AT ELLEN´S AGE
A FILM BY PIA MARAIS
WORLD SALES PRESS
The Match Factory GmbH RICHARD LORMAND world cinema publicity Balthasarstr. 79 - 81 www.filmpressplus.com 50670 Cologne/Germany [email protected] phone +49 221 539 709 - 0 In Locarno: supported by fax +49 221 539 709 - 10 phone +33 9 7044 9865 e-mail: [email protected] +33 6 0949 7925 www.the-match-factory.com +39 347 256 4143 observe. alone. Adetail inhercharacter that only Karlcomes close enoughto motive for her engagementremains hersecret - herinabilityto be she hasnever beeninvolved inanymeaningfulcause. Yet theulterior Ellen, impressed bythegroup’s passionate commitment, isaware that idealists. her into hisnewfamily, sheattempts to become partofthiscluster of ex-partner Florian desperately triesto relocate Ellen andincorporate of ananimal-rightsgroup, consisting ofstudents andpunks.Whilst her one anotherandfollowing histrail, Ellen soonfindsherself inthemidst young activists. Amongst themisKarl.Thetwoare instantly drawn to It isduringthisperiod,thatEllen becomes acquainted withagroup of through, to keep hercompany. up inanairporthotel inFrankfurt, tryingto recruit colleagues passing Now inastrange cityandunable to be alone, shefindsherself lodged knows instinctively thatsheisleaving heroldlife behind. an airplanethatispreparing to start. Asshecrosses theairfield,she a panicattack whilst onduty, causing her to disembark andabandon doctor only makes heruneasegrow. Inthefollowing days,Ellen suffers another womanismore thanEllen can handle. Anappointmentatthe entirely withoutblame. Yet thefact thatheisalsoexpecting achildwith When Florian, Ellen‘s partnerofmanyyears, leaves her,sheisnot needs sobadly. private life hasbecome aplacebo, lending thesensationofsecurityshe flight attendant keeps herrotating around theglobe, she findsher Ellen must come to face somenewturnsinlife. Althoughherjobasa SYNOPSIS needs... is needed,Ellen maywellmodifythisnew challenge too, to fitherown Convinced that there must beaspecificplace intheworldwhere she in Ellen asenseofpurpose.Butistheir purposeequivalent to hers? finds she’s growing stronger. Unbeknownto thegroup, they have aroused as they can. Yet however unbalanced thissituationhasbecome, Ellen destroy theindustry ofanimaltorture andliberate asmanyofitsvictims other animalactivists. Dressed inblack,they setoutonacrusadeto She findsherself shacked upatKarl’s side,inaformer squatwiththe allows herself to experience love inanunconditional way. into unspoken feelings andexpectations. For abriefmoment,Ellen Ellen soonrealizes thattheirplatonic arrangement hasdisintegrated accomplices. Butare Ellen andKarlst is muchyounger, radiates ayouthful unruliness. They become sophistication derived from heryears oftravelling theworld,Karl,who and Karlform abizarrely unsuited couple. Whilst Ellen hasacertain is itamanoeuvre forcing herfurtherfrom Florian? Nowwedded,Ellen Perhaps atactic thatwill help Karloutofhisvery troubled situationor to escape thecircumstances oftheirlives. Ellen decidesto marryKarl. way asshedoeshim.Yet whatbondsthetwo,isthatthey are bothtrying It iswiththisknowledge thatheisable to functionalizeEllen, inasimilar ill impartialtowards each other?
AT ELLEN’S AGE 2 | 3 PIA MARAIS BIOGRAPHY
Pia Marais (Johannesburg) grew up in South Africa, Sweden and Spain. She studied sculpture and photography at art academies in London, Amsterdam and finally the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf before going on to study film at the Deutsche Film und Fernseh Akademie (Dffb) in Berlin. She made several shorts, including “Loop” (1996), “Deranged” (1998), “Tricky People” (1999), and “17” (2003), and after several engagements in film business as a casting director and assistant director, made her feature debut with “Die Unerzogenen” („The Unpolished“), which has screened at many international film festivals and has won various prizes, including Tiger Award in 2007 in Rotterdam. Her second feature film „Im Alter von Ellen“ („At Ellen‘s age“) was developed in the Résidence du Festival de Cannes.
