SYMPATHIZERS a GERMAN AUTUMN Cast & Crew

SYMPATHIZERS A GERMAN AUTUMN Cast & Crew

Written & Directed by FELIX MOELLER With Director of Photography BÖRRES WEIFFENBACH MARGARETHE VON TROTTA KUMARAN HEROLD VOLKER SCHLÖNDORFF Original Sound HELGE HAACK PETER SCHNEIDER RENÉ BÖLL Editor GISELA ZICK MARIUS MÜLLER-WESTERNHAGEN Composer JÖRG LEMBERG DANIEL COHN-BENDIT KARL-HEINZ DELLWO Producers AMELIE LATSCHA, FELIX MOELLER CHRISTOF WACKERNAGEL

A Blueprint Film Production in Co-Production with Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg and Südwestrundfunk, in Cooperation with ARTE.

Funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, FilmFernsehfonds Bayern, MFG Filmförderung Baden- Württemberg, Deutscher Filmförderfonds.

2 Synopsis

West Germany in the 1970s. As the alleged spiritual allies of terrorists, artists, left- wing liberal intellectuals, professors, jour- nalists and members of the clergy found themselves caught in the crosshairs of the police, press and political class. They were branded as “sympathizers.”

The prominent figures among them became the ultimate bêtes noires. For newspapers like Bild and Welt, these individuals were “terrorism’s army of reservists,” “spiritual accomplices” and the purported “eulogists of terror” – co-responsible for the bombs, murders and violence. Was there any truth to these allegations? generation.” Today, many of their movies are considered – The Nobel-prizewinning author Heinrich Böll spoke of domestically as well as internationally – classics of informer culture, mob law and a climate of persecution. German political film. The parents of the director of this film, too, were among Sympathizers is at once the story of one German family, the sympathizers: His mother, Margarethe von Trotta, the history of a period in German film and the portrait of a and his stepfather, Volker Schlöndorff, made films such as society. An extremely personal story, it unfolds against The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, Marianne and Juliane, the larger contemporary backdrop of a polarized country Germany in Autumn and The Legend of Rita. In their work, in turmoil, woven together from extensive film clips, they grappled with the topic of terrorism and what moti- partly unpublished archival material as well as Marga- vated the radicalization and violence of the “protest rethe von Trotta’s private diaries (read by her).

3 Interviewees Witnessed many attempts to recruit his friends to its ranks. DANIEL COHN-BENDIT, politician, journalist, icon of the May ’68 student revolt in France. A longstanding friend MARGARETHE VON TROTTA, mother of director Felix of the von Trotta/Schlöndorff family and an important Moeller, multiple award-winning director of films including firsthand witness to the events and discussions of the Marianne and Juliane and Hannah Arendt. In the 1970s, she time, from Dutschke to Sartre. campaigned for the prisoner relief organization “Red Aid.” MARIUS MÜLLER-WESTERNHAGEN, famous German VOLKER SCHLÖNDORFF, stepfather of director Felix rock musician and actor. Acted alongside Felix Moeller in Moeller, director of The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, one of Margarethe von Trotta’s films and touched on the Germany in Autumn and the Academy Award-winning The events of the 1970s in his songs. Tin Drum, among others. Campaigned with Margarethe von Trotta for “Red Aid.” RENÉ BÖLL, painter, son of Nobel-prizewinning author Heinrich Böll. Discusses the media witch hunt against his PETER SCHNEIDER, novelist and screenplay writer (A father and the psychological stress it caused his family. Knife in the Head, among others). Talks about intellectuals’ relationship to the Red Army Faction’s “armed struggle.” KARL HEINZ DELLWO, member of the Red Army Faction, participated in the siege of the West German Embassy in Stockholm in 1975, spent 21 years behind bars (many in solitary confinement). While he objects to violence today, he has not completely sworn off the RAF ideology. CHRISTOF WACKERNAGEL, actor and filmmaker, member of the Red Army Faction, imprisoned for 12 years. He continues to struggle for a “better world” today, but through journalistic means now. HELMUT SCHMIDT, WILLY BRANDT, FRANZ-JOSEF STRAUSS, GÜNTHER GRASS, RAINER WERNER FASSBIN- DER, ALEXANDER KLUGE and HEINRICH BÖLL are featured in partly previously unseen archival material.

