The Documentary Issue

Home , Alexander Beyer, Carlos Saura, Christian Berkel, Clash of Futures, Constantin Film, Gunnar Dedio

issue 4-2019 D t P S A P R C I R E O H T E C O D C I R A U e T

O L C &

P F R D S O I L

G R t M T h O u M o R n m A n A C a K I a T r E s

D r R u H e a

e H d i n i m a s i o e e n r n o

& r e e f

o s C l t o O J n h a r O e d e r K u n t o l s i a c f ﬁ a

k t K l e h m a e r b D l i t e y z G u - G t P s

o c e i s h s t r e

m K s i a n

u e n m F a e F t h i e l k m s

Q u a r t e r l y CONTENTS GFQ 4-20 19

19 20 21

23 24 25

25 26 26

28 28 30

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POrtraits  neW sHOrts

IMAGES WAITING FOR HISTORY BLACK SUN A portrait of director Thomas Heise ...... 4 Arda Çiltepe ...... 28

ON THE EDGE CARGO A portrait of director Cordula Kablitz-Post ...... 6 Christina Tournatzés ...... 28

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES FÜR ‘NE HANDVOLL E A portrait of production company LOOKSfilm ...... 8 FOR A FISTFUL OF E Dennis Demirbas ...... 29

MATTERS THAT COUNT LAB/P – POETRY IN MOTION 3: IDENTITY A portrait of actor & filmmaker Hannes Jaenicke ...... 10 various directors ...... 29

PRESERVING & PROMOTING FILM HERITAGE THE RAFT An interview Rainer Rother ...... 12 Sylvain Cruiziat ...... 30

NEWS & NOTES ...... 14

 uPCOminG Films

 neW Features ALLE REDEN ÜBERS WETTER Annika Pinske ...... 31 ADAMSTOWN Patrick Merz & Henning Wötzel-Herber ...... 18 BAD BANKS – SEASON 2 Christian Zübert ...... 31 BAUMBACHER SYNDROME Gregory Kirchhoff ...... 19 BLUTSAUGER Julian Radlmaier ...... 31 LATTE IGEL UND DER MAGISCHE WASSTERSTEIN LATTE AND THE MAGIC WATERSTONE DEUTSCHLAND89 Regina Welker & Nina Wels ...... 20 Randa Chahoud & Soleen Yusef ...... 32

SUNBURNED ENFANT TERRIBLE Carolina Hellsgård ...... 21 Oskar Roehler ...... 32

TKKG HILFE, ICH HABE MEINE FREUNDE GESCHRUMPFT TKKG-DETECTIVE AGENCY Robert Thalheim ...... 22 Granz Henman ...... 32

VIER ZAUBERHAFTE SCHWESTERN HOME FOUR ENCHANTED SISTERS Sven Unterwaldt ...... 23 Franka Potente ...... 33

DIE WOLF-GÄNG KISS ME BEFORE IT BLOWS UP THE MAGIC KIDS – THREE UNLIKELY HEROES Shirel Peleg ...... 33 Tim Trageser ...... 24 NIGHTLIFE Simon Verhoeven ...... 33

 neW DOCumentaries DIE SCHULE DER MAGISCHEN TIERE Gregor Schnitzler ...... 34 AUTOBAHN Daniel Abma ...... 25 TRIBES OF EUROPA Philip Koch & Florian Baxmeyer ...... 34 BEKAR EVİ – DAS JUNGGESELLENHAUS BEKAR EVİ – THE BACHELOR HOUSE Dirk Schäfer ...... 25

BUTENLAND Shareholders & Supporters ...... 37 Marc Pierschel ...... 26 Film Exporters ...... 38 IM STILLEN LAUT A QUIET RESISTANCE Therese Koppe ...... 26 Imprint ...... 39

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imaGes WaitinG FOr HistOry A PORTRAIT OF DIRECTOR THOMAS HEISE

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homas Heise is travelling a lot at the through out – for minutes, the camera goes brother, mother are all dead), MATERIAL is moment. His new documentary down an alphabetical list of the deported the film making the end of the GDR com - HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME is tour- Viennese Jews. And when it reaches the prehensible through a series of fragments Ting festivals all over the world, and names of Heise’s relatives, we hear no more from the years 1987 to 1993. More com - he has just returned from Toronto. The ear - of the private mail. The soundtrack falls prehensible than movie kitsch featuring nasty nestness with which his more than three- silent. Stasi henchmen could ever make it. and-a-half hour long film was watched there pleased him. “Anyone coming out, it was only This skillful interplay of cinematic means can And that is precisely because the film op - the passing audiences. People who find film be found in many films by Heise. In IMBISS erates at the edge, like the filmmaker himself, generally interesting and hadn’t seen how SPEZIAL, shot in October 1989 as a requiem who was forced to leave the film academy in long it was, and then expected action.” for the declining GDR, we see the work and the GDR. MATERIAL avoids the jubilant images of the fall of the Berlin Action is the wrong word for the Wall and instead shows how, formally simple but captivating the day before, all the self- arrangement of the film. Docu - critical, hopeful SED members ments are read out by Heise expected a change from their himself – letters, diary entries, wavering leadership, a depar - notes, essays. The text occurs ture for which it could no longer behind images that function as - summon the strength. Or how sociatively. “We filmed a lot of prisoners discuss with their forest,” Heise comments with guards what the turning point in wry amusement in regard to the the country means to them in genesis of HEIMAT IS A SPACE De cember 1989. IN TIME. This quantity of forest may come as a surprise, as the These are “images waiting for new film is about his own family. history”, as playwright Heiner Usually, such films would con - Müller – who was Heise’s men - sist of photos, film material, in - tor and fatherly friend – once put formation from contemporary it. So that this story can be un - witnesses, site visits. In Heise’s derstood, so that something can case, apart from a few private be preserved which provides photos, there are landscape explanations, but only at a shots and shunting trains. And distance. In these days of forest, of course. Trump’s lies, people crave reality, Heise says regarding the For Heise, such photographs interest in films like his in also help the director to become America, where HEIMAT IS A a stranger to himself, to main - SPACE IN TIME was shown at tain distance from the private. the New York Film Festival in the “You have to separate yourself,” Lincoln Center. In MATERIAL, Heise says at a snack bar not far someone says, “You can think of from his home in Berlin-Prenz - history as long and drawn out, lauer Berg. He regards “family but in fact it’s just a heap.” films” with horror, which is why he demands that his students at And nobody arranges this heap the Academy of Fine Arts in as cleverly and precisely as Tho - Vienna approach a person they mas Heise, probably the most do not know in documentary important German documentary form during their initial exer - filmmaker today. cises. One who doesn’t come from their own customers of a snack bar in Berlin’s Lichten - milieu. berg station. And we hear the employees’ Matthias Dell stories, their dreams, plans and disappoint - That’s also why he made this film about his ments – and radio news that Heise had re - family so late. And he made it so that it is far corded when lying in the hospital for three more than navel-gazing over his own sociali - weeks in the summer of 1989. Seemingly in - zation. HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME tells significant and ordinary aspects, which – in 20th century German history using the single tense juxtaposition with images from shortly example of the filmmaker’s family, one might before the historical moment, the fall of the say. Berlin Wall, the disappearance of the GDR – tell us much more than official speeches ex - The most breathtaking scene is the one about plaining that time. the Holocaust. There is the way that cor - respondence from the Jewish part of the Thomas Heise collects such recordings. The family in Vienna is read out off stage, other major film from his extensive oeuvre is gradually drying up: it deals with increasing MATERIAL, made ten years before HEIMAT IS impositions by the Nazis but expresses, A SPACE IN TIME, and also almost three neverthe less and right up to the end, the hope hours long. If HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME is that things cannot become worse. But the the film that brings order to the family’s unimaginable is present in the image history after it has disappeared (father,

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On tHe eDGe A PORTRAIT OF DIRECTOR CORDULA KABLITZ-POST

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was rejected by the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival – too entertaining in a very political era. But three years later it earned her a first license contract at Premiere TV.

At the same time, she worked for public broadcaster ZDF as a script and continuity writer, for Thomas Brasch as an assistant director, and estab lished contacts with pro - ducers, actors and directors such as Christoph Schlingensief, thus building up a network. In the golden age of television, a bread and butter job at Rias TV offered an opportunity for multiple formats, a creative biotope.

