctor, one minor character says: “I come from lauer Berg. There’s a café where the film- Nina, pregnant with her second child and in here; we live here.” The film is set in the maker drinks an espresso in the mornings, the midst of renovating a house with her provinces of central Germany, in Hesse, and often calls in to have one for the road in husband Frieder, is the one who pulls away Ibut words like these could never pass the lips the evening, e.g. after a visit to the cinema. from the established norms of nuclear family of a leading character in any of the film - Such routines are alien to his film characters, life. Nina also flees to her parents’ empty maker’s works. because they live in places where they are not weekend property, and from there through at home. the forest to a hotel. She roams through its Köhler was born in 1969, and it is true that his corridors, dropping into strangers’ parties, œuvre to date consists of only three films – In BUNGALOW, a young recruit called Paul where she encounters an ageing professional BUNGALOW (2002), WINDOWS ON MONDAY deserts to his parents’ weekend cottage, tennis player, who is swinging his racket for a (2006), and SLEEPING SICKNESS (2011); and where he encounters his older brother and show. the fourth, most recent film IN MY ROOM is the latter’s girlfriend. This provides the basis celebrating its premiere this year in Cannes’ for conflict, as the directionless, 19-year-old “That’s true,” Köhler says when I enquire Un Certain Regard. Nevertheless, it is not anti-hero with his still youthful, awkward body about his characters’ experiences of alien - wrong to speak of an œuvre: Köhler’s films rejects the norms of social cohabitation. The ation. “I have always had the sense that I are linked interestingly via their motifs and idea, for example, that you don’t fall in love didn’t belong. In Africa we were the children references. And identification with place is with your older brother’s girlfriend. of the white development aid workers, the clearly not one of them. ones who had the toys and could decide who

8 GFQ 2-2018 DIRECTOR’S PORTRAIT

their friends were. We exploited that shame- When studying at the Hamburg State lessly.” For four years, between the ages of Academy of Higher Artistic and Scientific five and nine, Köhler and his brother lived in Education during the nineties, he was regis - Mobutu Sese Seko’s Zaire. “We arrived there tered at the same time as Jonathan Meese straight after the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ box- and Daniel Richter. “If I had stuck to art,” Köh- ing match between Muhammad Ali and ler jokes, ”I would be rich and famous today.” George Foreman. People were calling out: ‘Ali, buma ye!’ and wearing Ali T-shirts.” But since then he has developed further in the direction of film, and after BUNGALOW His impressions of that time play a part in he has been considered part of the so-called SLEEPING SICKNESS. The film is about a ‘Berlin School’. This is a frequently over- doctor, Ebbo Velten, whose time in Africa is used label, but Köhler has no problem with actually coming to an end. As opposed to what it: “A group of filmmakers who know and may be suggested in the first half of the appreciate each other’s work, and sometimes film, however, he will not have returned to make use of similar references. But you could Germany, to Wetzlar in Hesse, when – after a probably make out just as many differences.” brilliant – French doctor Alex Nzila from the World Health Organization travels to And what is IN MY ROOM about? “In the Cameroon to evaluate a sponsored project in broad est sense, the film is a Robinsonade”. the second half of the film. Two outsiders in That doesn’t sound as if anyone has deep the wrong place encounter each other in roots in the place he is living. But how could Velten and Nzila: the German doctor who he – after all, we are talking about the seems unable to return home after long years protagonist in a film by Ulrich Köhler. in a foreign country, and Nzila, the son of a Congolese father, who doesn’t understand his Matthias Dell ancestors’ country.

Köhler’s return to German society was not problem-free, either. “At the start of year four here, one of my fellow pupils sat next to me, saying: You’re the African and I’m the Turk, we belong together. Then I got an A for my first school essay and he moved away again because he didn’t want to associate with an eager beaver. So I sat on my own for six months.” Later, Köhler was an exchange student in the USA, and after his school graduation he studied Art in France. It was there that he first discovered his love of the cinema: “Until then I hadn’t had a cinephile background, I came from a small town with - out a cinema, and my parents had gotten rid of the TV for educational reasons. Reading was the only thing left.”

9 DIRECTOR’S PORTRAIT GFQ 2-2018

WORKING

PARTNERSHIPS Klüter © Stefan A PORTRAIT OF DIRECTOR INA WEISSE

elevision audiences are sure to have of shorts, the debut feature THE ARCHITECT, She also acquired her first taste of directing come across Ina Weisse in episodes a documentary on the Neue Nationalgalerie, when attending the Waldorf school in Zehlen- of the TATORT or POLIZEIRUF crime and a second feature – DAS VORSPIEL – set dorf “where I had plenty of practice of both series or the award-winning TV film to go into production this autumn. acting as well as taking on the role of the TTHE END OF A NIGHT, which garnered her a director. It was always part of the same thing German Television Award, Grimme Prize and “I had made short films as a child together for me, never a case of either one or the Günter Rohrbach Award for her acting per - with my father during the school holidays,“ other.“ formances. In addition, she has appeared in Weisse recalls. “My father was a passionate numerous German feature films over more filmmaker with his 8mm camera – the films Weisse had also caught the acting bug at an than 20 years, from REAL GUYS through he made about the time working with Mies early age after going to the Schaubühne SAMS IN DANGER to NOTHING BUT GHOSTS van der Rohe appear in my documentary on theater on Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm: “I was and, most recently, Florian Henckel von the Neue Nationalgalerie – and so it was especially fascinated by the work of Klaus Donnersmarck’s latest film, WORK WITHOUT only natural for me to want to work with the Michael Grüber and the way he treated time AUTHOR. visual medium. What’s more, I was an avid in a production like An der Grossen Strasse. cinema-goer as a child and would regularly I saw people on stage working with text in But what many cinema-goers and TV viewers go to the [now closed] Studio Cinema at plays like The Three Sisters in the staging by might not be aware of is that Ina Weisse Adenauerplatz as well as the Bali in Zehlen- Peter Stein and knew that this is what I also has cultivated another string to her bow as dorf.“ wanted to do.” a screenwriter and director with a handful

10 GFQ 2-2018 DIRECTOR’S PORTRAIT

So, at the tender age of 18, she applied and was accepted for a place at the highly respected Otto Falkenburg drama school in Munich. After graduation, Weisse then ap - peared on stage in the Bavarian capital’s Kammerspiele and as a permanent member of the theater company at the Nationaltheater in Mannheim.

But, Weisse admits that at some point she felt confined by being part of a theater company’s ensemble and decided to quit to study Phil - osophy at the University of . Since then, she has never returned to act on the stage and has instead concentrated her work as an actor on roles for film and television.

Meanwhile, her aspirations to become a director behind the camera came one step further when she was accepted for the Direct - ing course at the University of Hamburg under the direction of filmmaker Hark Bohm in 2000.

“I had already tried my hand at making shorts with such credits as the documentary MAKE- in the 1960s, as well as with van der Rohe’s in the past, but it had always been a plan of UP and the fiction feature MADRID. “We met grandson Dirk Lohan and the architect David mine to go to film school to learn the craft on through a common friend and it didn’t take Chipperfield, who is overseeing the gallery’s a daily basis over two years,“ she explains. long before we knew that we were on the renovation. “It was a great experience and preparation for same wavelength and shared similar inte- what I wanted to do later on.“ rests,“ she recalls. “That makes things so Since the film is being planned as a German- much easier when you know that both of you French co-production with Pierre-Olivier Indeed, Weisse made an impact with her are thinking in the same direction. I like work - Bardet’s Idéale Audience, it was fortuitous graduation film ALLES ANDERS – “about ing with a co-author because there’s the that von Boehm had grown up in France and identity and betrayal“ – which won the First danger of just going around in circles when can speak French fluently. “Felix is brimming Steps Award in 2002. And it was this film you are writing alone. Of course, there are with energy and full of ideas which is really which caught the attention of Wim Wenders times when you have to work on your own on quite refreshing,“ Weisse continues. “And he who recommended Weisse as a highly pro- a screenplay, but I like this kind of working was the one who introduced me to Margaret mising talent to his then partner at Reverse partnership.“ Ménégoz who is set to handle the distribution Angle Pictures, Peter Schwarzkopff, to work of the film in France.“ together on her feature debut. In fact, the collaboration went so well be - tween Weisse and Charizani that they have Raising the finance for the film wasn’t a The result in 2008 was THE ARCHITECT which been working together on her second feature walk in the park, she admits, but Medien - premiered at the Hof International Film film project, DAS VORSPIEL, which will see board Berlin-Brandenburg, the FFA-CNC Festival that autumn and was screened the Nina Hoss cast as a violin teacher in conflict „Mini-traité“ and broadcaster ZDF are already following year at the Filmfestival Max Ophüls with her profession. onboard, and other partners are now likely to Preis in Saarbrücken and in the German follow to close the financing so that principal Cinema sidebar at the Berlinale. “Music played an important role in THE AR- photography can begin this October in Berlin. CHITECT and it will be at the center of my new Weisse succeeded in attracting an impressive project,“ Weisse explains. “What fascinates Martin Blaney line-up for the cast with Bavarian actor Josef me is the process of how music is created. Bierbichler as the title character, with Belgian The husband of Nina Hoss’ character is a actress Hilde van Mieghem as his wife, violin maker, so this will be an opportunity to Sophie Rois as a former flame, and Sandra show how sounds evolve.“ Hüller and Matthias Schweighöfer playing the couple’s grown-up children. DAS VORSPIEL is being produced by the up- and-coming producer Felix von Boehm’s In the film, Bierbichler as the successful Berlin/Heidelberg-based company Lupa Film, Hamburg architect Georg Winter travels with whose recent credits include Karim Ainouz’s his family to a snowy mountain village for his award-winning documentary CENTRAL AIR- mother’s funeral. An encounter with Rois’ PORT THF and Joya Thome’s debut THE character and her son Alex at the funeral QUEEN OF NIENDORF. ceremony drags the family into a vortex of desires and confusion of which there is no Weisse had previously worked with von escape when the village is cut off from the Boehm, who is the son of the TV presenter outside world by an avalanche... Gero von Boehm, on her documentary DIE NEUE NATIONALGALERIE which included in- This debut marked her first collaboration terviews with her father Rolf Weisse, who had with the Greek-born screenwriter Daphne worked at the office of Mies van der Rohe in Charizani who is a director in her own right Chicago during the planning of the art gallery

11 PRODUCERS’ PORTRAIT GFQ 2-2018

Rafael Parente, Korbinian Dufter, Simon Amberger (© Andreas Pfohl) TEAM SPIRIT A PORTRAIT OF PRODUCTION COMPANY NEUESUPER

e have always liked to gone in the direction of arthouse. As in the August 2014 and the audience voted on its “ work as a team,” says collaboration with the latest feature film by favorite of the three, with the overall winner Rafael Parente, one of the Hans Weingartner, 303, which had its world getting the commission to produce a whole three producers along premiere in the Berlinale’s Generation 14plus series.” withW Simon Amberger and Korbinian Dufter, section in February. We will always search who set up the Munich-based NEUESUPER for both things: relevant content and an NEUESUPER’s pilot of what later became the Filmproduktion during their studies at audience. That’s why we’re so enthusiastic quirky sitcom BLOCKBUSTAZ about an un - Munich’s University of Television & Film about the current momentum in television employed rapper (played by Eko Fresh) in a (HFF) in 2010. industry.” Cologne high-rise housing estate went down a storm with the ZDFneo audience and paved Even before their graduation from the HFF, The young company – which also works for the way for the company’s subsequent deve- the trio had produced several short films clients in the advertising world as well for lopment as a purveyor of high-end television. such as Benjamin Pfohl’s TOTES LAND and cinema and TV – did the rounds of the offices Susan Gordanshekan’s EISBLUMEN as well of TV commissioning editors with story ideas “I think it was a good fortune for us as a young as a couple of feature films – ADA by Mirjam for series and TV movies, but that all impor- company that the viewers were the ones Orthen and the international co-production tant green light to go into production wasn’t deciding on the winner,” Dufter says. “It EASTALGIA by Daria Onyshchenko. forthcoming. However, the newcomers had was much easier than having to follow the their lucky break into the TV market when classical path of needing to convince a “And from the outset, we thought that it would they pitched an idea for a sitcom series to the commissioning editor as newcomers to the be better to work as three producers together fledgling public channel ZDFneo as part of its industry. The audience made it very clear that rather each of us trying to make it on our TV Lab in 2014. “The three finalists from the they wanted to see a series based on the pilot own,” Amberger recalls. “We were also very pitches were each given a budget to produce and we received five times as many votes as clear in our minds of the goal of wanting to a pilot episode of their series,” Amberger ex- the next finalist,” he continues. “The pilot make films for a wide audience,” Korbinian plains. “The pilots were then broadcast by fitted in with the image ZDFneo was wanting Dufter adds. “With some of our films, we have ZDFneo over the course of one evening in to promote and our success was also partly