4 Interviewees Witnessed many attempts to recruit his friends to its ranks. DANIEL COHN-BENDIT, politician, journalist, icon of the May ’68 student revolt in France. A longstanding friend MARGARETHE VON TROTTA, mother of director Felix of the von Trotta/Schlöndorff family and an important Moeller, multiple award-winning director of films including firsthand witness to the events and discussions of the Marianne and Juliane and Hannah Arendt. In the 1970s, she time, from Dutschke to Sartre. campaigned for the prisoner relief organization “Red Aid.” MARIUS MÜLLER-WESTERNHAGEN, famous German VOLKER SCHLÖNDORFF, stepfather of director Felix rock musician and actor. Acted alongside Felix Moeller in Moeller, director of The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, one of Margarethe von Trotta’s films and touched on the Germany in Autumn and the Academy Award-winning The events of the 1970s in his songs. Tin Drum, among others. Campaigned with Margarethe von Trotta for “Red Aid.” RENÉ BÖLL, painter, son of Nobel-prizewinning author Heinrich Böll. Discusses the media witch hunt against his PETER SCHNEIDER, novelist and screenplay writer (A father and the psychological stress it caused his family. Knife in the Head, among others). Talks about intellectuals’ relationship to the Red Army Faction’s “armed struggle.” KARL HEINZ DELLWO, member of the Red Army Faction, participated in the siege of the West German Embassy in Stockholm in 1975, spent 21 years behind bars (many in solitary confinement). While he objects to violence today, he has not completely sworn off the RAF ideology. CHRISTOF WACKERNAGEL, actor and filmmaker, member of the Red Army Faction, imprisoned for 12 years. He continues to struggle for a “better world” today, but through journalistic means now. HELMUT SCHMIDT, WILLY BRANDT, FRANZ-JOSEF STRAUSS, GÜNTHER GRASS, RAINER WERNER FASSBIN- DER, ALEXANDER KLUGE and HEINRICH BÖLL are featured in partly previously unseen archival material.

Supported by German-French Treaty (Mini-Traité), CNC, Eurimages.

Julia Franck (2009) TV documentary by Daniela Schmidt-Langels. Co-Produc- tion with RBB Arte and Swiss TV (SFR). Juliane Bartel Award 2010.

Harlan – In the Shadow of Jew Süss (2008) cinema documentary by Felix Moeller. Co-Production with WDR/RBB/NDR and YLE. Supported by Media, FFF, Contact BKM, DFFF. Festivals (selection): Dokfest Leipzig 2008, Jerusalem Film Festival 2009 (Award for Preservation of Audio Blueprint Film GmbH Visual Memory), UK Jewish Film Festival 2009, Amelie Latscha Telluride Film Festival 2009, Stockholm Film Festival Montgelasstr. 37 2009, WATCH Docs 2009, Seattle Film Festival 2010. D – 81679 München

phone: +49-(0)89-890918633 fax: +49-(0)89-890918636 mobile: +49-(0)179-2952671

info@blueprintﬁlm.de www.blueprintﬁlm.de

Blueprint Film Festivals (Auswahl): Berlinale 2014, Shanghai Filmfestival 2014 (Golden Goblet für Bestes Drehbuch), Valladolid 2014 (Beste Regie & Bester Hauptdarsteller), Die Blueprint Film GmbH wurde 2006 in München César 2015 (Bestes adaptiertes Drehbuch) gegründet. Tätigkeit sind die Produktion/Koproduktion von internationalen Spiel- und Dokumentarfilmen. Ein Verbotene Filme (2014 Schwerpunkt sind europäische Koproduktionen, vor Kinodokumentarfilm von Felix Moeller. allem mit Frankreich. Koproduktion mit ARTE, RBB, HR Blueprint Film hat ihren Hauptsitz in München und Festivals (Auswahl): Jerusalem Film Festival 2014, Niederlassungen in Stuttgart und Potsdam-Babelsberg. Telluride 2014, Watch Docs 2014, New York Jewish Film Festival 2015, Filmfest Bari 2015 DR. FELIX MOELLER (Geschäftsführer), Autor & Regis- seur, Produzent, promovierter Historiker. Small World (2010), Kinospielfilm nach dem Bestseller von Martin Suter. AMELIE LATSCHA, Produzentin, Diplomkauffrau (LMU mit Gérard Depardieu, Alexandra Maria Lara, Françoise München). Fabian, Niels Arestrup, Nathalie Baye. Koproduktion mit Quad Films Produktionen: Hitler in Hollywood a.k.a. Operation Weed (2010) Sympathisanten – Unser Deutscher Herbst (2018) (associate producer) Kinodokumentarfilm von Felix Moeller. Kinospielfilm von Frédéric Sojcher. Koproduktion mit ARTE, RBB, SWR Filmfest München 2011

Julia Franck (2009) TV documentary by Daniela Schmidt-Langels. Co-Produc- tion with RBB Arte and Swiss TV (SFR). Juliane Bartel Award 2010.

phone: +49-(0)89-890918633 fax: +49-(0)89-890918636 mobile: +49-(0)179-2952671

info@blueprintﬁlm.de www.blueprintﬁlm.de

Bio-/Filmography Felix Moeller

Author & director and producer, has a PhD in History.