In order to influence the creative process more, and to assemble her teams according to artistic criteria, Cordula Kablitz-Post found ed her first company Medusa Film in 1994, producing mainly music videos. In 1995 she founded her next company, avanti media, with a fellow student, Edda Baumann. They developed and produced the renowned docu - feature film debut as an older mentary series DURCH DIE NACHT MIT ... all odds.” Like many of her projects, Cordula adult? A young talent award in (“Through the Night with ...”) for ZDF/ARTE, Kablitz-Post also had to fight for this film, the middle of life? In Cordula many episodes of which she directed herself. against all the resistance of editors and AKablitz-Post’s case, from early The format was awarded four Grimme Prizes broadcasters for whom Lou Andreas-Salomé teenage everything progressed from one in 2006. To concentrate more on feature films, was not famous enough: “Why don’t you do thing to another towards the huge success Kablitz-Post founded avanti media fiction in something about Nietzsche or Rilke?”. of her biographical feature film IN LOVE 2002: “From the very beginning, I wanted to Cordula Kablitz-Post persevered and took the WITH LOU – A PHILOSOPHER’S LIFE. It be cinematic and fictional, and after the many full risk, even without broadcaster partici - started with the short films she made to- documentaries, I decided to return to that.” pation: “I invested a great deal that I’ll gether with school friends using her father’s The first project by the newly founded probably never earn back. But I just had to Super 8 camera. Her father was a key inspi - company was the award-winning feature film make this movie, and in the end it has been ration in the adventure of filmmaking: “He is SOPHIIIIE! by Michael Hofmann, starring my calling card for other projects.” With a still a passionate photographer today. Even Katharina Schüttler in her first leading role budget of just under 2.4 million euros for an as a five-year-old, I was excited to see how as an unintentionally pregnant 20-year-old historical film, she had to be inventive and images are created in the developer baths, experiencing a rough trip through night-time created an original special effect that gave and how they can be influenced by framing Hamburg. The company’s next international the film a special flair: instead of constructing and light.” success was the Student Short Film Oscar ® entire city scenes, she worked to establish in Silver for HIGH MAINTENANCE by Philipp panoramic historical scenarios using ani - Cordula Kablitz-Post studied German Van. mated postcard backdrops and green language and literature and theater studies screens. in Munich and Berlin, aiming to become a Parallel to this, Cordula Kablitz-Post directed theater dramaturge, and soon she had episodes on musicians Campino, Nina Hagen The international festival success of IN LOVE completed first internships and assistant and painter Markus Lüpertz for the ARD WITH LOU – A PHILOSOPHER’S LIFE, a directorships in the theater. At the same time, series DEUTSCHLAND, DEINE KÜNSTLER. project so close to her heart, enabled her to she became more and more interested in The biographical aspect runs through all her finance the documentary film DIE TOTEN film; instead of film school, however, she took projects: “I have produced many portraits for HOSEN – YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE in just six a practical approach from the very beginning. various television stations. I always picked out weeks. Seen by audiences of around 115,000, exciting artists – charismatic personalities the film has been the most successful Searching for an interesting director from with rough edges –, and I wanted to explore German documentary this year. The next whom she could learn, Uwe Schrader attract - the psychology behind them. The focus of my project will be a documentary about H.P. ed her attention with his WHITE TRASH. She work is on biography.” Baxxter and his band Scooter. Although she appreciated his outstanding authenticity, the has portrayed many famous men over the documentary touch, and this is still evident in This is also true of her feature debut IN LOVE years, Cordula Kablitz-Post is generally more her work today. She applied and spent a year WITH LOU – A PHILOSOPHER’S LIFE. Cordula interested in women’s stories: “I can identify working on Schrader’s next feature film pro - Kablitz-Post had discovered the writer and better with them. There is far more talk about ject, SIERRA LEONE: “I learned everything psychoanalyst – and friend of Rilke, Nietzsche men than about women, even now.” Her next from scratch. It was my film school. I took and Freud – at the early age of 17, when she feature film will be about the most contro - part in all the planning and execution, from was browsing the library in her home town versial of all German female artists: Leni location searches to casting extras and Liederbach im Taunus in search of female Riefenstahl. “The author Susanne Hertel and direction.” As a student, she found out that identification figures: “As a teenager, it was I have been working on the script for three the Faculty of Journalism at the FU Berlin difficult to find women I could identify with. years now. It traces the life and work of a hired out equipment and material for film The free-spirited life of Lou Andreas-Salomé woman who throws her morals overboard for projects, and she started to shoot her first impressed me. I didn’t know that women in the sake of self-realization. A case study in short 16mm films. To her disappointment, the 19th century could live such self-deter - the truest sense of the word.” DIE FALLE, a short comedy about snoring, mined lives, even if they had to fight against Anke Sterneborg

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DiFFerent PersPeCtiVes A PORTRAIT OF THE PRODUCTION COMPANY LOOKS FILM

have always been interested in his- The Rostocker had initially been inspired to Berlin office focuses on the company’s “ torical subjects and tackling them consider pursuing a career in the film indus - fiction projects and the Halle operation con - from more than one perspective,“ try after seeing Carlos Saura’s dance film centrates on the management of archives Isays producer Gunnar Dedio who CARMEN at the town’s Theater des Friedens and archive footage. established the production company LOOKS - cinema. However, he subsequently followed film in his home town of Rostock in 1995. the line of “learning by doing“ to acquire his “At any one time, there are 20 projects at skills as a producer and filmmaker rather various stages of production in the company, In almost 25 years of producing films for than applying to attend film school for a ranging from development through to re - tele vision and the cinema, Dedio has held more formal education. lease,“ Dedio notes. “It was important for me true to his approach of addressing topics to create a home where the people working from different angles and seeking to experi - After originally establishing LOOKSfilm in for LOOKSfilm can pursue projects on a con - ment and break down barriers whenever it Rostock, Dedio later decided to move the tinuous basis and within a structure where seemed appropriate for a particular subject. company’s main operations to Leipzig and they can work independently, make their own has since opened branches in Berlin, decisions on a project’s progress and build “Perhaps it has something to do with my Hanover and Halle. “We are quite a large up their own network of contacts.“ background of growing up in the former East operation compared to other production Germany,“ he explains. “I was 19 when the companies working in the documentary field The “film family“ within the company is com - Berlin Wall fell and came from a system and have 35 permanent staff at the four plemented by another series of long-stand - where only one perspective was allowed. locations,“ he explains. The office in Hanover ing relationships with certain filmmakers or Then, from one day to the next, we were con - is managed by Bettina Offermann, who had production companies over the years. For fronted with a new system that said that its previously worked for German United Distri - instance, writer-director Jan Peter first perspective was the only valid one. This ex - butors and has been handling the company’s worked with LOOKSfilm on the six-part perience had a lasting effect on me.“ world sales activities through the subsidiary docu mentary series LIFE AFTER THE WALL LOOKS International since 2011, while the in 2010 and then followed this in 2014 with

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ing point and that often comes when you are working with archives. You find some real gems in an archive and know straightaway that this is something that should be told and the appropriate narrative form then comes along later.“

Indeed, archives have played – and continue to play – an important role in the work of LOOKSfilm. “We decided to establish our own archive department quite early on in the company’s development because I wanted to have this knowledge and expertise available in-house for our own projects using archival footage,“ Dedio recalls. Meanwhile, the archive arm received a substantial boost this year when LOOKSfilm announced that it had taken over the archive distribution PROGRESS Film’s catalogue of some 17,000 titles.