12 GFQ 2-2018 PRODUCERS’ PORTRAIT down to our strategy of using YouTube stars on the series,” Dufter explains. “With some - in the making, LUDEN (HAMBURG HUST- like Eko Fresh and Joyce Ilg who already have one like Stefan Ruzowitzky [who received the LING), with Jan Mojto’s Beta Film as co-pro- their own fan base.” Foreign Language Film Oscar® for THE ducer. Meanwhile, writer-director Kocyla, COUNTERFEITERS], we brought someone on- who is also a graduate of Munich’s HFF and Aired in 2015, the six-part series proved to be board who has lots of knowledge of working worked in the past on scripts for the ZDF se- one of the most successful series ever com- on TV series and also is adept at directing ries DIE CHEFIN, devised the concept and missioned by ZDFneo and prompted the action. And he has a reputation and standing penned the scripts for EIGHT DAYS. broadcaster to order a second season – this recognized by the broadcasters. At the same time with 12 episodes – which came on air at time, we wanted to have a young voice being “Our core team of writers is very open to the the end of March 2018. represented here, a filmmaker from our idea of working in a writers room,” Dufter generation at the HFF,” he continues. “So we says. “Previously, you would have an author Another pitching competition organized picked Michael Krummenacher who studied working all alone and then getting occasional by Bavarian Television (BR) and the HFF – Directing at the HFF in Munich from 2006 to feedback from the producer or a commission - “Free TV!” in autumn 2014 – landed the 2014.” EIGHT DAYS is set to air in Germany, ing editor. However, our strategy is to involve producing trio their next big commission – for Switzerland and Austria later in 2018. our authors increasingly in the decision-mak - HINDAFING, although their proposal was not ing process about, say, the casting or the the final winner! The past seven years have seen NEUE - choice of director. I think they can have a re- SUPER’s producing trio evolving and adapting ally positive influence because they are so “Reinhard Scolik, Bettina Ricklefs and Elmar as its production output expanded. “At the be- close to the story.” Jaeger at BR recognized the series’ potential ginning, we developed, financed and produced and said what we had shown in a specially the projects together, but with time, we realiz - NEUESUPER may be focused on working for produced trailer would be a perfect fit for ed that things would be more efficient if each television for the moment, but that doesn’t Bavaria right down to the story and the actors one of us had specific responsibilities,” ex- mean that they have turned their backs on ci- we had cast,” Parente recalls. This satirical plains Dufter who, for example, now oversees nema – indeed, a number of feature film pro- six-parter about a crystal meth-addicted the company’s day-to-day administration and jects are in development. “At the same time, mayor (played with relish by former European the financing of the projects as well as per- we have developed considerable expertise in Shooting Star Maximilian Brückner) in a sonnel issues. high-end TV and have an edge over other Bavarian backwoods was “something fresh companies,” Amberger explains. “We all and new, unlike any other Bavarian series “We have always seen NEUESUPER as a share a great passion about staying active in being shown on television at the time.” vehicle to realize story ideas that we had de- this particularly exciting segment for the fore - veloped ourselves,” he notes. “We see our - seeable future.” “It was also important for us as a company at selves as creative producers working the time that we had people who supported together in a team with the creatives: we are Martin Blaney us and believed in the potential of our pro- as much involved in helping to develop the jects,” Dufter notes. screenplays for the shorts at the beginning of the company’s history as in brainstorming Airing on BR from mid-May last year after ideas for the pitches to advertising clients or premiering on the web (br.de/hindafing) and to broadcasters.” in BR’s online mediatheque, HINDAFING has since gone on to garner nominations from the “Our goal is to be involved creatively from the prestigious Grimme Institute and the German earliest stages of our projects,” Amberger Academy for Television. In addition, the SVOD says, pointing out that NEUESUPER is always rights for Germany were sold last autumn to open to becoming a production partner on Netflix and the US remake rights to the series third party projects. From the outset, the trio were snatched up by Fox 21 Television at the have sought to foster long-standing working beginning of this year. “We are now in talks to relationships, particularly with screenwriters, produce a second season of HINDAFING,” to collaborate on their projects, like Niklas Amberger adds. Hoffmann, Peter Kocyla, Benjamin Seiler, Frederick Schlofield and writer-directors like As HINDAFING went on air, NEUESUPER Boris Kunz, Jakob Lass and Jakob Erwa. embarked on production of its third series project, EIGHT DAYS (ACHT TAGE) – this time Niklas Hoffmann, for example, has worked as a commission for the pay TV platform Sky with NEUESUPER since 2014 as he studied Deutschland. “We had been developing the Screenwriting at the HFF: he wrote the project for some time and at a point when Sky screenplay for the pilot for BLOCKBUSTAZ hadn’t yet decided to begin getting involved in and then wrote three episodes of the re - co-producing local TV series,” Amberger re- sulting series as well as serving as head calls. “Sky really put their trust in us and be- writer for the sitcom. In addition, Hoffmann lieved that we would be able to tackle such an devised the concept and script for ambitious project as EIGHT DAYS,” he con- HINDAFING together with Boris Kunz and tinues. “This production was another signifi- NEUESUPER producer Rafael Parente and cant step, both in terms of budget and returned to BLOCKBUSTAZ last year for production value for us as a company.” its second season where he penned four episodes and was responsible again as head The doomsday scenario focuses on what will writer. probably be the last days of humanity as a giant asteroid rushes towards Earth. “It was He is now working with Parente and another also a conscious move by us to have an ex- NEUESUPER “regular”, Peter Kocyla, on de- perienced director working with a young one veloping the screenplay for another TV series

13 ACTOR'S PORTRAIT GFQ 2-2018 EXPLORING INNER WORLDS

A PORTRAIT OF ACTOR GODEHARD GIESE © Giovanni De Francesco © Giovanni

14 GFQ 2-2018 ACTOR'S PORTRAIT

Sebastian Fräsdorf Godehard Giese Alice Pehlivanyan Karin Hanczewski William Peiro

Summers Downstairs COPYRIGHT © 2015 OSIRIS MEDIA GMBH / OSIRIS MEDIA FRANCE S.A.S.U. GESTALTUNG © IVY KUNZE © IVY KUNZE COPYRIGHT © 2015 OSIRIS MEDIA GMBH / FRANCE S.A.S.U. GESTALTUNG

ARRI WORLDSALES UND KINOSTAR FILMVERLEIH PRÄSENTIEREN EINE PRODUKTION DER OSIRIS MEDIA GMBH UND DER OSIRIS MEDIA FRANCE S.A.S.U. GEFÖRDERT DURCH DAS DÉPARTEMENT CHARENTE-MARITIME UND DER RÉGION POITOU-CHARENTES, IN ZUSAMMENARBEIT MIT DEM CNC A FILM BY JULES HERRMANN “LIEBMANN” STARRING GODEHARD GIESE, ADELINE MOREAU, FABIEN ARA, BETTINA GRAHS SEBASTIAN FRÄSDORF, KARIN HANCZEWSKI, ALICE PEHLIVANYAN, GODEHARD GIESE, WILLIAM PEIRO, BILDGESTALTUNG WILLI BÖHM, MONTAGE ANNA KAPPELMANN, SOUND RECORDIST TOBIAS RÜTHER SOUND DESIGN MICHAŁ KRAJCZOK MUSIC BY CHRISTIAN HALTEN, ZAAL33, SEBASTIAN KIEFER PRODUCTION DESIGN NICOLA MINSSEN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SARAH DRATH SZENENBILD BABETT KLIMMECK, ORIGINALTON PHILIPPE BOUCHEZ, SOUNDDESIGN IVAN BROUSSEGOUTTE, MISCHUNG MARVIN H. KEIL, EDITED BY JULES HERRMANN DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY SEBASTIAN EGERT WORLD SALES PATRA SPANOU PRODUCED BY JULES HERRMANN, ROSWITHA ESTER, TORSTEN REGLIN CASTING UWE BÜNKER UND NATHALIE CHÉRON, DREHBUCH UND REGIE TOM SOMMERLATTE, PRODUZENTIN IRIS SOMMERLATTE

www.liebmann-fi lm.de

odehard Giese is relaxing in That lecturer has been proven wrong. In has helped him here. His directing debut, Rome during our Skype con - 2005 Giese caught the attention of Jules THE STORY OF THE ASTRONAUT, received an versation. It’s a sunny spring Herrmann, who cast him in her film award at the festival Achtung Berlin in 2014 morning and the actor with the academy graduation film. This marked the (where he also won the prize for Best Actor Gsharp, lucid eyes is quite laid-back as he sips start of Giese’s film career. He has continued in 2015 for his role in SUMMERS DOWN- his coffee. to collaborate with Herrmann to the present STAIRS). “The fact that I made my own film day. In her feature film debut LIEBMANN in has helped me to gain an outside impression Giese is taking a break. Which is surely a 2016, he played the role of a German teacher of myself as an actor.” good thing, as he has been extremely busy who is spending the summer in a French vil- in recent years. In February, he was in the lage, hoping to come to terms with a recent Giese is especially enthusiastic about the at- Berlinale competition with TRANSIT, the re- traumatic event. The film premiered at the mosphere during the filming of Petzold’s fugee drama shot by Christian Petzold in 2016 Berlinale in the section Perspektive TRANSIT in Marseille and the way in which Marseille and since fêted by the critics. Deutsches Kino, and after an international the city and its architecture influenced his He also acted in Wim Wenders’ SUB - festival tour it was nominated for the Euro- character. “I make an attempt to lay out my MERGENCE, which was shown in Toronto in pean Film Award in the Discovery category. character’s inner, mental world. And exter- 2017, and in A CURE FOR WELLNESS under Tom Sommerlatte’s comedy SUMMERS nal influences always help to shape it.” As an the direction of Gore Verbinski. He can be DOWNSTAIRS, in which Giese also plays a actor, he visualizes this mental space once spotted in all the important quality German man spending the summer holidays in again in the external world – “it’s the same TV series, as well: in BABYLON BERLIN by France, followed the same route a year be- in my own film, THE STORY OF THE ASTRO- Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and Achim fore. NAUT, when a woman writer’s mental world von Borries, DAS VERSCHWINDEN by Hans- is projected onto the landscape of Mallorca.” Christian Schmid, THE SAME SKY by Oliver Giese’s Liebmann is a fascinating character, In this way Giese expands on his characters’ Hirschbiegel, and the series DEUTSCHLAND damaged and yet self-righteous, who wears inner worlds, translating them into an 83 produced by Nico Hofmann. protective armour but is filled with sexual extremely physical and yet intimate style of energy, nonetheless. “For me, LIEBMANN is acting. But his love of Italy is even older than his a special film. We had the complex idea for act ing career. Giese, born in 1972, first a character but there was no screenplay, just What other colleagues have inspired him studied Italian at the Humboldt University in an outline.” A huge set like that of BABYLON during this process? “Recently, I have been Berlin – arriving at acting as an indirect re- BERLIN and the intimate and improvised most impressed by Jean-Pierre Léaud in sult. “One professor of Italian staged theater filming of LIEBMANN may be worlds apart, THE DEATH OF LOUIS XIV. He is one of my plays with her students. I took part in them but such differences are what attract Giese: great heroes anyway, just like Albert Finney. and immediately I knew: this is exactly what “It’s important to stay alert in the actor’s He’s not afraid to make himself ridiculous.” I want to do.” profession, so that you can react directly. You And there is one more, or perhaps two: don’t have more than a moment. So you need “Naturally, there is something about Mar- At the age of twenty-four he applied to the to engage with the material. That’s why I cello Mastroianni’s elegance as well. And Acting class at the Berlin University of the take on many different projects, so that I Gian Maria Volonté. He gives his characters Arts, where he studied from 1997 to 2001. don’t slip into a routine.” immense clarity with his strength and After completing his training he spent two serenity.” Did he think of them because he years at the theater in Hildesheim. Giese In our conversation, Giese returns again and happens to be in Rome at the moment? was not even considering film at that stage, again to the process of shooting. Acting for Smiling, he adds: “It’s my Italian side coming as he tells me amidst some laughter: him means preparing well, so that at the out, I suppose.” “My lecturer at acting school said I wasn’t moment of recording he is able to let go, to compatible with film work. He advised me allow himself to be challenged, “to be cata- Philipp Stadelmaier against it.” pulted into a state of excitement that is truly wonderful”. His own experience as a director