FILMOGRPHY:
LAYLA FOURIE (in development) 2010 AT ELLEN‘S AGE (Im Alter von Ellen) 2007 THE UNPOLISHED (Die Unerzogenen) 2002 17 - Seventeen (short) 1999 TRICKY PEOPLE (short) 1998 DERANGED (short) 1996 LOOP (short) PIA MARAIS COMMENTS FROMWRITER-DIRECTOR through generations seemsto bedisolving.Relationships seemto be just livingintheplace you were bornandknowingyour surroundings that previously gave us stability like family structures, thechurch, or how doessomeonefindgrounding inthistimeorapurpose.Things I thinkoneofthemainthemes wewere thinkingabout inthefilmis AT ELLEN‘SAGE in thebehaviourandcause ofEllen’s surrogate “family”. with loneliness, far more itisabouthumaninteraction. Thisisreflected activists. ButAT ELLEN‘S AGE isnotaportrait ofawomanstruggling Ellen’s unspoken connection to Karlpullsherinto thisgroup ofanimal CONNECTION TO KARL has knownbefore. of young people sheattaches herself to, are far beyond anythingshe Comically, Ellen findsthisinthemost uncomfortable places. Thecluster for somethingreminiscent offamily andthewarmthofbelonging. an unusualandoptimistic way. Itisthisuneasethat drives herto search As shejourneys into theundefined future, Ellen tackles heruneasein SOMETHING REMINISCENTOFFAMILY a vehicle for acertain senseofemotionalandexistential dislocation. threads, needingonly a smalljoltto disrupt. Unavoidably, Ellen becomes society, theframe ofherexistence hasbeenheldtogether byfragile spontaneously shedecidesto disappear. Like manyothers inmodern necessary securityinherdaily life beginsto crumble awayand At thebeginningofEllen’s story, everything whichhasgiven herthe FRAGILE THREADS to move onbefore itcan become anythingbutthat. perhaps unconditional. Yet thisisnotstatic andshehastheintelligence brief moment,sheisable to experience afeeling to someonewhich is they are sodifferent thattheseconditions are notimposable andfor a her relationship withFlorian, theconditions were important. WithKarl, Ellen is forced to become more opento thingsinorder to move on.In optimistic, even thoughthecircumstances are hard. in thetraditional sense.Itwasvery important thatthecharacter be be taken forgranted. Itmightbetoo late to settle downandhave afamily to redefine herlife, thisisaninteresting process. Because nothingcan I thinkthatfor awoman atEllen’s agewhocomes to apointofhaving more transient. Thenotionofgrowing oldwithoneperson hasevaporated.
AT ELLEN’S AGE 6 | 7 COMMENTS FROM JEANNE BALIBAR
RADICAL OPINIONS ---- 9 Although Karl is young, he is full of radical opinions for which he – like I believe Ellen is a very fragile person at a moment of her life that makes the others – are prepared to fight. It is the contrast between the bourgeois her even more so. She is discovering throughout the film that there are life Ellen emerges from and the marginal existence she submerges means for her to become a lot stronger than she would ever have into, that accentuates the intended sensuality and vulnerability of her thought she could become. character and gives her the possibility to grow. Allowing her inner development to become visible in the end. I am interested in the ----
development a character makes under the circumstances that Ellen The way she handles her emotional crisis is I think to let herself drown 8 | ELLEN’S AGE AT finds herself confronted with. in other people, to renounce all her will and personality, nearly disappearing in the group of animal rights‘ activists where she has A PERSONAL JOURNEY landed. I think this is her process of getting over the crisis. This is a This is not a film about doing the right thing, much more it is about a sign of faith, of openness, that brings her strength. personal journey of someone trying to find meaning in a complex and contradictory world. Therefore the story reflects themes of looking for ---- something natural in an increasingly artificial world. I didn’t want the Personally, I‘m not interested at all in animal rights, which both my film to take any political standpoints, instead it attempts to give insight sons resent me very much for. I have been involved in political protests, into a way of living and thinking and why people make the choices they for the defense of HIV positive people with Act Up in the 1990‘s and for do, without moralizing. the defense of illegal immigrants in France.