“The DEFA-Foundation entrusted us with the digitization and monetization of what is one of the largest film collections in Europe,“ the eight-part series 14 – DIARIES OF THE Spain and Italy but there have also been Dedio explains. “In addition, it is the only GREAT WAR telling the story of the greatest partners from other countries like Russia, collection worldwide where the film heritage war mankind had ever seen through the eyes Qatar or the African continent where the for a whole nation [East Germany] is collec - of those who lived through it. perspective adopted is completely different ted in one place.“ A state-of-the-art online from ours in certain key points. That’s ex - platform – www.progress.film – has been This was followed last year by yet another actly what I find so appealing and this then created to provide access to this treasure collaboration with Peter on a highly am- makes the project all the more interesting.“ trove which includes films from DER bitious project, the documentary drama AUGENZEUGE newsreels as well as classics series, CLASH OF FUTURES, which was a One of LOOKSfilm’s most recent projects, from DEFA’s animation studios. continuation of 14 – DIARIES OF THE GREAT KIDS OF COURAGE, is a case in point, illus - WAR, boasting a 10 million euro budget and trating how the series’ makers look at a sub - At the same time, LOOKSfilm is keeping a no less than 53 partners onboard. ject from multiple perspectives. “The Second close eye on the changes to the media land - World War is seen from the perspective of scape in Germany and at an international Peter joined forces with the French writer- children based on entries in their diaries,“ level. “It’s been an exciting time ever since director Frédéric Goupil (THE RETURNED) to Dedio explains. “But we don’t just restrict the advent of the streaming platforms and develop and write the scripts as well as ourselves only to German children; there are we’re proud that we have a chance to work co-direct the eight episodes chronicling the also children from France, Scotland, Russia, on productions for Netflix,“ says Dedio, con - fates of extraordinary men, women and Poland, and Czechoslovakia who observe the cluding that “this new competition could children from France, Germany, Italy, Great very same conflict but from different vantage provide that necessary stimulus for the pub - Britain, Austria, Sweden, Poland and the points.“ lic-service broadcasters to change and Soviet Union using their own diary entries, adapt to the new order since they are the letters and memoirs to relive the dramatic Although LOOKSfilm is mainly known both conditio sine qua non for a healthy media years of the 1920s and 1930s. at home in Germany and abroad for its environ ment.“ documentary output, the company’s founder Meanwhile, Dedio has cultivated a particu - doesn’t want to restrict himself to specific Martin Blaney larly fruitful relationship with the French genres or formats: “We work with platforms production house Les Films d'Ici to co-pro - like Netflix and co-produce with the public- duce such documentaries as Dominic service and private broadcasters and are Garing’s THE WILD FARM (2010) and Michael open to projects from both documentary or Radford’s MICHEL PETRUCCIANI (2011) as fiction. There isn’t any hierarchy for me be - well as the first foray into fiction feature film tween the formats or distribution channels. production on Arnaud des Pallières’ Heinrich The important thing for me is that a story is von Kleist adaptation MICHAEL KOHLHAAS able to reach an audience,“ he argues. “I am (2013), starring Mads Mikkelsen, David Kross always wanting to see if people are inter - and the late Bruno Ganz, and they are plan - ested in what I have produced. That’s my ning to work together on a future film project declared goal, but I am also open for experi - by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa whose ments if they can break down barriers or A GENTLE CREATURE was co-produced by existing formats.“ Dedio in 2016. When it comes to the kind of topics that ap - As Dedio points out, that, by their nature, the peal to him, Dedio says that “sometimes it’s kind of projects LOOKSfilm has taken on over a person rather than the subject because the years have been ideal candidates for in - that person is able to tell an interesting story ternational co-production: “We have worked and the subject then follows on from this. with ‘usual’ countries like France, the UK, Other times, the subject matter is the start -

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matters tHat COunt A PORTRAIT OF THE ACTOR & FILMMAKER HANNES JAENICKE

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annes Jaenicke is known to “It’s an amazingly simple way to illustrate The series has also attracted its fair share of cinema-goers and TV audiences what human beings are doing to the envi- nominations and awards over the years: the for his appearances as an actor ronment,” says Jaenicke who has been a orangutan episode, for example, was named Hin productions as diverse as member of Greenpeace from the age of 16. Best Documentary at the Agrofilm Inter- KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR , the TV event “At the time, there was the campaign against national Film Festival in Nitra and Best Film series HINDENBURG , and the new AMSTER - whaling and that motivated me to join. at the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival, it won DAM-KRIMI thriller series as well as such What’s more, I am a great fan of Douglas the Diva’s (German Entertainment Award) inter national productions as WORLD WITH - Adams and his book Last Chance To See Earth Award, while the film highlighting the OUT END , DUE SOUTH , and CODE NAME which gave us the inspiration for the IM fate of sharks earned Jaenicke the title of ETERNITY . EINSATZ FÜR... series. That book by the late Shark Guardian of the Year 2010 from the best-selling UK author Adams and the jour - NGO Shark Project. The films on rhinos and However, Jaenicke has had another string to nalist Mark Carwardine had accompanied a cheetahs both won prizes at the documen - his bow over the past 15 years by producing 1989 BBC radio documentary series which tary festival in Deauville/France. and fronting TV documentaries. It all began saw the two travelling to various locations with the VOxTOURS travel show for the com - around the globe in the hope of encountering In addition, Jaenicke has been personally re - mercial channel VOx with Jaenicke as a species on the brink of extinction. While cognized for his commitment to environ - presenter for episodes which took him Jaenicke isn’t under any illusions that there mental issues with such distinctions as the around the globe to places as far flung as the is still a lot to be done to safeguard our Deutsche Nachhaltigkeitspreis, the GREEN Yukon, Alaska and Madagascar. And it also environment for future generations, “it’s BRANDS award, the Courage Preis and the marked the beginning of a long-standing encouraging that little German TV documen - UmweltMedienpreis. And this year has also col laboration between Jaenicke and former taries can actually change minds and laws.” seen Jaenicke embark on a new creative col - VOxTOURS presenter Judith Adlhoch and laboration with Markus Strobel where they her partner, the DoP Markus Strobel, whose In the episode on sharks – which was shot a short clip entitled WHAT THE FROG ? production outfit Tango Film had been pro - screen ed at the Berlinale in 2010 as part of for a digital campaign about plastic recycling ducing the series out of Munich. the Culinary Cinema sidebar –, Jaenicke dis - for the cleaning products company Frosch. guised himself as a restaurant owner and “There came a point when some of our ideas used a hidden camera to film the illegal “I wrote the script myself and tried to do became too political for VOx because they dealing with shark fins that are a great something from a humorous angle which is didn’t fit into their concept of a travel show,” delicacy in China as shark fin soup. “The not how the Germans would normally do Jaenicke recalls. “So, I teamed up with foot age was used by US NGOs and led to things,” he explains. “We decided to go Markus and we decided to produce the kind stricter anti-finning laws in the Pacific re - strictly viral with the clip (https://www.what- of documentaries we wanted to make our - gion. And when the Berlin department store the-frog.com) and we’ve already had over selves, with our respective production com - KaDeWe heard about the toxicity of shark five million clicks so far. It’s really great fun panies Tango Film in Munich and Pelorus meat, the management decided to withdraw because we were given so much freedom Jack Filmprods. Inc. in L.A.” all of its shark products with immediate that I am already writing the script for a new effect,” Jaenicke recalls. clip!,” Jaenicke adds. “We threw in some money together and made an 18-minute pilot film about en- ”Our film on songbirds has also had an im - Martin Blaney dangered orangutans,” he continues. This pact: people contacted us afterwards to say attracted the interest of the German national that they didn’t realize you need to feed the public broadcaster ZDF who then greenlit a birds all year round and not just in winter. As 50-minute film about the shocking trade a result, I know of shops that sold out of bird with orangutans and rainforest destruction seed after the film was shown. It’s the little on the Indonesian island of Borneo. The film things that can matter, and the images in the had sensational ratings on its airing in the films can have a powerful effect.” late evening schedule in 2008 and this was then the birth of the series IM EINSATZ Jaenicke admits that it can be quite a chal - FÜR... – known internationally as HANNES lenge to coordinate the filming of the IM JAENICKE’S WILDLIFE UNDERGROUND . EINSATZ FÜR… episodes with his acting commitments because he is constantly on This first film spotlighting the fate of the the road – Morocco today, Amsterdam to - orangutans being sold in markets as kick - morrow – although visiting different coun - boxers, go-go girls and sex slaves has since tries and learning about their particular been followed by episodes dedicated to environmental issues has often given him in - polar bears (2009), sharks (2009), mountain spiration for subject matter for future epi - gorillas (2010), elephants (2014), lions sodes. (2015), orcas and dolphins (2016), rhinos (2017), cheetahs (2018), with the latest film “The budget we have to work with is, of on the loss of songbirds being aired in course, a challenge,” he observes. “Everyone August of this year. watches the BBC nature documentaries like BLUE PLANET and marvels at the amazing “I work very closely with Markus and his wife foot age. But you have to know that they have Judith as well as the writer/director Eva- a budget of 30 million, 23 crews and were Maria Gfirtner on choosing the subject for three years in the making whereas our films each episode and handling its production,” are made for anything between 200,000 and Jaenicke explains. 280,000 euros. I am not complaining because I am really grateful for the support from ZDF Why pick endangered species for the focus who also distribute the series internationally of each documentary, one might ask. through ZDF Enterprises.”