26 15 NEWS & NOTES GFQ 2-2018 NEWS1 & NOTES

1

Opening night guests at KINO! 2018 (© Alberto Reyes) 1 1

KINO! 2018: GERMAN FILMS IN THE BIG APPLE

GDR history, warring banks or bar talks – the fessor Noah Isenberg and organized by the professor at Columbia University and a film fifth edition of KINO!2018 Festival of German Deutsches Haus at NYU. producer, introduced the film. The VoD ser- Films in New York (6 – 12 April 2018) was vice Fandor was the exclusive partner of the held for the first time in New York’s latest The supporting program included a round - KINO! Audience Award for the third year in a “state of the art” (Deadline) arthouse cinema table talk on “FRAUEN POWER: German row and created a curated online program of Landmark at 57 West. Nine new productions, Women Filmmakers Making Their Mark”. German “Festival Favorites” for U.S. online a silent film and the NEXT GENERATION Lisa Blumenberg and Désirée Nosbusch viewers. SHORT TIGER 2017 program of shorts were took part along with Marieke Schroeder, the presented by seven guests. director of BAR TALKS BY SCHUMANN. This year’s Audience Award went to the She was joined by the film’s charismatic series BAD BANKS, which is available in The screening of IN TIMES OF FADING LIGHT protagonist, the bartending institution the U.S. on Hulu. followed by a Q&A with the director Matti Charles Schumann, for a Q&A. In addition, Geschonneck opened the festival and was director Nick Baker-Monteys answered the very well re ceived. Directed by Christian audience’s questions about THE FINAL Schwochow, the first two episodes of the JOURNEY. series BAD BANKS, were shown in the atten- dance of producer Lisa Blumenberg and Connoisseurs of German film classics loved actress Désirée Nosbusch. WHEN PAUL the silent film VARIETÉ by Ewald André CAME OVER THE SEA, which was named Dupont presented in cooperation with Best Documentary at the Shanghai Inter - Bertelsmann. The live musical accompani- national Film Festival, was presented by ment was provided by the pianist and director Jakob Preuss, who also took part in multi-instrumentalist Stephen Horne and a packed panel discussion moderated by Pro- percussionist Martin Pyne. Ira Deutchman, a

16 GFQ 2-2018 NEWS & NOTES 2 3

© FFF Bayern Peter Dinges, Christine Berg, Monika Grütters, Bernd Neumann, Frank Völkert (© Ulf Büschleb) 2 3

FFF WRITERS‘ DELEGATION HAPPY BIRTHDAY FFA: AT SXSW 50 YEARS OF FILM FUNDING

With support from FilmFernsehFonds On 6 March 1968, the German Federal Film The German Federal Film Board celebrated Bayern, a delegation of Bavarian writers par- Board (FFA) was established in Berlin – and this milestone anniversary with a gala on 6 ticipated at this year’s SXSW Conferences & five decades later, in 2018, it is celebrating March 2018 in Berlin with some 500 guests Festival in Austin, Texas. The trip signals FFF it’s 50th birthday. And the anniversary also from the film industry, funding, politics and Bayern’s aim to strengthen its support for represents half a century of German film culture. On the occasion of the event, Bernd screenwriters and further develop its inter- history. Supported film classics, which are Neumann, president of the German Federal national activities and networks. exemplary for the quality and diversity of Film Board, emphasized the fact that “it is German filmmaking, include Rainer Werner also the Film Board’s task for the future to Five writers participated in the Writers’ Fassbinder’s THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA protect, strengthen and maintain the exi- Delegation: Natalie Spinell, Andy Wolff, BRAUN, Volker Schlöndorff’s THE TIN stence of a cinematic culture,” and confirmed Niklas Hoffmann, Christian Lex and Anne DRUM, Wolfgang Petersen’s THE BOAT, Wim the importance of the cinema as a premium Keßel. Two mentors – Egbert van Wyngaar- Wender’s PARIS, TEXAS, Caroline Link’s location, even in times of new digital media. den and Philipp Schall – from Transmedia NOWHERE IN AFRICA, and Tom Tykwer’s State Minister for Culture Monika Grütters Bayern, which also offered financial support RUN LOLA RUN. Over the course of the last congratulated the Film Board as an “interna- to the delegation, accompanied the group 50 years, the German Federal Film Board has tionally unique levy-based film funding, and the FFF funding executive Lisa Giehl. awarded over 1.6 billion euros in funding which is sustained by a sense of solidarity” support for production (for some 4,000 fea- and honored the funding institution as an “in- The Writers’ Delegation program gave the ture films and 1,000 screenplays), distribu- dispensable partner for film policy.” writers access to numerous events at SXSW tion and film theaters. In addition to its task concentrating on storytelling, artificial intel- as a funding institution, the German Federal ligence and digital content, as well as a Film Board also acts as a central service pro- Bavaria-Québec Dinner sponsored by FFF vider for the entire German film industry and Bayern, the Representation of the Québec as a moderator for the future challenges of Government, and the Representation of the the film industry. Free State of Bavaria in Québec.

17 NEWS & NOTES GFQ 2-2018 46

IN THE AISLES (© Sommerhaus Filmproduktion/Anke Neugebauer) FEST (© Nikita Diakur) 4 5 6

IN THE AISLES WITH MFG BADEN- DIANE KRUGER SHOOTING SHORT GERMAN ANIMATIONS WÜRTTEMBERG AGAIN IN NRW IN ANNECY

After her leading role in Maren Ade’s world- For her role in Fatih Akin’s Golden Globe- In 2018, a line-up of ten German animated wide hit TONI ERDMANN, Sandra Hüller re- winner IN THE FADE, Diane Kruger was short films, commissioned films and TV turns in Thomas Stuber’s latest feature IN awarded the Best Actress prize at the series will be presented in the official selec- THE AISLES, alongside European Shooting Festival de Cannes in 2017. And once again, tion of the Festival International du Film Star Franz Rogowski (VICTORIA) and Peter she will soon be shooting in North Rhine- d’Animation in Annecy (11-16 June 2018), Kurth (BABYLON BERLIN) to form a top- Westphalia for a new feature supported by which is one of the most important festivals class cast. The three actors play out Clemens the Filmstiftung NRW and the Israel Film for animated film worldwide. With NOT MY Meyer’s story about three co-workers at a Fund, taking on the leading role in Israeli TYPE (DE/CH) by Gerd Gockell and FEST by supermarket. Christian (Rogowski) is the director Yuval Adler’s upcoming film THE Nikita Diakur, there are two German ani - new guy and in charge of stocking the OPERATIVE. A large part of the principle pho- mated short films competing for the Cristal shelves. Bruno (Kurth) is his colleague in the tography will be taking place in NRW and the d’Annecy in the International Competition. beverage section and acts as a father figure, film is being co-produced by Michael Weber ANT by Julia Ocker and LINK by Robert Löbel taking him under his wing and teaching him and Viola Fügen of the Cologne-based Match were selected for the section Short Films all the tricks. Marion (Hüller) works in the Factory Productions. Young Audiences. Another five German next aisle and, although she is actually shorts have been invited to the competition married (to a thug, no less), she takes a shine In the thriller, Kruger portrays a young for graduation films: AUGENBLICKE by Kiana to Christian. Despite all odds, they offer each British woman who is recruited by the Israeli Naghshineh, FOLLOWER by Jonathan Behr, other support in life; a life which outside of secret service Mossad for a covert mission in FUSE by Shadi Adib, LOVE ME, FEAR ME by the supermarket seems to be almost un - Tehran. Director Yuval Adler won the main Veronica Solomon, and NOSIS by Vincenz bearable. But inside, it’s their own little prize of the Venice Days in 2013 for his poli- Neuhaus. Furthermore, 32-RBIT by Victor world. tical drama BETHLEHEM. Orozco Ramirez (DE/MX) is shortlisted for the Perspectives Short Films in Competition. MFG Baden-Württemberg, together with Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, BKM, Once again, both AG Kurzfilm (German Short Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and the Film Association) and German Films will German6 Federal Film Fund supported the attend the festival’s film market MIFA and film produced by the Ludwigsburg-based provide the international film scene and Sommerhaus Filmproduktion, in cooperation visitors with useful information and contacts with the broadcasters MDR, ARTE, SWR and 5 regarding the range of German filmmakers HR, and co-produced with Departures Film and their animated films. A preview DVD with and Rotor Film. The film was shot in part in recent German animated short films will Karlsruhe and took home two independent also be available at the booth in Annecy film prizes from the Berlinale: the German addressing festival representatives, curators, Film Guild Award and Ecumenical Jury interested participants and buyers. Apart Award. from this, the DVD is also available upon request from the office of AG Kurzfilm in .

Diane Kruger (© Filmstiftung NRW/Hubert Bösl)

18 GFQ 2-2018 NEWS & NOTES 789

© AG Kurzfilm Fatih Akin, Diane Kruger, Denis Moschitto (courtesy of Bitters End) 7 8 9

GERMAN SHORT FILMS IN CANNES INDUSTRY SCREENINGS IN TOKYO GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL DOWN UNDER Once again AG Kurzfilm (German Short Film For the third time, German Films organized Association) and German Films offer a industry screenings in Tokyo presenting German Films has partnered the German platform for German short films and short seven new German films to Japanese distri- Film Festival in Australia for more than a filmmakers during the 71th edition of the butors over the course of two days in March. decade. This year the event is organized Festival de Cannes. As every year, some of As Japanese audiences have a particularly by the well-established Palace Cinemas the most recent short film productions are strong interest in historic and cultural issues, who are the traditional organizers of other available at the Short Film Corner for inter- the Tokyo screenings aimed to widen this national film events (for French, Brazilian national industry professionals. The selec- perspective by offering genre films like and Italian cinema) and who hired project tion German Short Films – Cannes Edition THIS CRAZY HEART, HANNA’S HOMECOMING manager Bettina Kinski to supervise the 2018 containing eight current short films will and the animated MANU THE SWIFT at the German Film Festival 2018, which will take be available at the Short Film Corner and on Nippon Film Art Cinema. Seven sales com- place in five cities (Sydney, Canberra, DVD at the German Pavilion. panies (ARRI Media International, Beta Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide) and Cinema, Global Screen, Picture Tree Inter - will include a program of 26 films as well Additionally, for the eighth time, the program national, Sola Media, The Match Factory, and as the short film program SHORT EXPORT NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER cel ebrates Films Boutique) joined the event to present 2018. Opening film of the event in Sydney its premiere in Cannes. It features not only upcoming films to Japanese buyers and en- on May 22nd will be Lars Kraume’s film school productions but also the winners force their network in Japan, a country which recent Berlinale-contribution THE SILENT of the 2018 Short Tiger Award granted by the is one of the strongest markets in Asia. REVOLUTION; other films in the program German Federal Film Board. Upon request, German Films also took the opportunity to include further festival successes such as all films will be available on preview DVDs present the Distribution Support scheme to THREE PEAKS, PAULA and 303 by Hans from German Films or AG Kurzfilm. Japanese buyers and inform them of up - Weingartner, as well as the FACK JU GOEHTE coming films as well as discussing a future trilogy. As partner of the event, the Goethe- In cooperation with ARTE, the German Short cooperation with the Tokyo International Film Institut offers young audiences the pos - Film Association invites professionals from Festival whose Artistic Director, Yoshi Yatabe, sibility to see six new films from Germany, the German and international short film invited the delegation for a casual dinner in including AT EYE LEVEL and ROBBY & scene to their annual Short Film Lounge, a typical Japanese location. TOBY’S FANTASTIC VOYAGER. Closing film of giving filmmakers, festival representatives the festival 2018 will be the restored version and buyers the opportunity to meet and con- The highlight of the Tokyo Screenings was of Wim Wenders’ WINGS OF DESIRE. nect. During the festival in Cannes, please the Japanese premiere of IN THE FADE in the contact us at the German Pavilion, Inter - presence of director Fatih Akin, and actors national Village. Diane Kruger and Denis Moschitto at the Human Trust Cinema Shibuya. The film tallied 5,200 admissions on the first week- end.