(Cinema)Documentaries: 2003 The Verhoevens (TV) (author & director) 2005 Hildegard Knef – The Early Years (TV) (author & director) 2006 Katja Riemann (TV) (author & director) 2009 Harlan – In The Shadow of Jew Süss (author & director, producer) 2009 Julia Franck (TV) (producer) 2014 Forbidden Films (author & director, producer) 2018 Sympathizers – A German Autumn (author & director, producer) 2018 Ingmar Bergman (co-author and co-director)

Researcher and historical consultant for a great number of documentary and feature ﬁlms like The Power of Image: Leni Riefenstahl (1992), One Day in September (1999), Marlene Dietrich – Her Own Song (2001), Rosenstrasse (2003), Napola (2004), Hannah Arendt (2012).

Numerous publications in history and ﬁlm history. Member of German Film Academy. Co-Founder and Vice President of „Moving History – Festival of Historical Films Potsdam.“

Diplomatie (2014) Die Schachspielerin (2009) Kinospielfilm von Volker Schlöndorff Kinospielfilm nach dem Bestseller von Bertina Henrichs. mit Niels Arestrup, André Dussollier, Burghart Klauß- Buch und Regie Caroline Bottaro ner, Robert Stadlober. mit Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline, Jennifer Beals. Koproduktion mit Film Oblige/Gaumont, ARTE, WDR, Koproduktion mit Mon Voisin Productions SWR Festivals (Auswahl): Palm Springs 2010 Blueprint Film Festivals (selection): Berlinale 2014, Shanghai Internati- onal Film Festival (Golden Goblet for the best screenplay), Valladolid 2014 (Best Actor, Best Director), César Blueprint Film GmbH was founded 2006 in Munich, 2014 (Best adapted screenplay). Germany, for the production and co-production of international feature and documentary films. The main Forbidden Films (2014 focus lies on European co-productions, in particular with cinema documentary by Felix Moeller, Co-Production France. with RBB, HR and Arte, supported by Medienboard The company has its main oces in Munich and a Berlin-Brandenburg, FFF Bayern, DFFF and FFA. subsidiary in each of Potsdam-Babelsberg (near Berlin) Festivals (selection): Jerusalem Film Festival 2014, and Stuttgart. Telluride Film Festival 2014, Watch Docs 2014, New York Jewish Film Festival 2015, Filmfest Bari 2015. DR. FELIX MOELLER (Managing Director) – author & director, producer, has a PhD in History. Small World (2010), feature film based on the novel by Martin Suter with AMELIE LATSCHA – Producer, Business Master (LMU Gérard Depardieu, Alexandra Maria Lara, Françoise University Munich). Fabian, Niels Arestrup, Nathalie Baye. Co-Production with Quad Films. Supported by German-French Treaty Films completed: (Mini-Traité) and FFA.

Sympathizers – A German Autumn (2018), cinema docu- Hitler in Hollywood a.k.a. Operation Weed (2010) mentary by Felix Moeller. Co-Production with ARTE, (Associate Producer). RBB, SWR. feature film by Frédéric Sojcher with Maria de Medeiros and Micheline Presle. Filmfest Munich 2011. Diplomacy (2014) feature film by Volker Schlöndorff with Niels Arestrup, Joueuse (Queen to Play) (2009) André Dussollier, Burghart Klaußner, Robert Stadlober. written and directed by Caroline Bottaro, based on the Co-Production with Film Oblige/Gaumont. Supported by novel by Bertina Henrichs, with Sandrine Bonnaire and German-French Treaty (Mini-Traité), FFA, MFG, Eurimages Kevin Kline. Co-Production with Mon Voisin Productions.

7 Supported by German-French Treaty (Mini-Traité), CNC, Eurimages.

Julia Franck (2009) TV documentary by Daniela Schmidt-Langels. Co-Produc- tion with RBB Arte and Swiss TV (SFR). Juliane Bartel Award 2010.

phone: +49-(0)89-890918633 fax: +49-(0)89-890918636 mobile: +49-(0)179-2952671

info@blueprintﬁlm.de www.blueprintﬁlm.de