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PreserVinG & PrOmOtinG Film HeritaGe AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DEUTSCHE KINEMATHEK’S RAINER ROTHER

ollecting, preserving, devel oping, In addition to artifacts from film and tele - Moreover, the institution’s holdings include presenting and mediating Ger - vision history such as Marlene Dietrich’s around one million photographs, 25,000 many’s audiovisual heritage have make-up case or costumes from Wolfgang posters and around 20,000 costumes and C been the main tasks of the Petersen’s THE BOAT, the Kinemathek has a architectural sketches. Deutsche Kinemathek ever since its found - film archive with copies of more than 26,500 ing by filmmaker Gerhard Lamprecht in films as well as a viewable inventory of over In 1977, the Kinemathek became a member 1963. 25,000 films on video. of the Association of Film Archives (Deut - scher Kinematheksverbund) along with the “The basis for the Kinemathek’s collection The emphasis of the film archive at the German Film Institute – DFF/Film Museum came from the films, documents and equip - Deutsche Kinemathek is not only placed on (Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum) ment that Lamprecht had himself collected the early days of film, but also on films from in Frankfurt and the Federal Archive/ over the years,” recalls Dr. Rainer Rother, Berlin production companies, artistic docu - Film Archive (Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv) in artistic director of the Deutsche Kinemathek mentary films, films from students at the Coblenz and Berlin. since 2006 after having previously curated German Film and Television Academy film programs and exhibitions for the Zeug - (DFFB), films from the halcyon days of the “There have been agreements reached be - haus Kino of the German Historical Museum New German Cinema, and the ‘Berliner tween the archives on each one’s respective from 1991. Schule’ of the 1990s. area of focus,” Rother explains. “The Federal

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Archive is primarily concerned with the presentation at festivals and cinematheques the permanent exhibition on film and tele - preservation of the films, while the Film around the globe. This year, for example, vision history: there have been exhibitions Museum in Frankfurt and the Kinemathek in saw BFI Southbank in London hosting a dedicated to such actresses as Marlene Berlin focus on the presentation.” two-month season in May and June looking Dietrich, Romy Schneider, and Hildegard at Weimar cinema from 1919 to 1933, in - Knef as well as to directors such as F.W. “Traditionally, we have been the one who has cluding such films as THE CABINET OF DR. Murnau, Ingmar Bergman, Helmut Dietl and taken particular care of independent film - CALIGARI, EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES, and Werner Herzog, and the production designer makers, whether they be from the Weimar PEOPLE ON SUNDAY, while the Korean Film Ken Adam as well as thematic ones devoted Republic or from the Federal Republic,” he Archive teamed up with the local Goethe- to the genre of science fiction cinema, the continues. Institut in August to present 12 films in a history of the UFA as a brand, and the fall of season entitled “The Personal is Political: the Berlin Wall through moving images, “We have focused our efforts on digitizing German Female Filmmakers” featuring among others. Many of these exhibitions and restoring as many of their films as eleven titles that had been shown as part of have then travelled abroad to be presented possible because the goal is to make them the “Self Determined – Perspectives of at such institutions as the Cinémathèque available for other institutions as well as Women Filmmakers” retrospective at the française in Paris, the Museum of the Moving for the general public. Cooperation with 2019 Berlinale. And artistic director Rother Image in New York, the EYE Film Museum the broadcasters ZDF or ARTE has meant personally travelled to Seoul along with film - in Amsterdam or the Academy of Motion that many of the restored films could be maker Sibylle Schoenemann (LOCKED UP Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles. shown on television before then appearing on TIME) to introduce the selected films to the DVD.” Korean cineastes. Meanwhile, the Kinemathek is acutely aware of the current changes to the media land - For example, Lamprecht’s Zille films – DIE “The fact that the Deutsche Kinemathek is scape and the challenges they pose. “We are VERRUFENEN, UNTER DER LATERNE, DIE one of the shareholders of German Films has currently living in a period of upheaval: this UNEHELICHEN and MENSCHEN UNTER - been very important for the international isn’t only about the digitization of cinemas EINANDER – were shown on television, at presentation of our films,” Rother explains. and production methods, but affects audio - leading silent film festivals and then released “It has meant, on the one hand, that the visual media as a whole,” Rother observes. on DVD, while the digitally restored version institutions involved in the export of German “We need to consider how we will deal as the of Ewald André Dupont’s 1923 film THE films are consequently made aware of the Kinemathek with the major platforms like ANCIENT LAW had its premiere in the issues surrounding film heritage. But the Netflix and Amazon since they are now in - Berlinale Classics sidebar in 2018 before collaboration with German Films has been a creasingly involved in German productions airing on ARTE and then touring festivals very productive one because they have regu - and we will have to pay more attention in such as San Francisco, Pordenone, Vilnius, larly supported us by financing the subtitling future to the series formats – something Budapest and Vienna as well as having a DVD for films for such seasons as the ones at the which we have already done by including release. BFI and in Korea this year.” BABYLON BERLIN in our new exhibition on the Weimar Republic called ‘Kino der Video on demand is now another way of mak - And in October, the Kinemathek and German Moderne’.” ing film heritage visible, according to Rother. Films teamed up for the special spotlight on “We have started a cooperation with the Alles Germany at the seventh edition of the Inter - According to Rother, the shift from analogue Kino platform to show, among others, the national Classic Film Market (MIFC) during to digital also poses a major challenge for docu mentary films by the Wendländische the Lumiere Festival in Lyon, the birthplace the preservation of our audiovisual heritage Filmkooperative about the movement pro - of cinema. and the commitment by national and regional testing against the nuclear waste disposal funding bodies to provide sufficient support site in Gorleben.” In addition, the Kinemathek Rother was lined up as one of the panelists for the digitization programs. has become a partner of the French initiative for a roundtable about the opportunities and LaCinetek which has invited 62 inter- challenges for the accessibility of film heri - “In addition, there is a need to reflect on the national filmmakers to date – including tage in the digital age, and the Kinemathek changes to the aesthetics of the productions Germany’s Maren Ade, Christian Petzold and planned to screen two of its recent restora- being made because we are not just dealing Wim Wenders – to select 1,500 titles for tions: Dupont’s THE ANCIENT LAW and Ula now with cinema and television as another presentation on the platform. “Some of our Stöckl’s THE CAT HAS NINE LIVES which is new and significant market has appeared films are in the LaCinetek catalogue and we regarded as West Germany’s first feminist with the streaming platforms.” have made suggestions of filmmakers such film. as Jutta Brückner to join the list of curators,” Rainer Rother spoke with Martin Blaney Rother says. However, the range of the Deutsche Kine - mathek’s activities doesn’t stop there: for But the Deutsche Kinemathek also holds example, it has been responsible since 1977 true to the traditional, classical presentation for organizing the Retrospective and Homage on the big screen in the cinema. ”We are the for the Berlinale each February and has biggest film distributor in Germany with a initiated numerous publications on both the catalogue of 17,000 titles,” Rother notes. history and present state of the film and tele - “We have the complete DEFA library – some vision industries as well as organizing major 12,000 in total – plus another 5,000 film international symposia and other events. classics. What we don’t have, though, is our own cinema, but we collaborate with various Moreover, a new chapter in the Kinemathek’s cinemas in Berlin such as the Arsenal, history began with the relocation to the pre - Zeughaus Kino, the Yorck Kinos and the sent site in the Filmhaus at Potsdamer Platz Bundesplatz Kino.” in 2000 and the opening of the Museum für Film und Fernsehen in autumn 2001. Since Rother and his team also curate film pro - then, more than sixty special exhibitions have grams from the Kinemathek’s catalogue for been staged by the Museum to complement

13 neWs & nOtes GFQ 4-20 19 n1 eWs & nOtes

Jonas Nay & Anna Smith (© Andreas Grieger) 2nD FaCe tO FaCe German Film WeeKenD in lOnDOn

German Films and Regent Street Cinema Maria Dragus) and HAPPINESS SUCKS (with event, titled TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN, presented FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN Christian Friedel) as well as the first two was moderated by Danny Leigh of The TALENT: THE GERMAN FILM WEEKEND to episodes of the mini-series THE MASTER Guardian/BFI. The well-attended event the public in London for the second time BUTCHER (with Jonas Nay). Anca Miruna focused on the filmmakers’ creative ap - from 20-22 September 2019. The film pro - Lazarescu (from the 2018 FACE TO FACE proach to their film and series projects, gram was curated by film critic Anna Smith, WITH GERMAN FILMS campaign) was the language barriers and, of course, the in - who is also known for her popular podcast fourth talent in the group. As the director of fluence of technical developments on story - GIRLS ON FILM. HAPPINESS SUCKS, she enthusiastically telling. Maria Dragus, Christian Friedel answered questions from the audience along and Anca Miruna Lazarescu had a lively ex - There were screenings of six German films, with Christian Friedel during the Q&A change with Nathaniel Martello-White while the talents Maria Dragus, Christian session after the film. (COLLATERAL) and Percelle Ascott (THE Friedel and Jonas Nay from the current FACE INNO CENTS). TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS campaign A panel discussion between the German were in London to present their films and talents and two British colleagues followed serial formats to the audience. And there the GERMAN FILM WEEKEND on Monday, were animated discussions during the Q&As 23 September as an event co-hosted with after the screenings of LOST ONES (with the Raindance Film Festival. The industry