19 NEW FILMS GFQ 2-2018

11 FEATURES 2 DOCUMENTARIES 3 SHORT FILMS 14 UPCOMING FILMS

30 more new German productions are presented on the following 19 pages. Please visit our website www.german-films.de for more information on German features, documentaries and shorts. SCHWIMMEN (© Paul Nungeßer) SCHWIMMEN (© Paul

20 GFQ 2-2018 NEW FEATURES

© Glory Film/Hendrik Heiden DIE DEFEKTE KATZE

A DYSFUNCTIONAL CAT

ina’s family has introduced her to SUSAN GORDANSHEKAN is a German film- GENRE Drama YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2018 a few potential husbands in Iran. maker of Iranian origins. She first studied DIRECTOR Susan Gordanshekan SCREEN- She has rejected them all until Communication Design (specializing in video PLAY Susan Gordanshekan CINEMATOG - she meets Kian, a surgeon who and multimedia-design), but in the course of RAPHY Julian Krubasik CAST Pegah Mhas travelled from Germany in search of a her studies she realized that her real passion Ferydoni, Hadi Khanjanpour PRODUCER Ralf wife. It’s not love at first sight, but rather the was to make movies. After working for a Zimmermann CO-PRODUCERS Natalie seduction of life in Europe that makes her German broadcaster and a film production Lambsdorff, Monika Lobkowicz, Barbara consent. In his mid-30s, Kian is desperate for company, she began studying Film at the Häbe PRODUCTION COMPANY Glory Film a wife to make his life appear complete. He University of Television and Film in Munich. RUNTIME 93 min LANGUAGE German, Farsi takes his new bride back home, but marriage Over the years, she has made several FESTIVALS Berlinale 2018 to a virtual stranger is more difficult than they documentaries and three short fiction imagined. films. Notably, her documentary GARÇONS SALES MANQUÉS and the short fiction ICE Media Luna New Films FLOWERS were screened at numerous [email protected] films festivals worldwide. ICE FLOWERS www.medialuna.biz premiered at the 61st Berlinale. In 2013/14, she attended the 27th session of Cinéfonda- tion Residence of the Festival de Cannes in Paris where she developed her first feature film A DYSFUNCTIONAL CAT.

21 NEW FEATURES GFQ 2-2018

© Junafilm DRAUSSEN IN MEINEM KOPF

hristoph begins his year of civil EIBE MALEEN KREBS was born in 1982. She GENRE Drama YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2018 service at a nursing home as the studied Communication Design, Photography DIRECTOR Eibe Maleen Krebs SCREENPLAY personal caretaker for 28-year-old and Film in Hamburg. Her films include: Eibe Maleen Krebs, Andreas Keck CINEMA- Sven. The seriously ill young man ALTER EGO (2007), LOOKING FORWARD, TOGRAPHY Judith Kaufmann CAST Samuel isC suffering from muscular dystrophy and his LOOKING BACK (2008), VOM HÖREN SAGEN Koch, Nils Hohenhövel, Eva Nürnberg, Lars nursing room has become his own little (2014), and DRAUSSEN IN MEINEM KOPF Rudolph PRODUCER Verena Gräfe-Höft PRO- microcosm which he has been sovereignly (2018). DUCTION COMPANY Junafilm RUNTIME 99 controlling for years. Sven’s humor comes min LANGUAGE German FESTIVALS Film- across quite strange and somewhat festival Max Ophüls Preis Saarbrücken 2018 threatening, which Christoph notices AWARDS Youth Award Max Ophüls Preis 2018 immediately. But after their first “welcome crisis”, Sven slowly allows Christoph into his SALES world. He starts to open up and the two young Junafilm men become friends. Genuine closeness and [email protected] trust develop, allowing Sven to confide his www.junafilm.de inner most desires to Christoph.

22 GFQ 2-2018 NEW FEATURES

© FINT FONOTUNE: AN ELECTRIC FAIRYTALE

n another time and place, where people Influenced by Japanese cinema, graphic GENRE Art, Music, Science Fiction YEAR barely communicate and an impending design and manga comics, FONOTUNE: AN OF PRODUCTION 2018 DIRECTOR FINT apocalypse is in the air, lone drifter Mono ELECTRIC FAIRYTALE is a film about strange SCREENPLAY FINT CINEMATOGRAPHY Jon makes an odyssey to experience myste- encounters, lost connections and just maybe Britt CAST Kiki Sukezane, Guitar Wolf Seiji, riousI rock star Blitz’s final cosmic perfor- the end of the world. Kazushi Watanabe, Yuho Yamashita, FINT, mance out in the Big White Nothing, a desert Jiwoon Ha PRODUCERS Catherine Morawitz, surrounding the city. Here, people escape FINT made his debut with AVANT*GARDE, a Sven Schnell CO-PRODUCERS Marc Oliver from reality, and each other, through music. series discussing arthouse films and their Dreher, Martin Ludwig, Ian Marcks PRO- A constant companion in their headphones directors which received wide spread critical DUCTION COMPANIES STUDIO SABOTEUR, is Radio, nihilistic DJ of radio station acclaim. The documentary VISITING UWE, San Cinema, in co-production with MAMOKO FONOTUNE, playing his own joyous sound- about the controversial filmmaker Uwe Boll, Entertainment RUNTIME 78 min LANGUAGE track to destruction! On his journey, Mono and several music videos, followed. FONO- Japanese shares fleeting connections with a gang of TUNE: AN ELECTRIC FAIRYTALE is his feature strangers: Teen-hooker Stereo, lo-fi cowboy debut. SALES Analog, and the sassy Bubblegum. Their phantasticas paths finally collide in an audiovisual show- [email protected] down with the mythical musician many www.phantasticas.com thought dead or long-gone. They each carry Blitz’s cassettes and vinyl; a strange and electrifying call-to-arms where he proclaims “the Universe is my Rock-n-Roll! Destruction is my music!”. The final explosive result is an incendiary performance to remember! And it may finally make them feel something.

23 NEW FEATURES GFQ 2-2018

© Mixtvision/Luis Zeno Kuhn FRAU MUTTER TIER

MOTHER BEE

OTHER BEE is a warm-hearted FELICITAS DARSCHIN was born in 1982. GENRE Comedy, Drama YEAR OF PRODUC- comedy that takes an affection- After numerous internships in film and TION 2017 DIRECTOR Felicitas Darschin ate and self-deprecating look at television, she set up her own production SCREENPLAY Alexandra Helmig, Rudi Gaul what it means to be a mother company in 2002 and studied Directing at CINEMATOGRAPHY Stefan Biebl CAST Mtoday. Marie (36), Nela (40) and Tine (22) re- the University of Television & Film Munich Julia Jentsch, Kristin Suckow, Alexandra present three classic types of women. Marie from 2003-2007. Also active as a screen - Helmig, Brigitte Hobmeier, Annette Frier, was pretty late having children and is now writer, lecturer and producer, her films as Matthias Weidenhöfer, Michael Kranz, Florian overly ambitious to do everything just right. a director include: ZWERG NASE (TV), Karlheim PRODUCERS Sebastian Zembol, Nela is happy with her husband Lutz and their IM BESTEN ALTER (TV), KÄSE LAIB UND Alexandra Helmig, Dagmar Kusche, Bernd child, but this classic life model doesn’t really LEBEN – MARTHA UND JOSEF LOBIS’ Krause PRODUCTION COMPANY Mixtvision fulfill her. Lutz takes advantage of the oppor- ASCHENPUTTEL (doc), DIE LOISACH – EIN RUNTIME 92 min LANGUAGE German tunity to be a father and house-husband so FLUSS MIT VIELEN GESICHTERN (doc), that Nela can try to get back into her career. EXPEDITION INS UNBEWUSSTE – DEN SALES And Tine is the youngest of the three and a TRÄUMEN AUF DER SPUR (doc), WIEVIEL Bavaria Media single mom. She is trying to cope with the NATUR VERTRÄGT DER MENSCH? (doc), [email protected] premature loss of her own childhood, her LIEBE LIEBER UNGEWÖHNLICH, and www.bavaria-media.de responsibility as a mother, her job and finan- MOTHER BEE. cial difficulties – all the while hoping she will at some point find Mr. Right.

In a humorous manner and with surreal means, MOTHER BEE presents the dilemma of the modern woman as a light, clever and somewhat quirky roundelay of endless and unexpected tasks, overload and illusions.

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© SamFilm/Constantin Film Produktion/Marc Reimann/Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. FÜNF FREUNDE – UND DAS TAL DER DINOSAURIER THE FAMOUS FIVE – AND THE VALLEY OF DINOSAURS

nother long summer holiday MIKE MARZUK was born in 1969 in Lands- GENRE Family Entertainment YEAR OF PRO- brings more adventures for berg am Lech. Since 1995 he has been work - DUCTION 2018 DIRECTOR Mike Marzuk George, Julian, Dick, Anne and ing as an editor, musician, writer and director SCREENPLAY Mike Marzuk CINEMATOG - Timmy the dog, when they meet for short and feature films as well as video RAPHY Philip Peschlow CAST Allegra AMarty Bach, a young man who appears at first clips. His films include: WWGW* – *WEISST Tinnefeld, Amelie Lammers, Marinus to be behaving rather oddly. It turns out his WAS GEIL WÄR...?! (2007), SUMMER Hohmann, Ron Antony Renzenbrink PRO - deceased father had discovered a supposedly (SOMMER, 2008), ROCK IT! (2010), and all five DUCERS Ewa Karlström, Andreas Ulmke- intact dinosaur skeleton, but crooks have of the THE FAMOUS FIVE films. Smeaton PRODUCTION COMPANY SamFilm, stolen the code that reveals the coordinates in co-production with Constantin Film to the legendary “Valley of Dinosaurs”. If the Produktion RUNTIME 101 min LANGUAGE kids, Marty, and, of course, Timmy can’t res- German FESTIVALS TIFF Kids 2018 cue the code and get to the valley first, the priceless bones will be lost forever. SALES Beta Cinema [email protected] www.betacinema.com

