A FILM BY ANDRES VEIEL 2 IN THE EARLY 60s, Bernward Vesper and fellow university student Gudrun Ensslin begin a passionate love in the stifling atmosphere of provincial West Germany. Sensitive to the increasing restlessness of the times, the fiery couple lash out at the denial regarding their fathers‘ roles in Hitler‘s Third Reich. Dedi- cated to the power of the written word, Bernward and Gudrun found a publishing house for controversial political works and become part of the spreading global uprising: „If not us, who; If not now, when?“ But discontentment with the world takes its toll on their tumultuous relationship. By the late 60s, Gudrun has joined rebellious Andreas Baader‘s pro-violence cause and Bernward risks his sanity by using psychedelic drugs in his struggles to finally write the novel committed to changing the world... Based on the emotional true story of an explosive era. 3 SYNOPSIS and she, too, questi- ons her father‘s role during Hitler‘s Third Reich. With the help of her knowledge and dedication, Bernward founds a publishing house whose first publication is, para- doxically to Gudrun and many others, a controversial past work of Bernward‘s ostracized father. Sharing both work and bed, Bernward WEST GERMANY, 1961. Uni- cious past. The war ended barely 15 and Gudrun live out a passionate versity student Bernward Vesper has years ago, and the mood is stifling love doubted by their families. Sen- devoted himself to the written word, and conservative, all the more so in sitive to the increasing restlessness aspiring one day that his own writing Bernward‘s provincial surroundings. of the times, the fiery couple be- will change the world. The son of an gins to lash out at the conformism infamous Nazi author, Bernward de- Bernward discovers much in common and denial around them. Theirs is fends his father‘s writing ability, even with fellow student Gudrun Ensslin. an existence of breaking rules and if he is haunted by his father‘s suspi- Gudrun has a fascination for literature, pushing limits. But their tumultuous 4 relationship nearly comes to an end When Gudrun gives birth to their son By 1968, Gudrun has flung herself because of Bernward‘s infidelities. Felix, the couple seems to be closer into Baader‘s pro-violence cause. As than ever. Although they are success- chances of having a happy family life Bernward and Gudrun start anew fully publishing political literature, evaporate, Bernward risks his sanity by with a move to West Berlin in 1964. words are no longer enough for Gud- using psychedelic drugs in his strugg- Joining forces with leftist writers and run. When rebellious Andreas Baader les to finally write the novel committed political activists, they become part of enters their lives, Gudrun is attracted to changing the world... the spreading global uprising: „If not to his much more radical approach. us, who; If not now, when?“ It seems that history‘s wheels are turning in the direc- tion that Bernward and Gudrun have lon- ged for: students pro- test against the Viet- nam War, movements rise for indepen- dence in Third World countries, the Black Panthers gain reco- gnition in the USA... 5 AUGUST DIEHL ded the Ernst Busch Academy of He has also played an SS officer in AS Bernward VESPER Dramatic Arts. He has performed ex- Volker Schloendorff‘s THE NINTH DAY, tensively in theatre, including Peter the grandson of an SS officer in THE August Diehl began his cinema career Zadek’s production of Sarah Kane’s BIRCH-TREE MEADOW, and in THE with an award-winning performance in CLEANSED at the Hamburger Kam- COUNTERFEITERS he was a communist Hans-Christian Schmid‘s thriller 23. merspiele and Luc Bondy’s THE imprisoned in the Sachsenhausen con- Diehl won the 1999 German Film Prize SEAGULL at the Vienna Burgtheater. centration camp. for his role as the computer hacker and Diehl has had a wide range of cinema Selected Filmography conspiracy theorist Karl Koch who even- roles - from genre films like Stefan 2011 IF NOT US, WHO (Andres Veiel) tually goes insane. Diehl worked again Ruzowitzky’s ANATOMY 2 and Robert 2010 SALT (Phillip Noyce) with Hans-Christian Schmid as part of Schwentke’s TATTOO to literary films, 2010 THE COMING DAYS (Lars Kraume) the ensemble cast of 2002‘s DISTANT such as Rainer Kaufmann‘s COLD IS 2009 INGLORIOUS BASTERDS LIGHTS, which recounts the fates of seve- THE BREATH OF EVENING. Diehl was re- (Quentin Tarantino) 2008 DR. ALEMAN (Tom Schreiber) ral people at the German-Polish border. cently seen as an SS colonel in Quentin 2008 BUDDENBROOKS (Heinrich Breloer) Born in Berlin in 1976, Diehl atten- Tarantino‘s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. 