14 GFQ 4-20 19 neWs & nOtes 2 3 4

BIOTOP (© HFF München) FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT (© Studio Fischer & el Sani) Johanna Buse, Marcus H. Rosenmüller, Gustav Wilhelmi, Simone Baumann (© Fabian Malavolta) 2 5

10tH anniVersary OF FeinKOŠt and OSLO by Shady Srourvon (IL/DE) found eurOPean WOrK in PrOGress its way onto the list of candidates by winning COlOGne (eWiP) Every autumn, AG Kurzfilm and the Czech at the Odense International Film Festival. Film Center invite Czech and German film - More projects, more participants and a top- makers to present their works in a joint short class jury. Following its successful premiere film program. This cooperation will celebrate last year, European Work in Progress Co - its 10th anniversary in 2019. More than 70 4 logne 2019 will enter its second round from German and Czech short films have been 14 – 16 October. With 150 submissions from screened in the last 10 years. There will also 19tH FestiVal OF German Films 59 countries, the number of projects has in - be a joint program in 2019 – the premiere will in BuenOs aires creased as has the number of participants take place on 28 October at the Programm - from world sales agents, distributors and kino Ost in Dresden, after which the parti - The 19th edition of the Festival de Cine festival representatives. The aim is provide cipating filmmakers will travel together to Alemán Buenos Aires (12-18 September networking opportunities at an early stage the DOK Leipzig Festival and join the industry 2019) began on 11 September with a morning for film producers with international distri - program there. This year’s FEINKOŠT edition press screening followed by a press confe - butors, financing and distribution partners will be shown in more than 10 locations in rence at which 60 enthusiastic journalists and festival programmers. Germany and the Czech Republic, including and a chirpy Marcus H. Rosenmüller discus - Chemnitz, Leipzig, Berlin and Prague. FEIN - sed his film THE KEEPER. Rosenmüller, who A top-class jury comprised of Lili Hinstin KOŠT will once again focus on the networking was in Buenos Aires from 10-15 September, (Locarno Film Festival), Margrit Stärk (ZDF of German and Czech filmmakers in the received many enquiries from the national Enterprises), Sabina Kodra (ERALFILM), and anni versary year and present the current press and had a busy schedule during the Yohann Comte (Charades) will decide on this productions to the audiences of both festival. The festival then officially opened on year’s winners. Films with at least one countries. 12 September in the presence of the German European co-producer with high attractive - Ambassador Christian Jürgen Mertens. Over ness and international market potential are six days, 15 German feature and documen - being sought. EWIP is organized and sup - tary films presented the entire spectrum ported by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW 3 of German filmmaking to Argentinean audi - as part of the Cologne Film Festival with ences. One would think that this was worth the support AG Verleih, the association of tHree German sHOrts at tHe being awarded a prize! And what do you independent German film distributors. More eurOPean sHOrt Film aWarD know? The festival was awarded the City of information is available at www.european- Buenos Aires’ Declaración de interés cultural work-in-progress.eu. The European Film Awards are traditionally in 2019. held in December and the European Short Film 2019 will also be awarded. Films qualify In addition to sold-out performances for THE for a nomination by winning an award at one KEEPER, NEVER LOOK AWAY was another of 20 European film festivals. At the end of film that was also a hit with the local audi - September, the nominations were made for ence – and ranked second in terms of audi - five films, from which the more than 3500 ence numbers. Pupils from various members of the European Film Academy will German schools enjoyed the school screen - select the award winner. And three German ings and asked inquisitive and candid ques - short films and co-productions are on the tions. And there was a full cinema at the candidate list this year: FREEDOM OF MOVE - screening of a classic from the silent movie MENT by Nina Fischer & Maroan el Sani era when the festival came to a close. THE (DE/IT) was nominated at the Rotterdam DOLL by Ernst Lubitsch from 1919 was Inter national Film Festival 2019, BLACK SUN shown with musical accom paniment by by Arda Çiltepe (TR/DE) is the Short Film Marcelo Katz who performed a composition Nominee of the Locarno Film Festival 2019, of his own.

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Alliance for Development pitching (© Locarno Film Festival) 6 7 8

FFa OnCe aGain Partners Film:restOreD_04. German Films aBrOaD in tHe allianCe FOr DeVelOPment First tHree Quarters OF 2019 initiatiVe in lOCarnO On 24 October, Paul Czinner’s romantic chamber play ARIANE (1931) opens the The first three quarters of 2019 saw 355 This year again, for the fifth time, the German fourth edition of the film heritage festival German films and German-international co- Federal Film Board (FFA) supported the Film:ReStored. This year’s film program, lec - productions rack up close to 63 million euros Alliance for Development, an initiative of tures and workshop reports will be devoted at the international box office outside of Locarno Pro, which took place from 9 - 11 to film sound. Examples from film history Germany with more than 11 million ad - August during the Locarno Film Festival. with tones ranging from shellac records to missions in 62 countries. Alliance for Development promotes the four-channel magnetic tones will be pre - cross-border co-development of film pro - sented, as well as digital techniques that aim Among the top ten films were eight majority jects between Germany, Italy, France and to come as close as possible to the original German productions with 26.5 million euros Switzerland. Seven projects from the existing sound. From early talkies such as Max Obal’s box office and 4.9 million admissions, making bilateral development funds between Ger - DIE JAGD NACH DER MILLION (1931) to up nearly half of the box office totals for all many (FFA), Italy (MiBAC) and France (CNC) opulent sound and visual experiences such German and international co-productions were invited. However, there were also pro - as DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER by Joachim together. jects from Switzerland, where there is no Herz (1964) to the scoring of experimental co-development fund, through which the films, this year’s edition offers interesting The most internationally successful majority- creators could exchange ideas with produ - rediscoveries, not only for the eyes but also produced German films from January to cers and sponsors from the three most im - for the ears. September 2019 were: portant co-production partner countries. In addition to one-on-one meetings with poten - Examples of audio descriptions for the visu - THE AFTERMATH (rank 1): tial partners, the program also offered indi - ally impaired will be presented and quality 8.4 million euros in 29 countries vidual consultancy appointments, roundtable criteria discussed. The audience is invited to discussions and a wide range of networking experience for themselves the descriptions NEVER LOOK AWAY (rank 3): activities with world sales agents, financiers, for Werner Herzog’s JEDER FÜR SICH UND 4.7 million euros in 19 countries casting agencies and location scouts. GOTT GEGEN ALLE (1974) and Heiner Carow’s DIE REISE NACH SUNDEVIT (1966). HEIDI (rank 4): 2.8 million euros in China P6rojects with German participation this year The Cinema Prize of the Cinematheque Net - were the German-Italian productions MAOZ work will be awarded during the festival on MANOU – THE SWIFT (rank 5): (German co-producer: Tama Filmproduktion) 25 October. The event is supported by the 2.6 million euros in 29 countries and MIT GEIST UND FEUER (German co-pro - Federal Government Commissioner for ducer: Moon Jar Film) – both of which were Culture & the Media, in cooperation with the HEILSTÄTTEN (rank 6): supported by MiBAC/FFA. In addition, the Cinematheque Network. 2.3 million euros in 16 territories FFA/CNC-funded project MUSIC (German co-producer: Faktura Film) – the latest pro - LEBERKÄSJUNKIE (rank 7): ject by director and screenwriter Angela 2 million euros in Austria Schanelec – was pitched. The aim of Alliance for Development is to launch co-productions HIGH LIFE (rank 8): not only bilaterally but also increasingly 1.9 million euros in 22 countries multi laterally in order to open up markets in third countries. BALLON (rank 9): 1.8 million euros in 9 territories

(Source: comScore.com, 2 October 2019)

16 GFQ 4-20 19 neW Films ) F L O W

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M I NEW 7 Features 4 DOCumentaries 5 sHOrt Films 11 uPCOminG Films

27 new German productions are presented on the following 17 pages. Please visit our website www.german-films.de for more information on German features, documentaries and shorts.