25 NEW FEATURES GFQ 2-2018

© wtp international DER GESCHMACK VON LEBEN TASTE OF LIFE

hat does life taste like? For ROLAND REBER’s filmography as a director GENRE Comedy, Drama, Erotic, Road Movie joyful Nikki the answer is and writer includes: TASTE OF LIFE (2017), YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2017 DIRECTOR clear: pleasure. Delightfully, ILLUSION (2013), THE TRUTH OF LIE (2011), Roland Reber SCREENPLAY Roland Reber, she enjoys this on every pos- ANGELS WITH DIRTY WINGS (2009), MY Mira Gittner, Antje Nikola Mönning CINEMA- sibleW occasion, as she drives through the DREAM OR LONE LINESS NEVER WALKS TOGRAPHY Mira Gittner CAST Antje Nikola country in her Land Rover looking for people ALONE (2007), PENTAMAGICA (2003), 24/7 Mönning, Andreas Pegler , Wolfgang Seiden- and their stories for her video-blog. “I’m not THE PASSION OF LIFE (2005), THE DARK berg, Iris Boss, Agnes Thi-Mai, Norman so much interested in the topics that are SIDE OF OUR INNER SPACE (2003), ARE Graue, Marina Anna Eich, Mira Gittner shown every night in the evening news, but GIRLS WEREWOLVES...? (short, 2002), PRODUCERS Marina Anna Eich, Patricia Koch rather what the people on the road have to THE ROOM (2001 – 6 inter national awards), PRODUCTION COMPANY wtp international say. Every person has a story.” COMPULSION (short, 2000 – awarded Best RUNTIME 88 min LANGUAGE German Social Film, Pisticci/Italy), THE BAG (short FESTIVALS Hof 2017, Brussels Int. Fantastic Cheeky, explosive and full of easiness, the 1999), MANUEL (short, 1998), ON TELEVISION FF 2018, Espoo Cinè IFF 2018 film pictures life in associative images all (short 1998), and IHR HABT MEINE SEELE around topics of sex and relationships, guilt GEBOGEN WIE EINEN SCHÖNEN TÄNZER SALES and religion, sense and nonsense of conven- (1979), among others. wtp international tions – and thus gives voyeuristic insight into [email protected] the desires and longings of the protagonists. www.wtpfilm.com

26 GFQ 2-2018 NEW FEATURES

© Schmerbeck Entertainment HEILSTÄTTEN

n HEILSTÄTTEN, a remote and gloomy MICHAEL DAVID PATE discovered his fasci- GENRE Horror, Psycho Thriller YEAR OF PRO- sanctuary near Berlin with a history full nation for film in his childhood, watching and DUCTION 2017 DIRECTOR Michael David Pate of horror and crimes against humanity, reenacting movies instead of going to sports. SCREENPLAY Michael David Pate, Ecki a group of YouTubers illegally access At the age of 15, he shot his first films with Ziedrich CINEMATOGRAPHY Pascal Schmit Ithe ominous surgery block for a 24-hour his grandmother‘s camcorder, forced by CAST Sonja Gerhardt, Tim Oliver Schultz, challenge they hope will go viral. Equipped limited circumstances to edit his material live Lisa-Marie Koroll, Nilam Farooq, Emilio with night vision and thermal cameras, the during filming. In 2014 at the age of 34, he Sakraya, Timmi Trinks, Maxine Kazis PRO - adolescent adrenaline junkies chase the released his first theatrical feature I LIKE DUCER Till Schmerbeck PRODUCTION rumors of paranormal activity in the rotting (GEFÄLLT MIR), which won Best Picture at the COMPANY Schmerbeck Entertainment, in co- building, only to learn too soon that they are genre festival Cinestrange Braunschweig in production with Fox International Pictures not alone… and not welcome. But it is too late 2014. In 2015, his horror parody POTATO Germany RUNTIME 89 min LANGUAGE Ger- to leave the premises alive. SALAD (KARTOFFELSALAT), shot and distri- man buted independently, made 3.8 million euros Genre specialist Michael David Pate stages at the box office with nearly 500,000 sold SALES this low-budget, found-footage horror thriller tickets in Europe. His new horror shocker Schmerbeck Entertainment with an A-list German cast: international HEILSTÄTTEN was released in Germany by [email protected] Emmy® award-nominee Sonja Gerhardt 20th Century Fox in 2018 and has, thus far, www.tillschmerbeck.de (KUDAMM 56, DEUTSCHLAND 83) delivers attracted over 150,000 cinemagoers – a very an outstanding performance next to Tim positive result for German horror genre. Oliver Schultz. Shot at the original location "Heilstätte Grabowsee" near Berlin and pro- duced by new genre production company Schmerbeck Entertainment, HEILSTÄTTEN makes for entertaining paranormal horror cinema.

27 NEW FEATURES GFQ 2-2018

© Dreamtool Entertainment LILIANE SUSEWIND

LITTLE MISS DOLITTLE

-year-old Liliane “Lilli” Susewind JOACHIM MASANNEK was born in 1960 in GENRE Family Entertainment YEAR OF PRO- can speak with animals! This is a Hamm and studied German, Philosophy, and DUCTION 2018 DIRECTOR Joachim Masannek secret nobody should know about Film in Munich. Since 1985, he has worked as SCREENPLAY Katrin Milhahn, Antonia Rothe- except for her parents. Her special a production designer, lighting technician, Liermann, Matthias Dinter, Beate Fraunholz, 11talent has caused enough trouble in the past cameraman and author. After working on Betty Platz CINEMATOGRAPHY Richard van and is forcing the family to move again. Lilli various animation projects, he wrote the Oosterhout CAST Malu Leicher, Christoph vows to keep her secret to herself when arriv - children’s book Die Wilden Fussballkerle based Maria Herbst, Tom Beck, Aylin Tezel, Meret ing at their new home – but then she learns on the soccer team he founded in Munich. His Becker PRODUCERS Felix Zackor, Stefan that a mean animal thief has kidnapped the films include: numerous short films and TV Raiser, Maike Haas PRODUCTION COMPANY baby elephant Ronni from the local zoo. To- movies, all of the award-winning THE WILD Dreamtool Entertainment, in co-production gether with her new classmate Jess, Lilli sets SOCCER BUNCH films, both V8 films, and with Deutsche Columbia Pictures Filmpro- off on an adventure to save Ronni and the LITTLE MISS DOLITTLE. duktion, Velvet Films, CINE PLUS RUNTIME other animals! 102 min LANGUAGE German

SALES ARRI Media International [email protected] www.arrimedia.de/international

28 GFQ 2-2018 NEW FEATURES

© Kess Film REISE NACH JERUSALEM THE CHAIRS GAME

HE CHAIRS GAME is a game in LUCIA CHIARLA was born in Genoa/Italy and GENRE Tragicomedy YEAR OF PRODUCTION which you need luck: You need to be took acting classes at the Performing Arts 2018 DIRECTOR Lucia Chiarla SCREEN- in the right place at the right time – School “Paolo Grassi” in Milan. She also PLAY Lucia Chiarla CINEMATOGRAPHY Ralf otherwise you won’t get a chair. studied Literature at the University of Genoa. Noack CAST Eva Löbau, Beniamino Brogi, Alice,T 39, single and unemployed can no She worked in Italy as an actress in municipal Veronika Novak-Jones, Axel Werner PRO - longer win at this silly game. The unemploy- theaters and movies. In 2005, she moved DUCERS Giulio Baraldi, Lorenzo Baraldi, ment office keeps sending her to job appli- to Berlin. Her first movie BYE BYE Claudine Castay CO-PRODUCER Martin cation trainings. Yet, Alice knows they won’t BERLUSCONI! (author and actress) was Lehwald PRODUCTION COMPANY Kess Film, lead her to stop waiting in line. Hence, one shown in the Panorama section of the in co-production with Schiwago Film, morning she decides to interrupt one of Berlinale 2006. She acted in theater pro- Camelot Broadcast Services RUNTIME 120 them. Her unemployment benefits are then ductions in Berlin and attended the Skript min LANGUAGE German FESTIVALS Film- reduced, and money gets tight. Her parents Akademie, as well as wrote scripts and festival Max Ophüls Preis Saarbrücken 2018 and friends have no idea of the kind of chaos worked as a dramaturge. THE CHAIRS GAME in which Alice finds herself since she is a marks her directorial debut. SALES proficient liar. Her persistent search to be Kess Film socially accepted cannot prevent her from [email protected] getting lonelier and lonelier. She keeps her- www.kessfilm.com self stubbornly afloat with gas vouchers, which she gets for participating in market research, and tries to once again take control of her tattered life.

29 NEW FEATURES GFQ 2-2018

© Paul Nungeßer SCHWIMMEN

SWIMMING

WIMMING is the story of Elisa and LUZIE LOOSE was born in 1989. After study- GENRE Drama YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2018 Anthea, two very different girls, ing at the College of Fine Arts in Berlin, she DIRECTOR Luzie Loose SCREENPLAY Luzie whose friendship gives them orien- enrolled at the Filmakademie Baden-Würt- Loose CINEMATOGRAPHY Anne Bolick CAST tation and stability in the most diffi- temberg. Also active as a director’s assistant Stephanie Amarell, Lisa Vicari, Alexandra cultS time of their young lives. But their in the theater, she has worked on numerous Finder, Jonathan Berlin, Bjarne Meisel PRO- innocent friendship soon turns into co- German film and television productions. A DUCERS Christoph Holthof, Daniel Reich CO- dependency. To maintain their cohesion, they selection of her films include: the shorts PRO DUCER Thomas Schadt PRODUCTION develop a game – which turns them from CHAOSTAGE (2009), SKYPE (2010), DER COMPANY kurhaus production, in co-produc- victims into offenders. They start recording ZAUBERER (2012), WHEN KAFKA DIED IM tion with Film akademie Baden-Württemberg everything they do with their cell phone MEMPHIS (2013), NOUVEAU MONDE (2014), RUNTIME 102 min LANGUAGE German cameras. Soon they turn the camera around THE WORLD OF MAVI KALEM – MAVI KALEM and secretly film their classmates, parti - DÜNYASI (2014), EVERYTHING WE DO IS SALES cularly the ones who used to bully Elisa. Their MUSIC (2015), FRENCH FRIES (2015), LUI/LEI kurhaus production Film & Medien friendship takes on a destructive dynamic, – GIORGIO ARMANI FILM OF CITY FRAMES [email protected] which becomes highly dangerous for those (2016), and her feature debut SWIMMING www.kurhausproduction.de who get in the duo’s way. (2018).

30 GFQ 2-2018 NEW FEATURES

© Warner Bros./Gordon Timpen SPIELMACHER

PLAYMAKER

vo, former professional footballer and TIMON MODERSOHN was born in 1978. He GENRE Thriller YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2018 jailbird with nothing to lose, is a betting studied Psychology at the Free University DIRECTOR Timon Modersohn SCREEN- natural. His feel for the sport and back- Berlin and has been active as an assistant PLAY Christian Brecht CINEMATOGRAPHY ground draw the interest of Dejan, who director for numerous commercials and Christian Rein CAST Frederick Lau, Oliver Itakes him into his family, sucking him quickly feature films. He then studied Directing at the Masucci, Antje Traue, Mateo Wansing Lorrio, into football’s underbelly, a world of global German Film and Television Academy Berlin. Paul Fassnacht, Karl Markovics PRODUCERS fraud and manipulation where individuals are His films include: KAISER & KÖNIG (2012), Manuel Bickenbach, Alexander Bickenbach merely small cogs in an international network WIGALD (2006), and his feature debut PLAY- PRODUCTION COMPANY Frisbeefilms, in whose digital tentacles stretch all the way to MAKER (2018). co-production with Warner Bros. Film Pro- China and beyond. But when Ivo meets young ductions Germany, cine plus Filmproduktion Lukas, a talented lad in whom he sees his for- RUNTIME 95 min LANGUAGE German mer self, and starts training him for a top team trial while, at the same time, supposedly SALES grooming and manipulating him on Dejan’s Picture Tree International behalf, he also falls in love with the boy’s [email protected] mother. Now Ivo finds himself caught be - www.picturetree-international.com tween two fronts and two families, and has to decide...

31 NEW DOCUMENTARIES GFQ 2-2018

oday, 150 million women are miss - ing in Asia. Zoning in on personal stories from South Korea, China, India and Vietnam, the film explores theT regional and global consequences of this dramatic gender imbalance. With previously unseen archive material, the film also looks back at the years after the Second World War and examines the dubious role of inter- national organizations and their influence on worldwide family planning. A revelatory docu- mentary that weaves together elements of politics, economics and medicine, showing women – both then and now – as the play- thing of political and criminal interest groups.