THE FURY OF IDEALISM ---- Regarding the animal activists, I believe it was important to keep the Maybe Ellen‘s age has a connection to the French expression „l‘âge de ambiguity of this issue. Their work or cause is for a good reason: an raison“... „L‘äge d‘Ellen“, Ellen‘s age, could be that moment in one‘s animal is innocent. It is unable to defend itself or consent to what is life when he or she finds one‘s own personal strength.... imposed upon it. Yet in the fury of their idealism, do they cross a boundary? Much more the film questions: when does doing good turn into doing bad? I don’t think that my film looks for easy solutions, far more the story allows the elements such as a “cause” or “movement” to co-exist with its adversary. Perhaps even ironically so. AS ELLEN JEANNE BALIBAR and 2006'sSlalom Dame. As asongstress, Balibarhas released twoalbums, 2003'sParamour Francaise early inhercareer. Conservatory ofDramatic Artandperformed withParis' Comedie An accomplished stage actress, Jeannestudied attheFrench at theThessaloniki Festival (for ONLY GODSEESME). the SanSebastian Festival (for LATE AUGUST,EARLY SEPTEMBER)and LOVE and MYSEXLIFE.Shehasalsoreceived Best Actress awards at Awards) -for herroles inSAGAN, TOMORROW'S ANOTHER DAY, IHATE Jeanne hasbeennominated four timesfor theCésar(French Academy SOUP) andArnaudDesplechin (MYSEXLIFEandLASENTINELLE). and CLEAN),MathieuAmalric(LESTADE DEWIMBLEDON,MANGETA and VA SAVOIR), OlivierAssayas (LATE AUGUST,EARLY SEPTEMBER prestigious directors like JacquesRivette (THEDUCHESS OFLANGEAIS Jeanne isperhapsbest knownfor herFrench-language filmworkwith language feature AT ELLEN'SAGE (IMALTER VON ELLEN). French actress andsingerJeanneBalibarstars asEllen in theGerman- AN ARGUMENT) MY SEXLIFE(ORHOW IGOT INTO I HATE LOVE MANGE TA SOUPE ONLY GODSEESME LATE AUGUST,EARLY SEPTEMBER THREE BRIDGESONTHERIVER SADE COMEDY OFINNOCENCE TOMORROW‘S ANOTHER DAY LE STADE DEWIMBLEDON VA SAVOIR UNE AFFAIRE PRIVÉE 17 TIMESCÉCILECASSARD SALTIMBANK ALL THEFINEPROMISES CODE 46 CLEAN CALL MEAGOSTINO GONE FOR ADANCE THE DUCHESS OFLANGEAIS THE JOY OFSINGING THE ACTRESS‘ BALL THE GIRLFROMMONACO THE IDIOT SAGAN CHANGE NOTHING FILMOGRAPHY SELECTED (L‘IDIOT) (J‘AI HORREURDEL‘AMOUR) (NE CHANGERIEN) (DIEU SEULMEVOIT) (LE PLAISIRDECHANTER) (CA IRAMIEUXDEMAIN) Laurence Ferreira Barbosa Michael Winterbottom ArnaudDesplechin Jean-Paul Civeyrac Jean-Claude Biette Jean-Claude Biette Christophe Honoré Maiwenn LeBesco Guillaume Nicloux Christine Laurent Ilan DuranCohen Bruno Podalydes Mathieu Amalric Mathieu Amalric Jeanne Labrune Jacques Rivette Jacques Rivette Olivier Assayas Olivier Assayas Benoît Jacquot Anne Fontaine Alain Berliner Diane Kurys Pedro Costa Pierre Leon Raoul Ruiz
AT ELLEN’S AGE 10 | 11 PERSONALCHEFIN FRED JOSEPH JOSCHE RAFFAEL CHRISTIAN LOUIS PAUL BILLY HAGAN CLAIRE SIMONE BENNETT REBECCA FLORIAN KARL ELLEN CAST Tsephang Mohlomi Alexander Scheer Benno Lehmann Patrick Bartsch Georg Friedrich Clare Mortimer Jeanne Balibar Moritz Neuffer Julia Hummer Johann König Cay Hellmich Fabian Astor Jasna Bauer Stefan Stern Ian Roberts Eva Löbau Luis Lüps MAKE-UP &HAIR COSTUMES COMPOSERS RE-RECORDING MIXER SOUND DESIGNER PRODUCTION DESIGNER EDITOR DIRECTOR OFPHOTOGRAPHY PRODUCTION AFRICA 1st ASSISTANT DIRECTOR PRODUCTION MANAGER COMMISSIONING EDITORS PRODUCERS WRITERS DIRECTOR CREW Georg Seinert(ARTE) Andrea Hanke (WDR) Andreas Hildebrandt Katja Christochowitz Regina Tiefenthaller Michelle Wheatley Gabriella Ausonio Christoph Friedel Horst Markgraf Horst Markgraf Hélène Louvart Jeremy Nathan Claudia Steffen Claudia Schaaf Bruno Tarrière Mona Bräuer Petra Barchi Yoyo Röhm Pia Marais Pia Marais
AT ELLEN’S AGE 12 | 13 AT ELLEN’S AGE 14 | 15 EHIA EAL AT ELLEN’SAGE TECHNICAL DETAILS Languages Sound Format Picture Format Length S-16mm, digital blow-up 35mm,colour, 1:1,66 Dolby Digital German 95 min www.ellen.pandorafilm.com MEDIA Programm derEuropäischen Union FILMSTIFTUNG NRW CANNES FESTIVAL –LARESIDENCE project development supported by HESSISCHE FILMFÖRDERUNG BKM DEUTSCHER FILMFÖRDERFONDS FILMSTIFTUNG NRW supported by WESTDEUTSCHER RUNDFUNK&ARTE in co-production with PANDORA FILMPRODUKTION a filmby