17 NEW Features GFQ 4-20 19

damstown is doomed. Cursed by PATRICK MERZ and HENNING WÖTZEL- GENRE Fantasy, Western, Musical YEAR OF an old native spell, only animals HERBER are active the field of media pe - PRODUCTION 2019 DIRECTORS Patrick are able to build and renovate in dagogy for civic educational training insti - Merz, Henning Wötzel-Herber SCREENPLAY Athis place “out in the West”. tutions. While Merz has been making films for Henning Wötzel-Herber, Patrick Merz, Verena Animals had been expelled long ago, but with more than 20 years, ADAMSTOWN marks Braun CIN EMA TOGRAPHY Jeremy Boschung unknown intentions they seem to be pre - Wötzel-Herber’s directorial debut. CAST Fawad Falzi, Fares Wadi, Marie-Elena paring their comeback. And now humans and Zibell, Rayan Farousi, Mariola Kuriata, animals are struggling and fighting over Honorine Uwayo, Hamidullah Habibi, Johanna power and influence. A bank must be built, Sarah Schmidt, Frenze Huth, Benita Weber, bullets must be shot and a curse has to be Yasen Elenov PRODUCERS Andrea Keller, broken. Henning Wötzel-Herber CO-PRODUCERS Patrick Merz, Eric Kabera, Cesar Magloire Behind the scenes on the other hand, people Muzingu PRODUCTION COMPANIES ABC of different cultural and religious back - Bildungs- und Tagungszentrum, Hüller grounds, refugees, people with and without Medien werkstatt, DirectorsCut, in co-pro - disabilities, old and young are working to - duction with Kwetu Film Institute RUNTIME gether to crush borders and show respect. 88 min LANGUAGE German, English, Dari Embedded in a fantastic story, a diverse and fantastic cast brings the graphic novel by SALES Verena Braun to life in the flatlands of Nor - ABC Bildungs- und Tagungszentrum thern Germany. [email protected] www.abc-huell.de

18 GFQ 4-20 19 NEW Features

he German late night show host GREGORY KIRCHHOF was born in 1992 in GENRE Drama YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2019 Max Baumbacher becomes world Hamburg. He studied in England and Spain DIRECTOR Gregory Kirchhoff SCREENPLAY famous overnight after waking up and returned to Germany where he wrote and Gregory Kirchhoff CINEMATOGRAPHY Dino Twith an unusually deep, almost directed his debut feature DUSKY PARADISE von Wintersdorff CAST Tobias Moretti, Elit magical voice. In an attempt to escape the (2016) which was nominated for numerous Iscan, Lenz Moretti, Ingvild Deila, Richard global spotlight, Max hides out in his agent’s inter national awards including the Discovery Sammel, Karoline Schuch PRODUCERS house in Spain. This bizarre situation turns Award at the Raindance Film Festival. His Sophie Florentine Schüttfort, Matthias into a journey of self-discovery as Max’s past second feature, the German tragicomedy Greving, Gregory Kirchhoff PRODUCTION begins to catch up with him. OSTFRIESISCH FÜR ANFÄNGER (2016), was COMPANIES Kimotion Pictures, Kinescope released in Germany by Universum Film. His Film RUNTIME 86 min LANGUAGE German third film, BAUMBACHER SYNDROME (2019), FESTIVALS Hof 2019 (Opening Film) is the opening film of the 53rd Hof Inter - national Film Festival. SALES Kimotion Pictures [email protected] www.kimotionpictures.com

19 NEW Features GFQ 4-20 19

wo rivals set out on a daring adven - REGINA WELKER studied Animation at the GENRE Animation, Adventure, Children & ture – and two friends come back Film Academy Baden-Württemberg where Youth, Family Entertainment YEAR OF PRO - with their mission accomplished. she also worked as a visiting lecturer after DUCTION 2019 DIRECTORS Regina Welker, T graduation. She is a founding member of Nina Wels SCREENPLAY Andrea Deppert, In the forest where hedgehog girl Latte lives, Woodblock, which is a network of 30 visual Martin Behnke PRODUCERS Lilian Klages, the last lake has dried out and plants and artists around the globe. After working on Mark Mertens, Thomas G. Müller PRODUC - animals are suffering from a terrible drought. numerous Playmobil shorts in the last years, TION COMPANIES Dreamin‘ Dolphin, Eagle The last hope is the magic waterstone – but LATTE AND THE MAGIC WATERSTONE is her Eye Filmproduktion, Grid Animation RUN - it was stolen years ago by the terrifying bear feature film debut. TIME 81 min LANGUAGE English king! Only Latte has the courage to venture out to the bear kingdom – or so she thinks. NINA WELS studied Animation at the Film SALES But when she realizes that Tjum, the shy University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF . Also Sola Media squirrel boy, has set out on the same mission, active as an animator for numerous feature [email protected] she is determined to prove he doesn’t stand films and series, her films as a director in - www.sola-media.com a chance. But the two young heroes can only clude: JONALU (series, co-director, 2010), save the forest if they stick together... KNIGHT RUSTY (animation direction, 2013), COCONUT THE LITTLE DRAGON (2014), KNIGHT RUSTY 2 (2016), MIA AND ME (series, 2016), and LATTE AND THE MAGIC WATER - STONE (2019).

20 GFQ 4-20 19 NEW Features

laire (13) is vacationing with her CAROLINA HELLSGÅRD is a writer-director, GENRE Drama YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2019 older sister Zoe (15) and mother born in Sweden and based in Berlin. After DIRECTOR Carolina Hellsgård SCREENPLAY Sophie (40) at a resort hotel in studying Experimental Media Design in Berlin Carolina Hellsgård CINEMATOGRAPHY Csouthern Spain. Sophie spends her and Film at Cal Arts in L.A., she made her Wojciech Staron CAST Zita Gaier, Gedion days by the pool and shows a minimum of feature debut with WANJA which premiered Oduor Wekesa, Sabine Timoteo, Nicolais interest in her daughters. Claire clings to her at the Berlinale 2015 and was nominated for Borger PRODUCER Nicole Gerhards CO-PRO - older sister, who generously lets her tag the Berlinale Best First Feature Award. DUCERS Johanna Aust, Ineke Kanters, Jan along to some activities. But the moment Zoe In 2017, she was a Villa Aurora Fellow in van der Zanden, Małgorzata Staron PRODUC - meets Michael, a boy her own age, Claire is Los Angeles. The internationally-acclaimed TION COMPANY NiKo Film, in co-production left on her own. At the beach, Claire befriends ENDZEIT – EVER AFTER was her second fea - with FLICKFILM, The Film Kitchen, Staron Amram (15), a young African beach vendor ture film as a director and the first zombie Film, WDR, SWR, ARTE RUNTIME 93 min who struggles to survive. Back at the hotel, film with an all-female team. SUNBURNED is LANGUAGE German FESTIVALS Rome 2019 Claire starts to hang out with two wild party her third feature film project. (Alice nella Città) girls, Chantal and Sandra (both 15). They intro duce Claire and Amram to the ‘fainting SALES game’, where one person hugs the other until Picture Tree International she or he faints and ‘dreams’. While dream - [email protected] ing, Amram is finally able to speak to his www.picturetree-international.com long-lost father, who tells him that Claire will bring him luck. But by trying to help him, she ends up making his desolate situation even worse.

21 NEW Features GFQ 4-20 19

im, an ambitious athlete from a ROBERT THALHEIM was born in Berlin in GENRE Children & Youth, Family Entertain - precarious neighborhood. Willi, a 1974. After work as an assistant director for ment YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2019 DIRECTOR spoiled son of a chocolate manu- the Berlin Ensemble theater, he studied at Robert Thalheim SCREENPLAY Peer Klehmet Tfacturer. Karl, an autistic computer the Free University Berlin and the Film CINEMATOGRAPHY Henner Besuch CAST nerd. And Gaby, the school’s hippest girl. University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF . Also Ilyes Moutaoukkil, Lorenzo Germeno, Emma- active as a publisher and writer, his films Louise Schimpf, Manuel Santos Gelke, In their very first adventure, these four include: UM VIER UHR PLÖTZLICH GING DIE Trystan Pütter, Tom Schilling, Laura Tonke, completely different characters will solve a WELT UNTER (doc, 1996), ZEIT IST LEBEN Milan Peschel PRODUCERS Andreas Banz, plot around a stolen treasure – and finally (short, 2000), GRANICA (short, 2002), Dirk Engelhardt, Matthias Miegel, Robert team up to become the famous gang: T K K G! THREE PERCENT (short, 2002), ME (short, Thalheim CO-PRODUCERS Justus Riesen - 2003), NETTO (2004), AND ALONG COME kampff, Peer Klehmet PRODUCTION COM - TOURISTS (2007), WESTWIND (2011), PANY Kundschafter Filmproduktion, in co- PARENTS (2013), OLD AGENT MEN (2016), production with Delta Film, Warner Bros. and TKKG-DETECTIVE AGENCY (2019). Film Productions Germany RUNTIME 90 min LANGUAGE German FESTIVALS Goldener Spatz 2019 AWARDS Best Feature Film Goldener Spatz 2019