THE BACHELOR TIME BOMB © Dorothe Dörholt

ANTJE CHRIST is an experienced documen- Since 1995 she has been working as an inter- sturm Filmproduktion RUNTIME 90 & 52 min tary producer and director. Since 1997 she national documentary filmmaker. Her high- LANGUAGE English, German, Hindi, Vietna- has been realizing high-quality docu- quality documentaries focus on human rights mese, Korean, Chinese mentaries for international broadcasters, issues and human interest. where she focuses on globalization issues. SALES She works mainly in Asian countries. GENRE Human Interest, Sociology, Society NEW DOCS YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2018 DIRECTORS [email protected] DOROTHE DÖRHOLT has a Ph.D. in Psychol - Antje Christ, Dorothe Dörholt PRODUCER www.newdocs.de ogy and a Master’s degree in Media Studies. Birgit Schulz PRODUCTION COMPANY Bilder-

RT IN PARADISE presents the most beautiful private art museums on the planet. Built by passionate collectors who Ahave spent hundreds of millions of dollars for their visions. Their museums are surrounded by fantastic landscapes where art and nature blend together. In Tasmania, in China, in the midst of the Andes in Argentina and on islands of the Seto Inland Sea in Japan. Locations that are off the beaten paths of the art world: the MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART (MONA) in Australia, the SIFANG ART MUSEUM in China, the JAMES TURRELL MUSEUM in Argentina, and the BENESSE ART SITE NAOSHIMA in Japan.

He who wants to see them has to embark on a long journey.

© Sabine Pollmeier

ART IN PARADISE

JOACHIM HAUPT and SABINE POLLMEIER GENRE Art, Series YEAR OF PRODUCTION SALES direct and produce films and series about 2018 DIRECTORS Joachim Haupt, Sabine Parnass Film arts, culture and nature. Their films include: Pollmeier CINEMATOGRAPHY Sabine Poll- [email protected] the series UP TO THE SKY (2009/2012/2017), meier, Michael Komagata, Matthew Scott www.parnassfilm.de GREAT OCEAN ROAD – AUSTRALIA’S WILD PRODUCER Sabine Pollmeier PRODUCTION COAST (2016), and ART IN PARADISE (2018). COMPANY Parnass Film, in co-production with , ARTE RUNTIME 4 x 26 min LANGUAGE English

32 GFQ 2-2018 NEW SHORTS

presumably African village, in- played a significant role in defining and habited by Germans. The film further developing the genre of video collage. BURKINA BRANDENBURG KOM- His works are regularly exhibited in art insti- PLEX describes a geographical tutions and shown at international film festi- Aconstruction that makes use of ‘our’ medial vals. A selection of his award-winning films and collective image of Africa and puts it to includes: the shorts WESTCOAST (2009), the test through inaccuracies. An archaeolo- MARIA THERESIA AND HER 16 CHILDREN gical find is made in a mine: a Ferrari. We tag (2011), FORST (2013), BIRDS (2014), ARCHI- along with Joachim on his everyday rounds. TEKTURA (2015), THE HOSTEL (2017), and He has his heart set on realizing a common BURKINA BRANDENBURG KOMPLEX (2018). energy project. The Museum of Prussian Cultural Heritage is run by a black woman. GENRE Art, Fantasy, History, Science Fiction, She presents artefacts from Western consu- Tragicomedy YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2018 mer culture with a special emphasis on Ger- DIRECTOR Ulu Braun SCREENPLAY Ulu man products. Joachim is involved in the Braun CINEMATOGRAPHY Ulu Braun, ritualistic production of energy in the village, Valentin Lorenz CAST Joachim Stargard, but gets excluded when the ceremony is Evyonne Muhuri, Valentin Lorenz, Katja near ing its finale, finally catapulting himself Franziska Müller PRODUCER Ulu Braun out of the ‘story/history’. PRODUCTION COMPANY Studio Ulu Braun RUNTIME 19 min LANGUAGE German FESTI- ULU BRAUN studied Painting and Film in VALS Berlinale 2018 (Short Film Nominee Vienna, Helsinki and Potsdam. He has been European Film Awards) using the medium of video to explore the field between visual arts and auteur cinema since SALES Studio Ulu Braun

1997. He is one of the key figures who has [email protected] © Ulu Braun transferred painting into video art and has www.ulubraun.com

s a child, Carlotta didn’t expect the GENRE Animation, Art, Children & Youth, people around her to have faces. Docu mentary, Drama YEAR OF PRODUCTION She doesn’t even recognize her 2018 DIRECTORS Valentin Riedl, Frédéric own face. Years later, she learns Schuld SCREENPLAY Valentin Riedl, Frédéric aboutA a rare, untreatable deficit of her brain. Schuld ANIMATION Frédéric Schuld PRO - It was art, after all, that offered her a way to DUCER Fabian Driehorst CO-PRODUCER finally recognize herself. Valentin Riedl PRODUCTION COMPANY Fabian&Fred, in co-production with Filmstahl VALENTIN RIEDL is a physician and RUNTIME 5 min LANGUAGE German FESTI- neuroscientist. In videos of brain scans, he VALS San Francisco 2018, Cleveland 2018, searches for patterns of neuron activity. His Hot Docs 2018, Oberhausen 2018, Hamburg first short film BURNED SOIL (2012) won the 2018 AWARDS Short Tiger 2018 LA Movie Award for Best International Film and Best Editing. His other short films SALES include TWELFTH NIGHT (2014) and Fabian&Fred CARLOTTA’S FACE (2018). He is currently [email protected] developing his first feature-length documen- www.fabianfred.com tary in which Carlotta’s intimate story will merge with a sphere of brain science.

FRÉDÉRIC SCHULD studied at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne and founded the studio Fabian&Fred with Fabian Driehorst. He works as a director and animator of short films and documentaries. His films as a director include THE NEW CHIMNEY (2018) and © Fabian&Fred CARLOTTA’S FACE (2018).

33 NEW SHORTS GFQ 2-2018

wo characters are linked by their GENRE Animation YEAR OF PRODUCTION hair. They influence each other by 2017 DIRECTOR Robert Löbel SCREENPLAY every move they make and wherever Robert Löbel CINEMATOGRAPHY Robert they go. Löbel ANIMATION Robert Löbel SOUND T DESIGN David Kamp PRODUCER Robert ROBERT LÖBEL was born in 1984 and grew Löbel RUNTIME 8 min LANGUAGE no dia- up in Dresden. In 2005 he began his Graphic logue FESTIVALS Ottawa 2017, DOK Leipzig Design studies in Wismar. After two years he 2017, Interfilm Berlin 2017, Dresden 2018, moved to Hamburg to study Illustration. Today Annecy 2018, Glas Animaton Festival 2018, he lives and works in Berlin. His films in- Pictoplasma 2018, Ann Arbor 2018 AWARDS clude: S SSYP (2009), WIND (2103), LINK Prix de Varti for Funniest Film Ann Arbor 2018 (2017), and ISLAND (2017). SALES KurzFilmAgentur Hamburg [email protected] www.shortfilm.com

© Robert Löbel

CALL OF COMFORT MASCARPONE Brenda Lien • Germany 2018 • 9’ • experimental • Jonas Riemer • Germany 2018 • 14’ • fiction • English dialogue English dialogue

DARÍO RÅ Manuel Kinzer, Jorge A. Trujillo Gil • Germany 2018 • 15’ • Sophia Bösch • Germany, Sweden 2018 • 30’ • fiction • fiction • Spanish dialogue • English subtitles Swedish dialogue • English subtitles

DIE SCHLÄFERIN THE SLEEPER ROUTINES Alex Gerbaulet • Germany 2018 • 16’ • experimental Eren Aksu • Germany 2018 • 18’ • documentary • German documentary • German dialogue • English subtitles dialogue • English subtitles

FOLLOWER STSTORKOW KALIFORNIA Jonathan Behr • Germany 2018 • 10’ • experimental fiction • Kolja Malik • Germany 2018 • 28’ • fiction • German dialogue • German dialogue • English subtitles English subtitles

www.ag-kurzfilm.de www.german-films.de

34 GFQ 2-2018 UPCOMING FILMS

100 DINGE

ow many possessions do we really GENRE Comedy CATEGORY Feature DIREC- need to enjoy life? That’s the question TOR Florian David Fitz SCREENPLAY Florian Hposed by Florian David Fitz and David Fitz CAST Florian David Fitz, Matthias Matthias Schweighöfer in their second col - Schweighöfer, Miriam Stein, Sarah Viktoria laboration after the box-office hit THE MOST Frick, Johannes Allmayer, Max Bretschneider, BEAUTIFUL DAY. Hannelore Elsner, Maria Furtwängler, Wolfgang Stumph, Katharina Thalbach PRO- Inspired by the Finnish experimental docu- DUCERS Dan Maag, Matthias Schweighöfer, mentary MY STUFF, 100 THINGS focuses Marco Beckmann PRODUCTION COMPANY on two up-and-coming entrepreneurs sur - PANTALEON Films, in co-production with rounded by countless gadgets and status Warner Bros. Film Productions Germany, symbols. They’re also plagued by anxieties Erfttal Film & Fernsehproduktion LANGUAGE and unable to function without Alexa & Siri. German That is, of course, until they make a bet with one another. The wager strips them of all SALES their belongings and permits them only to Picture Tree International

© Anne Wilk take back one item per day for the next 100 [email protected] days. Who will be the first to give up? www.picturetree-international.com BEAT

he seven-part series BEAT (working GENRE Drama, Thriller CATEGORY Mini- title) is the fifth German Amazon Series DIRECTOR Marco Kreuzpaintner TPrime Original to go into production SCREENPLAY Norbert Eberlein, based on an and marks filmmaker Marco Kreuzpaintner’s original idea by Marco Kreuzpaintner CAST first foray into directing a TV series. Heading Jannis Niewöhner, Karoline Herfurth, up a veritable Who’s Who of young German Christian Berkel, Alexander Fehling, Hanno acting talent including Karoline Herfurth, Koffler, Kostja Ullmann, Nina Gummrich, Karl Kostja Ullmann and Alexander Fehling, Markovics, Anna Bederke, Claudia Michelsen Jannis Niewöhner stars as Robert Schlag, PRODUCERS Christopher Doll, Lothar nick named Beat, a Berlin club promoter who Hellinger PRODUCTION COMPANY Hellinger/ lives for the excesses of sex, drugs and the Doll Filmproduktion, in co-production with German capital’s nightlife. His connections to Warner Bros. Entertainment, PANTALEON the underworld lead the newly established Films LANGUAGE German European intelligence agency to use Beat to try and infiltrate a notorious human organ CONTACT smuggling ring. However, it is not long before Hellinger/Doll Filmproduktion

Beat is fighting for his own life... [email protected] © Warner Bros. www.hellingerdoll.com DEUTSCHSTUNDE

hristian Schwochow moves from the screenplays for three of his previous feature world of high finance in his BAD films (NOVEMBER CHILD, CRACKS IN THE CBANKS mini-series to a small North SHELL and WEST). German village for a drama played out during and shortly after the Second World War about GENRE Drama, Literature CATEGORY Feature duty versus individual conscience and DIRECTOR Christian Schwochow SCREEN- morality. PLAY Heide Schwochow CAST Levi Eisen- blätter, Ulrich Noethen, Tobias Moretti, A glittering acting ensemble including three Johanna Wokalek, Sonja Richter, Maria European Shooting Stars – Johanna Wokalek, Dragus, Louis Hofmann, Tom Gronau PRO - Maria Dragus and Louis Hofmann – join DUCERS Jutta Lieck-Klenke, Dietrich Kluge, newcomers Levi Eisenblätter and Tom Ulf Israel PRODUCTION COMPANY Network Gronau who play the central figure of Siggi Movie, in co-production with Senator Film Jepsen in this adaptation of Siegfried Lenz's Produktion, in cooperation with ZDF classic 1968 novel The German Lesson. LANGUAGE German