2007 NOTHING BUT GHOSTS (Martin Gypkens) SLUMMING (Michael Glawogger) 2006 THE COUNTERFEITERS (Stefan Ruzowitzky) 2004 THE NINTH DAY (Volker Schloendorff) 2003 LOVE IN THOUGHTS (Achim von Borries) THE BIRCH-TREE MEADOW (Marceline Loridan-Ivens) 2002 TATTOO (Robert Schwentke) DISTANT LIGHTS (Hans-Christian Schmid) 2000 COLD IS THE BREATH OF EVENING (Rainer Kaufmann) 1998 23 (Hans-Christian Schmid) LENA LAUZEMIS DAS ALIBI. Her film roles include Sue 2003 YUGOTRIP (TV) (Nadya Derado) AS Gudrun ENSSLIN de Beer‘s HANS UND GRETE from Sue 2002 DIE MUTTER (TV) (Matti Geschonneck) de Beer and Jutta Brückner‘s HITLER- 2001 HANS UND GRETE (Sue de Beer) 2001 TATORT – GEWALTFIEBER (TV) Lena Lauzemis was born in 1983 in KANTATE, in which she plays a music (Martin Eigler) Berlin. She first appeared on stage at lover who falls for Hitler. 2000 HERZRASEN (TV) (Hanno Brühl) age 13 as part of the Wild Bunch, a Selected Filmography 1999 DAS ALIBI (TV) (Christine Wiegand) Berlin youth theater group. At age 16, 2011 IF NOT US, WHO (Andres Veiel) she played Lavinia in Heiner Müller’s 2005 HITLERKANTATE (Jutta Brückner) ANATOMIE: TITUS FALL OF ROME, di- rected by Thomas Heise in a factory hall in the Berlin suburb of Marzahn. Miss Lauzemis studied at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts. Since 2006, she has been a member of the Mu- nich Kammerspiele theatre ensemble. After small film appearances in films like Anne Høegh Krohn’s UNKNOWN FRIEND, Miss Lauzemis landed her first leading role in the 1999 television film 6 helm in Quentin Tarantino‘s INGLORI- OUS BASTERDS. His other film credits include Heinrich Breloer‘s BUDDEN- BROOKS: THE DECLINE OF A FAMILY, Frieder Wittich‘s comedy 13 SEMES- TER and Hans-Christian Schmid‘s award-winning political thriller STORM. Born in 1981 in Berlin, Fehling studied at the Ernst Busch Academy of Drama- tic Arts. Selected Filmography 2011 WER WENN NICHT WIR (Andres Veiel) ALEXANDER FEHLING Thalheim’s AND ALONG COME THE 2010 GOETHE! (Philipp Stölzl) AS ANDREAS Baader TOURISTS, which made its world pre- 2009 STURM (Hans-Christian Schmid) miere in the Cannes Film Festival‘s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Alexander Fehling was recently “Un Certain Regard” section. Fehling (Quentin Tarantino) seen in the title role of Philipp won the German Film Prize for his per- 13 SEMESTER (Frieder Wittich) 2008 BUDDENBROOKS (Heinrich Breloer) Stölzl’s GOETHE!, playing the duke formance as a young man caring for 2007 AM ENDE KOMMEN TOURISTEN of poets as a jaunty bon vivant. a holocaust survivor at the Auschwitz (Robert Thalheim) Fehling made his film debut in Robert Memorial. He played Staff Sgt. Wil- ANDRES VEIEL WRITER AND Director IF NOT US, WHO is Andres Veiel‘s first fiction feature. He has directed numerous award-winning documen- taries, such as BLACK BOX BRD and ADDICTED TO ACTING. BLACK BOX BRD, winner of Best Documentary at the European Film Awards, is the por- trait of RAF terrorist Wolfgang Grams and big banker Alfred Herrhausen, featuring the Judeo-Palestinian thea- play THE KICK, about a brutal torture- who was murdered by the RAF. ter group Akko. In his very personal murder in the Brandenburg village of Veiel‘s ADDICTED TO ACTING won the film THE SURVIVORS, Veiel explored Potzlow, performed at Berlin‘s Maxim Panorama Audience Award at the the stories of three former classma- Gorki Theater and at the Theater Basel. Berlin Film Festival and also received tes who ended up committing suicide. Selected Filmography a European Film Awards nomination Veiel was born in Stuttgart in 1959. 2011 IF NOT US, WHO for Best Documentary. ADDICTED TO Parallel to his studies in psycholo- 2006 THE KICK (documentary) ACTING is a long-term observation of gy in the 1980s, he completed an 2004 ADDICTED TO ACTING (documentary) four theater students at Berlin‘s Ernst extracurricular program in film and 2001 BLACK BOX BRD (documentary) Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts. theater direction at the Künstler- 1995 THE SURVIVORS (documentary) Veiel made his debut with 1991‘s haus Bethanien under the tutelage of 1993 BALAGAN (documentary) 1991 WINTERNACHTSTRAUM (documentary) WINTERNACHTSTRAUM and followed Polish director Krzysztof Kiewlowski. with the award-winning BALAGAN, Veiel also directed the filming of his 7 8 9 INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR ANDRES VEIEL IF NOT US, WHO recounts the love Bernard Vesper even republished a to sacrifice her child for a higher mo- story of Bernward Vesper and Gudrun few of his father’s controversial books ral purpose. Not out of vengeance but Ensslin. What drew you to this story? with his own private press... rather like, “I’m responsible for the When I was first offered the material, I Along with Gudrun Ensslin. As publi- situation in this world and if I bring turned it down. I thought, it’s all been shing director, she didn’t just go along children into this world, I had better told. But then I read Gerd Koenen‘s with him, but even wrote positive make sure that the world is a worthy book, “Vesper, Ensslin, Baader – critiques of Will Vesper‘s works.