SALES Beta Film [email protected] www.betafilm.com

22 GFQ 4-20 19 NEW Features

sisters – 4 elements – 4 magic SVEN UNTERWALDT was born in Lübeck in GENRE Family Entertainment YEAR OF PRO - powers. The girls Flame, Marina 1965. A well-known name in the German DUCTION 2019 DIRECTOR Sven Unterwaldt and Flora each received a magical comedy scene, his films include ANTRAG SCREENPLAY Hortense Ullrich CINEMATOG - 4power on their 9th birthday. Now it VOM Ex (TV, 1999), the TV series SWITCH RAPHY Marcus Kanter CAST Katja Riemann, is the turn of Sky – the youngest in the family. (1997-1997), ANKE (1999-2001), ALLES ATZE Justus von Dohnányi, Laila Marie Noelle She receives the ability to command the (2002), and BERLIN, BERLIN (2002), as well Padotzke, Anna Thalbach, Hedda Erlebach, element air. With her, the magical circle is as the features WIE DIE KARNICKEL (2002), Lilith Julie Johna PRODUCER Corinna complete and the powers of the young 7 DWARVES (2004), SIEGFRIED (2005), 7 Mehner PRODUCTION COMPANY blue eyes witches grow. That does not go unnoticed in DWARVES – THE WOOD IS NOT ENOUGH Fiction RUNTIME 97 min LANGUAGE German the world of magic and even the dark part of (2006), U-900 (2008), HELP, I SHRUNK MY the family tree senses the difference: Aunt TEACHER (2015), IT’S YOUR TURN, HONEY SALES Glenda. She tries to separate the girls with all (2017), TABALUGA (2018), and FOUR ARRI Media International means, to gain access to their home and ENCHANTED SISTERS (2019). [email protected] make the magic source of their powers, a www.arrimedia.de/international pixie dust fountain hidden in the cellar, her own!

FOUR ENCHANTED SISTERS is based on the successful children’s book series Sprite Sisters by Sheridan Winn.

23 NEW Features GFQ 4-20 19

vampire who can’t stand the sight TIM TRAGESER studied Directing at the GENRE Family Entertainment, Fantasy YEAR of blood, a fairy who has a fear of University of Television & Film Munich. A OF PRODUCTION 2019 DIRECTOR Tim flying, and a werewolf with an renowned television director for such series Trageser SCREENPLAY Marc Hillefeld CINE - Aanimal hair allergy: teenagers as TATORT and KOMMISSARIN LUCAS, MATOG RAPHY Gerhard Schirlo CAST Aaron Vlad, Faye and Wolf are frequently the butt of among others, his feature films include Kissiov, Johanna Schraml, Arsseni Bultmann, jokes at the world’s most famous magic WOLFSLAND – TIEF IM WALD (TV, 2016), his Rick Kavanian, Christian Berkel, Sonja school of the Penner Academy, but the trio cinema debut HELP, I SHRUNK MY PARENTS Gerhardt, Axel Stein PRODUCER Christian band together as the Wolf Gang to uncover a (2018), and THE MAGIC KIDS – THREE Becker CO-PRODUCER Martin Bachmann secret conspiracy hatched by the mayor and UNLIKELY HEROES (2019). PRODUCTION COMPANY Rat Pack Film - his secretary that could spell the end of the produktion, in co-production with Deutsche town of Crailsfelden and its inhabitants of Columbia Pictures Filmproduktion RUNTIME fairies, witches, trolls, dwarves and vampires. 90 min LANGUAGE German

The fantasy adventure – which also features SALES top comedians Rick Kavanian and Axel Stein ARRI Media International – is the first cinema adaptation of a book by [email protected] Wolfgang Hohlbein, one of Germany’s most www.arrimedia.de/international successful fantasy and sci-fi writers.

24 GFQ 4-20 19 NEW DOCumentaries

ad Oeynhausen in North Rhine- Westphalia is indeed inter - nationally known as a traditional Bhealth resort – but not so much because of its thermal springs. Bad Oeyn - hausen lies on the old trade route from Amster dam via Berlin to Warsaw, which still functions today as one of the main traffic arteries in Europe. Here in the spa town of all places, a small piece of motorway has been missing for 40 years. Flower dealers from the Netherlands, craftsmen from Poland and German North Sea tourists – a total of 25,000 trucks and cars push through the city every day and stop at the Bad Oeynhausen traffic light – the only one between Warsaw and Amsterdam. Miles and miles of traffic jams are the norm. Detour? Impossible! You have to go through here.... AUTOBAHN is a long- term documentary portrait of Germany, of the © Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF autOBaHn small citizen who has to submit to it all, of BEYOND WRIEZEN (2012), HOLANDA DEL Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF RUNTIME 85 min bureaucracy, of large construction projects SOL (2013), TRANSIT HAVANA (2014) and LANGUAGE German that are delayed, and politics, and above all: a AUTO BAHN (2019). film about normal life. SALES GENRE Social Issues, Human Rights, Ecology, Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF DANIEL ABMA was born in 1978 in The Educational YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2019 [email protected] Nether lands and studied at the Film Univer - DIRECTOR Daniel Abma CINEMATOGRAPHY www.filmuniversitaet.de sity Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF . His award- David Schittek PRODUCER Niklas Burghardt winning films include: the documentaries PRODUCTION COMPANY Filmuniversität

even Kurdish workers, who share a flat in Istanbul, are driven by the desire to improve their lives. One is SIkram, who has spent 11 years in prison for political reasons. He wants to leave Turkey for Europe. Miro, another, faces a forced marriage back home. But he has fallen in love with Suzan, a woman in Istanbul. One day, Miro is handed a precious cat from his home province. The breed is famous for its snow-white coat and two different eye colors. By giving the cat to Suzan, Miro hopes to win her heart. The film follows Ikram, Miro, and the other men’s struggle through current Istanbul and portrays a traditional way of brotherhood called “Bekar Evi” (“Bachelor House”).

DIRK SCHÄFER trained as a film editor before he began writing and directing. He studied at © Orhan Cem Çetin BeKar eVİ – Das JunGGesellenHaus BeKar eVİ – tHe BaCHelOr HOuse the Academy of Media Arts Cologne and 2010), EINE ART LIEBE (doc, 2012), DER Nikola Krivokuca PRODUCER Dirk Schäfer attended a masterclass at the Andrzej Wajda HEISSE MONAT (doc, 2015), BEINE WIE PRODUCTION COMPANY Halukör Studio Film School in Warsaw. A selection of his EIN STORCH (doc, 2017), FOREVER FLÜCHT - RUNTIME 76 min LANGUAGE Turkish, Kur - films as a director includes: DIE WEISSEN LING (short, 2018), and BEKAR EVİ – THE dish FESTIVALS DOK Leipzig 2019 ZWERGE (1989), WILMA WOHNT WEIT WEG BACHELOR HOUSE (doc, 2019). (1991), ACHTUNDZWANZICHTAUSEND WÜN - SALES Orient Me World Sales SCHE (1993), AHUVA (doc, 1995), ALIS WELT GENRE Society YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2019 [email protected] (doc, 1996), AND THEY LIVE IN MARDIN (doc, DIRECTOR Dirk Schäfer CINEMATOGRAPHY www.orientme.eu

25 NEW DOCumentaries GFQ 4-20 19

an Gerdes is a third-generation dairy farmer, but he struggles with his conscience when the milk yield de - Jcreases and he has to sell his cows to the slaughterhouse. After suffering a burn - out, he decides to give up his farm. On the day his last cows are due to be transported to the slaughterhouse, he finds that there’s no room for twelve of the cows. Instead of ordering another transport, he and his partner Karin Mück decide to keep them. This is the birth of Hof Butenland – the first cow retirement home in Germany. Paul was supposed to be slaughtered at the age of two months be - cause of calf flu, Uschi because she refused to be milked, Lillja almost did not survive the birth of her first calf. On Butenland, they live together with many former farmed animals in an environment where they are equal to humans. It’s a peaceful coexistence that © BLACKRABBIT Images ButenlanD seems almost utopian. This intimate portrait MARC PIERSCHEL studied Sociology and CINEMATOG RAPHY Marc Pierschel PRO- follows two compassionate people who have Cultural Studies. His films include: the docu - DUCER Marc Pierschel RUNTIME 82 min dedicated their lives to the animals. It cap - mentaries EDGE – PERSPECTIVES ON A LANGUAGE German FESTIVALS Hof 2019 tures moments of happiness and sadness, of DRUG FREE CULTURE (2009), LIVE AND LET life and death, and questions the status of LIVE (2013), 187 (2016), THE END OF MEAT SALES farmed animals in today’s society. (2017), and BUTENLAND (2019). BLACKRABBIT Images [email protected] GENRE Biopic, Ecology YEAR OF PRO - www.blackrabbitimages.org DUCTION 2019 DIRECTOR Marc Pierschel

he main question is: Why do I “ want to be free? What needs to be different?” Erika and Christine Thave been a couple for more than 40 years. Today, at the age of 81, they look back on living through a turbulent time in history. A QUIET RESISTANCE is a film about love and aging, autonomy, art and collectivity in freely created art spaces within the GDR. The film does not hang onto questions of the past, but rather looks with Erika and Christine into the future: What role can art play in poli - tically demanding times? How can people stay true to themselves, their art and their ideals? What meaning can art create, for the whole and each individual?