© Georges Pauly The film marks Schwochow’s latest collabo- SALES Wild Bunch ration with his mother Heide who penned the [email protected], www.wildbunch.biz

35 UPCOMING FILMS GFQ 2-2018

DREISSIG

wenty-four hours with a group of GENRE Drama CATEGORY Feature DIRECTOR friends on a Friday in October in Simona Kostova SCREENPLAY Simona TBerlin’s blue-collar district of Neu- Kostova CAST Övünc Güvenisik, Pascal kölln. Övünç is suffering from writer’s block, Houdus, Raha Emami Khansari, Kara Pascal and Raha split up recently and are try- Schröder, Henner Borchers, Anja Langer ing to stay friends. Kara constantly sublets PRODUCER Ceylan Alejandro Ataman-Checa her flat to keep herself moving. Henner CO-PRODUCER Jörg Daniel PRODUCTION spends the day in a bar and meets a girl by COMPANY Deutsche Film- und Fernseh - the name of Anja. That evening they celebrate akademie Berlin (DFFB) LANGUAGE German, Övünç’s birthday and drift together through French the city’s nightlife. The film depicts six young people in their struggle with the daily grind of CONTACT life in Berlin and the reality of turning thirty. Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) [email protected] www.dffb.de

© DFFB

ELEFANTEN WACHSEN SCHNELL

LEFANTEN WACHSEN SCHNELL is GENRE Drama CATEGORY Feature DIRECTOR the story of a separated couple, Carlos A. Morelli SCREENPLAY Carlos A. EMatthias and Anna, whose wounds are Morelli CAST Mark Waschke, Anne Ratte- still open and sore, but decide nonetheless to Polle, Kasimir Brause, Finnlay Jan Berger organize a joint birthday party for their seven- PRODUCERS Jakob D. Weydemann, Jonas year-old son, Lukas. At the end of the party, Weydemann, Yvonne Wellie PRODUCTION after the guests have gone with their balloons COMPANY Weydemann Bros., in co-produc- and pieces of cake, one child, Julius, remains tion with ZDF Das kleine Fernsehspiel behind, uncollected by his parents. This trig- LANGUAGE German gers a rapid chain of events. At first, Matthias just wants to get Julius off his hands. But CONTACT then the helpless boy awakens his protective Weydemann Bros. instincts and opens his eyes to his own son’s [email protected] needs. www.weydemannbros.com

© Friede Clausz/Weydemann Bros.

KENT OZANI, DER STADTSCHREIBER VON ISTANBUL

he film follows the Andalusian-born, GENRE Literature CATEGORY Documentary German writer José F.A. Oliver during DIRECTOR Dogan Altuner PRODUCER Sven This time as a writer-in-residence in Schnell CO-PRODUCER Asli Ertürk PRODUC- Istanbul as he observes the coming together TION COMPANY San Cinema, in co-produc- of peoples, histories and cultures on the tion with ESR LANGUAGE German Bosphorus and records his impressions and thoughts in a personal diary. At the same CONTACT time, the “poetic documentary” – which in phantasticas part gave rise to Oliver’s 2016 book 21 Ge- [email protected] dichte aus Istanbul 4 Briefe & 10 Fotow:orte – www.phantasticas.com offers a unique insight into the creative pro- cesses of his work as a poet and sees director Altuner portraying him and Istanbul over the course of two years. Altuner also collaborates with the Turkish pianist Fazil Say for some classic songs from his library and on com -

© Eren Bozbas/San Cinema posing his own musical homage to Istanbul.

36 GFQ 2-2018 UPCOMING FILMS

DER KRIEG IN MIR

ebastian Heinzel examines WWII’s tells of the need for hope for healing and re- effects on his family, following his conciliation; an urgent appeal for peace in Sgrandfather’s path from Germany to Europe. Russia, discovering links to his own past. He also meets people from other countries with GENRE Society CATEGORY Documentary similar experiences. This is a generation DIRECTOR Sebastian Heinzel PRODUCER marked by the war and their parents’ and Sebastian Heinzel CO-PRODUCERS Vadim grandparents’ traumas. Via his own family Jendreyko, Susanne Guggenberger PRODUC- history and others, Heinzel shows how collec- TION COMPANY Heinzelfilm, in co-production tive experiences such as flight, displacement with Mira Film LANGUAGE German, Russian, and genocide reach to the second and English third generations. But this interrelationship of places, people and events can also loosen SALES knots within families and allow change. Rise and Shine World Sales [email protected] Against the background of the global refugee www.riseandshine-berlin.de

© Heinzelfilm crisis and international tensions, the film

PARFUM

ollowing such TV series as the Interna- premiere on ZDFneo this autumn and simul- tional Emmy-winning GENERATION taneously be available in all territories out- FWAR and SS-GB, director Philipp Ka- side of Germany via Netflix. delbach now tries his hand at a contemporary crime series inspired by Patrick Süskind’s GENRE Drama, Thriller, Crime CATEGORY international bestselling novel Perfume: The Series DIRECTOR Philipp Kadelbach Story of a Murderer. SCREENPLAY Eva Kranenburg CAST Friede- rike Becht, Wotan Wilke Möhring, August A young, headstrong profiler with unusual in- Diehl, Ken Duken, Natalia Belitski, Trystan vestigation techniques sets about gathering Pütter, Christian Friedel, Jürgen Maurer, evidence after a series of brutal murders are Marc Hosemann PRODUCERS Sarah Kirke- reported in the Lower Rhine region. One of gaard, Oliver Berben PRODUCTION COMPANY the leads takes her into the past – to five Constantin Film Produktion, in co-production board ing school pupils who began experi- with MOOVIE, ZDF, ZDFneo, ARRI Media, in menting with the mystery of human scent in cooperation with Netflix LANGUAGE German their quest for power and love...

SALES Beta Film © Thomas Kost/Constantin Film Verleih Shot in NRW last year, the six-part series will [email protected], www.betafilm.com STILLSTEHEN

ulie is in her mid-twenties. She is smart GENRE Coming-of-Age Story, Tragicomedy and quick-witted. She marches to the CATEGORY Feature DIRECTOR Elisa Mishto Jbeat of her own drum and has her own SCREENPLAY Elisa Mishto CAST Natalia manifesto: to do nothing. And with nothing, Beltiski, Luisa-Céline Gaffron, Martin Wuttke, she really means NOTHING: no work, no stu- Katharina Schüttler, Giuseppe Battiston, dies, no friends. Ole Lagerpusch, Tim Kalkof, Leslie Malton, Jürgen Vogel PRODUCER Martina Haubrich Agnes is a happy go lucky nurse of the same CO-PRODUCER Andrea Stucovitz PRODUC- age. With a husband and a child, she is fitting TION COMPANY CALA Filmproduktion, in co- into society’s expectations without giving any production with PMI, Farbfilm Produktion, great thought to the matter. Until, that is, she cine plus Filmproduktion LANGUAGE German meets Julie. Together they start a rebellion that will bring them to the limits of their re- CONTACT spective worlds. CALA Filmproduktion [email protected] STAY STILL is a bitter-comic ode to life: full of www.calafilm.de

© CALA Filmproduktion witty dialogue and situational humor, dange- rous, and sexy.

37 UPCOMING FILMS GFQ 2-20 18

SYSTEMSPRENGER

hat would your childhood have GENRE Drama CATEGORY Feature DIRECTOR been like if the only constant thing Nora Fingscheidt SCREENPLAY Nora Fing - Wwas change? SYSTEMSPRENGER scheidt CAST Helena Zengel, Albrecht takes us on the wild and energetic journey Schuch, Gabriela Maria Schmeide PRODU - of 9-year-old girl Benni through all possible CERS Peter Hartwig, Jonas Weydemann, stations of Child Protective Services. She’s a Jakob D. Weydemann CO-PRODUCER Frauke gentle but bold girl. Wherever she is put, she Kolbmüller PRODUCTION COMPANIES Kineo flies right out again, but there is only one Filmproduktion, Weydemann Bros., in co-pro - thing she really wants: to live with her mother duction with Oma Inge Film, ZDF Das kleine again! But Bianca is scared of her own Fern seh spiel LANGUAGE German daughter. CONTACT Weydemann Bros. [email protected] www.weydemannbros.com

© kineo/Weydemann Bros./Yunus Roy Imer

TEARS OF CHANGE

ebastian is growing up in Hannover. As GENRE Coming-of-Age Story, Drama the son of a single mother, he learns to CATEGORY Feature DIRECTOR Ceylan Sbe self-reliant at a very young age. Alejandro Ataman-Checa SCREENPLAY As a teenager he falls in love with Betty. Ceylan Alejandro Ataman-Checa CAST Finn Through her, he gets to know a different Freyer, Joseph Peschko, Ambar De La Horra, family structure, one which has a great ap - Frederieke Morgenroth, Andreas Sigrist, peal to him. But soon tensions arise between Frederik Reents PRODUCERS Jörg Daniel, him and the two worlds surrounding him. As Övünc Güvenisik, Ceylan Alejandro Ataman- a young man, he poses the question as to Checa, Simona Kostova PRODUCTION COM - what remains of childhood dreams when one PANY Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie becomes an adult. The film tracks a young Berlin (DFFB) LANGUAGE German person through three periods of his life, on the journey to finding himself. CONTACT Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) [email protected]

www.dffb.de © DFFB

TRÄUME VON RÄUMEN

hat does it mean to inhabit a ordered spaces and echo the thoughts of wri - space?’, asks filmmaker and re - ter Georges Perec, whose quotes add an ‘W sident Matthias Lintner, that essay-like layer. space being a housing estate almost un - touched by time. Built during the German GENRE Society CATEGORY Documentary Empire, the ‘Kleine Bremer Höhe’ has served DIRECTOR Matthias Lintner PRODUCERS as a refuge to artists, punks and the elderly. Matthias Lintner, Ewelina Rosinska PRO - To the occasional visitor, the quiet courtyard DUCTION COMPANY Deutsche Film- und with its lindens is an enchanted garden Fern seh akademie Berlin (DFFB) LANGUAGE tucked away off Berlin’s busy Torstrasse. German, English

Lintner’s answer lies in affectionate portraits CONTACT of his neighbors as he watches and listens to Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie those who have built a world of their own, and Berlin (DFFB) refuse to focus on the outside world. [email protected] www.dffb.de

© DFFB Ideas on vacantness and void appear as a subversive act against the utopia of the well-

38 GFQ 2-2018 UPCOMING FILMS

WARUM

lexandra Maria Lara appears as GENRE Drama CATEGORY Feature DIRECTOR Antonia Berger, a young enthusiastic Bernd Böhlich SCREENPLAY Bernd Böhlich ACommunist, who goes to the Soviet CAST , Carlotta von Union in the 1930s. Whilst there, she is ac- Falkenhayn, Robert Stadlober, Karoline cused of spying and sent to a labor camp. Eichhorn, Barbara Schnitzler, Stefan Kurt, After being released from the Gulag in 1952, Jürgen Tarrach PRODUCERS Eva-Marie she manages to return home to the new so- Martens, Alexander Martens CO-PRODU- cialist East German state with her seriously CERS Regina Spreer, Frank Evers PRODUC- ill daughter Lydia. Antonia is forced to keep TION COMPANY Mafilm Martens Film- und her terrible experiences secret for the com- Fernsehproduktion, in co-production with mon good. It is only after Stalin’s death that RBB, cine plus Filmproduktion, STL she speaks out about her time in the Soviet LANGUAGE German Union. But her newly regained freedom is taken away from her again when her lover, a SALES hospital doctor and committed Communist, Pluto Film Distribution Network informs a functionary. Antonia has to make a [email protected]

© Arnim Thomass choice – between truth or the present. www.plutofilm.de

WEST OF LIBERTY

ologne-based Network Movie and GENRE Thriller CATEGORY Mini-Series Sweden‘s Anagram Se have joined DIRECTOR Barbara Eder SCREENPLAY Sara Cforces to produce the international Heldt, Donna Sharpe CAST Wotan Wilke high-end six-part series WEST OF LIBERTY, Möhring, Matthew Marsh, Michelle Meadows, the first novel in Thomas Engström’s series Cara Horgan, Philipp Karner, Dona Croll, Lars of novels about the former Stasi agent and Eidinger PRODUCERS Wolfgang Cimera, CIA informant Ludwig Licht. Bettina Wente, Gunnar Carlsson PRODUC- TION COMPANIES Network Movie, Anagram German actor Wotan Wilke Möhring as Licht Se, in co-production with ZDF, SVT Swedish is no longer in active service and works as a Public TV LANGUAGE English, German freelance problem solver and barman in Ber- lin’s Kreuzberg. However, when his former SALES CIA colleague and partner in crime GT Berner ITV Global Entertainment (Matthew Marsh) contacts him about investi- [email protected], [email protected] gating the case of Lucien Gell (Lars Eidinger), www.itvstudios.com a corrupt leader of a whistle-blower site,

Licht decides to return to the shadowy world © Martin Valentin Menke of the intelligence service to bring the num- ber one enemy of the state to justice...

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39

REMUNERATION IN GERMANY

FOR

PRIVATE COPYING  VIDEO RENTAL  CABLE RETRANSMISSION

VGF, a collecting society under German law, was founded in 1981 when private copying of TV-programs (in particular feature films) by means of video recording equipment started to become commercially important.

Since 1982 VGF collects blank tape levies due to German and foreign film producers under Art. 54 of the German Copyright Act and distributes them to the respective rightsholders. The German Collecting Societies Act obliges VGF to make sure that all rightsholders and owners of neighbouring rights of motion pictures, including foreign rightsholders who enjoy national treatment under the international copyright conventions, receive an equitable share of the monies collected for all rightsholders of programs broadcasted by German TV-Stations. Since it is virtually impossible for the individual rightsholders to control the use of the property and to make claims individually, Art. 54 provides that the respective rights must be administered collectively and claims can be made through a collecting society only.

VGF now administers a great number of film rights of important film and TV producers from USA, Great Britain, Germany and other countries who have joined VGF as members. Since VGF's activities come under the supervision of the German Patent Office, it is safeguarded that a fair division of monies among all rightsholders concerned takes place and that producers receive an equitable share of the royalties in Germany.

The following rights are administered by VGF:

Art. 54 German Copyright Act  Private Copying

Art. 54 of the German Copyright Act provides a remuneration for private copying of films. As rightsholders cannot prevent private copying, makers of recording devices and storage media which are used to effect private copying are charged with a levy. The claim can be made by a collection society only (Art. 54h German Copyright Act). VGF as a trustee administers the rights for film and TV producers and distributes the respective amounts to the rightsholders. Licensing of television rights does not imply transfer of the above mentioned right.

Art. 27 German Copyright Act  Video Rental

Art. 27 of the German Copyright Act entitles rightsholders to a supplementary remuneration for the rental and lending of videograms by video-retailers. The money must be paid by the video retailer. It is provided by law (Art. 27 Sec. 3) that claims can be made by collecting societies only.

Art. 20 b German Copyright Act  Cable Retransmission

Rightsholders whose programs are broadcast by German TV stations and retransmitted via cable are also entitled to a remuneration for such cable retransmission. VGF is also active in collecting this fee. Administration of the above mentioned fees by VGF incurs no costs for the rightsholders. If your company is interested in collecting these remunerations, please contact VGF for more detailed information.

www.vgf.de [email protected]

VGF Berlin (for non-German films) Neue Schönhauser Straße 10, D-10178 Berlin — T: +49-30-2 79 07 39-46

VGF Munich (for German films) Beichstraße 8, D-80802 München — T: +49-89-1 89 37 84-0 — F: +49-89-1 89 37 84-29 GFQ 2-2018 GERMAN FILMS: A PROFILE GERMAN FILMS SERVICE + MARKETING

is the national information 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 Prof. Dr. Klaus Schaefer Film Exporters, and operates today in the legal form of a limited company. In 2004, the TEAM company was reorganized and now operates under the name: German Films Service + Mariette Rissenbeek Managing Director Marketing GmbH. Mai Anh Do Accounts Christine Harrasser Distribution Support, Television, Business Affairs SHAREHOLDERS are the German Pro- Angela Hawkins Communications & Marketing ducers Association, the German Pro ducers Nicole Kaufmann Regional Coordinator: USA, UK & Northern Europe Alliance, the Association of German Film Ex- Birgit Koch Press & PR porters, the German Federal Film Board Marita Luger Assistant to the Managing Director (FFA), the Deutsche Kinemathek, the German Dennis Ruh Festival Relations Documentary Association, FilmFernsehFonds Fides Schäffer Regional Coordinator: Asia & Australia Bayern, Film- und Medien stiftung NRW, Maike Schantz Regional Coordinator: Southern Europe & Latin America Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and the Martin Scheuring Project Coordinator & Short Film German Short Film Association. Andrea Schiefer Monitoring & Strategic Development, Administration Bernhard Simek Regional Coordinator: Eastern Europe, Documentary Film German Films’ budget of presently €4.82 million comes from film export levies, the RANGE OF ACTIVITIES office of the Federal Government Com - missioner for Culture and the Media, and  Close cooperation with major interna-  Publication of informational literature the FFA. The eight main regional film funds tional film festivals, including Berlin, Cannes, about current German films and the German (FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Filmförderung Venice, San Sebastian, Locarno, Rome, film industry, as well as international market Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Film- und Karlovy Vary, Montreal, Toronto, New York, analy ses and special festival brochures Medien stiftung NRW, HessenFilm, Medien - Shanghai, Warsaw, Moscow, and Busan board Berlin-Brandenburg, MFG Baden-  A website (www.german-films.de) offer - Württemberg, Mittel deutsche Medien-  Organization of umbrella stands for ing informa tion about new German films, a förderung, and Nord media) make a financial German sales companies and producers at film archive, information and links to German contribution towards the work of German international television and film markets and international film festivals and institu - Films. (Berlin, Cannes, AFM Los Angeles, Shanghai, tions Toronto, Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy) German Films is a founding member of the  Organization of the selection procedure European Film Promotion, a network of  Staging of Festivals of German Films in for the German entry for the Oscar® for Best European film organizations with similar selected inter national territories in coopera- Foreign Language Film responsibilities to those of German Films. tion with the Goethe-Institut The organiza tion, with its headquarters in  Collaboration with Deutsche Welle’s Hamburg, aims to develop and realize joint  Staging of industry screenings in key DW-TV KINO program which features the projects for the pre sentation of European international territories latest German film releases and inter national films on an inter national level. productions in Germany  Providing advice and information for rep- In association and cooperation with its share - resentatives of the international press and  Organization of the German Films Pre- holders, German Films works to promote fea- buyers from the fields of cinema, home views geared toward arthouse distributors ture, documentary, television and short films. entertain ment, and television and buyers of German films

In addition, German Films has foreign rep -  Providing advice and information for  Selective financial Distribution Support resentatives for Eastern Europe and China/ German filmmakers and press on inter- for the foreign releases of German films Southeast Asia. national festivals, conditions of participation, 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 43

GERMAN CINEMA THE DOORS TO OPENING . SHANGHAI ......

...... CANNES .

MADRID

......

...... SÃO PAULO .

MOSCOW

......

LONDON

......

.

VENICE ......

...... ISTANBUL . .

...... SYDNEY

LOCARNO ......

...... NEW YORK .

SAN SEBASTIÁN SAN ...... WARSAW

...... PARIS

...... BUSAN

......

KARLOVY VARY .

. ROME ......

...... TORONTO .

LOS ANGELES LOS ...... TOKYO ...... TURIN GFQ 2-2018 SHAREHOLDERS & SUPPORTERS

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 Filmexporteure e.V. (VDFE) Association of German Film Exporters Robert-Koch-Str. 1 | 80538 Munich/Germany | Berlin office: Winterfeldtstr. 56 | 10781 Berlin/Germany phone +49-173-577 08 38 | fax +49-89-57 08 77 60 | [email protected] | www.vdfe.de

Verband Deutscher Filmproduzenten e.V. German Producers Association Häberlstr. 5 | 80337 Munich/Germany phone +49-89-22 84 50 45 | fax +49-89-12 19 76 03 [email protected] | www.verbanddeutscherfilmproduzenten.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

HessenFilm und Medien GmbH Am Steinernen Stock 1 | 60320 Frankfurt am Main/Germany phone +49-69-15 32 404-0 | fax +49-69-15 32 404 99 | [email protected] | www.hessenfilm.de

MFG Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg mbH Bereich Filmförderung | Breitscheidstr. 4 | 70174 Stuttgart/Germany phone +49-7 11-90 71 54 00 | fax +49-7 11-90 71 54 50 | [email protected] | www.film.mfg.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 /Germany phone +49-5 11-1 23 45 60 | fax +49-5 11-12 34 56 29 | [email protected] | www.nordmedia.de

45 ASSOCIATION OF GERMAN FILM EXPORTERS GFQ 2-2018 ASSOCIATION OF GERMAN FILM EXPORTERS

Verband deutscher Filmexporteure e.V. (VDFE) Robert-Koch-Str. 1 80538 Munich/Germany Berlin office: phone +49-173-577 08 38 Winterfeldtstr. 56 fax +49-89-570 877 60 10781 Berlin/Germany [email protected] phone +49-30-8 61 23 93 www.vdfe.de

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 [email protected] fax +49-30-420 824 812 [email protected] www.filmsboutique.com [email protected] www.arrimedia.de/international 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 [email protected] fax +49-89-55 87 61 91 06 fax +49-7 11-96 89 44 51 www.betacinema.com [email protected] [email protected] 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 +49-221-51091899 [email protected] [email protected] www.constantin-film.de www.medialuna.biz

46 GFQ 2-2018 IMPRINT & FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES

German Films Quarterly is published by: Editor FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES Angela Hawkins German Films Service + Marketing GmbH Herzog-Wilhelm-Str. 16 Contributors Eastern Europe 80331 Munich/Germany Martin Blaney, Matthias Dell, phone +49-89-5 99 78 70 Simon Kingsley, Philipp Stadelmaier Simone Baumann fax +49-89-59 97 87 30 Saxonia Entertainment [email protected] Translations Altenburger Str. 9 www.german-films.de Lucinda Rennison 04275 Leipzig/Germany phone +49-3 41-35 00 45 36 Cover fax +49-3 41-35 00 77 45 36 Ulrich Köhler (© Annette Hauschild/ [email protected] Pandora Film Produktion) China Design & Art Direction Werner Schauer www.triptychon.biz Anke Redl ISSN 1614-6387 China Media Management Inc. Printing Office Galaxy SOHO, Tower D-50931 Credits are not contractual for any of www.esta-druck.de No. 7 Xiaopaifang Hutong the films mentioned in this publication. Dongcheng Beijing 100010/China German Films supports the use of paper from sustainable forestry. © German Films Service + Marketing GmbH The pages of this magazine are made of PEFC certificated cellulose. phone +86-10-65 20 64 30 PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification fax +86-10-65 20 64 50 schemes) is the largest independent organization worldwide for All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or securing and continuously improving a sustainable forest manage- [email protected] transmission of this publication may be made ment and it guarantees ecological, social and economic standards. Currently there are 258 million hectares of PEFC certificated forest without written permission. worldwide. 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

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47 NEW FILMS FROM GERMANY

CANNES 2018

GERMAN PAVILION · #123 · VILLAGE INTERNATIONAL – RIVIERA

FOCUS GERMANY · phone +33-(0)4-92 59 00 04 · www.focusgermany.de

GERMAN FILMS · phone +33-(0)4-92 59 01 80 · www.german-films.de Design: triptychon.biz · Photo: Westend61/Dieter Heinemann Westend61/Dieter · Photo: Design: triptychon.biz