THERESE KOPPE was born in 1985. Following doc, 2018), and her feature documentary 74 min LANGUAGE German FESTIVALS DOK a B.A. in Sociology and Film Studies, she debut A QUIET RESISTANCE (2019). Leipzig 2019, Kassel Documentary Film & work ed in the theater and for a documentary Video Festival 2019, Duisburger Filmwoche film festival in Istanbul. She then studied GENRE Art, Biopic, History, Love Story YEAR 2019 Docu mentary Practice in London and is OF PRODUCTION 2019 DIRECTOR Therese currently a post-graduate student at the Film Koppe CINEMATOGRAPHY Annegret Sachse SALES University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF . Her PRODUCERS Marie-Luise Wagner, Therese Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF films include: ALL POINTS NORTH (short doc, Koppe PRODUCTION COMPANY Filmuni - [email protected] 2013), HERR UND FRAU DETTMANN (short versität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF RUNTIME www.filmuniversitaet.de

26 LEIPZIG INTERNA TIONAL LEIPZ IG FEST IVAL FOR DOCUMENT AR Y AN D ANIMA TE D FI LM 28. 10 .–3. 11 .2019 NEW sHOrts GFQ 4-20 19 BlaCK sun

coming storm after dog days GENRE Drama, Road Movie YEAR OF PRO - dawns during a sudden road trip DUCTION 2019 DIRECTOR Arda Çiltepe to a distant island for a funeral. SCREENPLAY Arda Çiltepe, Julia Tielke AThe deceased is buried in haste CINEMATOGRAPHY Julia Tielke CAST Enes and a man makes a detour through Aegean Yurdaün, Seren Şirince, Ariya Toprak, Sencar Turkey. The funeral is eclipsed by a last wish. Sağdiç, Hüseyin Kocaman, Semih Gülen, The wind blows ashes where it pleases. Ercan Kesal, Nur Sürer PRODUCERS Alara Hamamcioğlu, Öykü Canli PRODUCTION ARDA ÇILTEPE is a director and producer COMPANY Vigo Film, in co-production with originally from Istanbul/Turkey. He studies Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg, Film at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg Yumurta Yapim RUNTIME 20 min LANGUAGE in the class of Angela Schanelec. Among the Turkish FESTIVALS Locarno 2019, Sarajevo works he has produced are METEORS (2017) 2019, Uppsala 2019 AWARDS Pardino d’oro and GULYABANI (2018) by Gürcan Keltek. His for Best Inter national Short Film Locarno films as a director include: BAHAB (short, 2019 2017) and BLACK SUN (2019). SALES Vigo Film [email protected] www.vigofilm.com

CarGO

n 26 August 2015, a human CHRISTINA TOURNATZéS is also active as a trafficker convoy transports 71 writer and producer. Her films as a director refugees in a truck through include the short films: HELLO BROOKLYN OHungary and lets them suffocate (2015), WENN ICH MAL GROSS BIN (2017), to death. and CARGO (2019).

In a dark forest near the border in southern GENRE Drama YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2019 Hungary, 71 refugees wait to be loaded into DIRECTOR Christina Tournatzés SCREEN - a small cargo truck. Their destination: PLAY Christina Tournatzés CINEMATOG - Germany, which tragically, they will never see. RAPHY Alexander Gruber CAST Ovanes As the convoy starts driving, the air in the Torosyan, Yordan Danchev, Zainab Alsawah, cargo area runs low and the people inside Nóra Mohi, Bader Khlifi PRODUCERS start knocking and screaming. The driver, Matthias Nerlich, Felix Parson, Christoph under pressure to complete the transport at Hermann CO-PRODUCERS Claudia Glad - any price, is overwhelmed by the situation ziejewski, Pattricia D’Intino, Leo Pintér and makes one wrong decision after another. PRODUCTION COMPANY Südhang Films, in The audience witnesses the incredible in - co-production with BR, Good Kids Produc - justice and together with the refugees prays tions RUNTIME 15 min LANGUAGE Bulgarian, that the driver will finally open the cargo door. Arabic, English But eventually it goes quiet in the cargo area. SALES The true story is based on the cell phone pro - Südhang Films tocols of the human traffickers published in [email protected] 2017. www.suedhangfilms.com

28 GFQ 4-20 19 NEW sHOrts FÜr ‘ne HanDVOll e FOr a FistFul OF e

rwin is an idler and a casual dealer. GENRE Crime YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2019 He’s in touch with people from the DIRECTOR Dennis Demirbas SCREENPLAY Cologne underground. His reckless Dennis Demirbas CINEMATOGRAPHY Dennis Ebuddy Dino asks him once again to Demirbas CAST Dennis Demirbas, Leon sell some ecstasy. However, Dino declines to Essink PRODUCER Dennis Demirbas CO- tell him that he violently stole the drugs from PRODUCER Leon Essink PRODUCTION another dealer beforehand. COMPANY Halfway Crooks RUNTIME 18 min LANGUAGE German DENNIS DEMIRBAS was born in 1992. He began his career making music videos in the SALES Cologne hip hop scene. He studied Media Halfway Crooks Design at the University of Applied Sciences [email protected] in Cologne and continued to make music videos. His short film FOR A FISTFUL OF E is set in the Cologne drug milieu.

or the 3rd edition of this award- MOHAMED ALY for SKY; GEESKE JANSSEN & winning collaboration, emerging YARA MOHAMED ALY for SEA; RIKA TARIGAN filmmakers and authors from Egypt & YARA MAMDOUH AHMED for THE RIGHT Fand Germany teamed up. Reflecting TO FALL APART; AHMED HAMED & ÖZLEM upon the concept of “Identity” they take us on ÖZGÜL DÜNDAR for FACES BURN; MENNA an emotional trip: Meet chimera in the desert, EL-ATROUSH & DENNIS TRENDELBEREND fly up in the sky and dive down to the deep for SHREDS. sea, get crazy in an apartment in Alexandria, become entangled in a fierce dialogue and GENRE Animation, Experimental, Poetry listen to the memories of an old man. YEAR OF PRODUCTION 2019 PRODUCERS Cathy de Haan, Mark Lotfy, Vera Schmidt A fascinating selection of contemporary PRODUCTION COMPANY OSTPOL, in co-pro - poetry and avant-garde experimental and duction with Fig Leaf Studios RUNTIME animation aesthetics. The six films invite the 25 min LANGUAGE German, English, Arabic viewer to explore these new artistic positions FESTIVALS Alfilm Arab FF Berlin 2019, and the artists behind them. The short films Poetry Film Prize Weimar 2019, Art Visuals & were developed within the framework of a Poetry Film Vienna 2019, Cairo IFF 2019, joint OSTPOL and Fig Leaf Studios program ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival Berlin 2019 under the mentorship of Cathy de Haan, AWARDS Weimar Poetry Film Prize Ani - Islam Kamal, Aline Helmcke and Mark Lotfy. mation 2019

The filmmakers and authors are: SALES OSTPOL

NISSMAH ROSHDY & MARIO OSTERLAND for [email protected] © OSTPOL SEA OF DUNES; ALINA CYRANEK & YARA www.ostpol-leipzig.de

29 NEW sHOrts GFQ 4-20 19 tHe raFt

erformance artist Vittoria Hopkins GENRE Satire YEAR OF PRO DUCTION 2019 has made a career out of large DIRECTOR Sylvain Cruiziat SCREENPLAY tableaus of half-naked people, Daniel Thomé, Sylvain Cruiziat CINEMATOG - Paddressing the guilt of the viewer in RAPHY Nikolai Huber CAST Elit Iscan, Gala the face of their vulnerability. Her latest work Moody, Thomas Arnold PRO DUCERS Philipp THE RAFT has all the ingredients of a land - Maron, Sebastian Fehring, Tristan Bähre mark: classical references, naked body-paint - PRODUCTION COMPANY Maverick Film, in ed people lying still on a canvas and an co-production with Hochschule für Fern - accusatory monologue, written from the sehen und Film München (HFF/M), BR, ARTE perspective of a drowning man in the Medi - RUNTIME 20 min LANGUAGE English, terranean Sea. As the art world gathers to German FESTIVALS Toronto 2019 watch Vittoria’s stunning, clean and bankable scandal, an unexpected force takes hold of the SALES installation... Maverick Film [email protected] SYLVAIN CRUIZIAT was born in 1995 in www.maverickfilm.de London and studies at the University of Tele - vision and Film Munich. His award-winning films include: the shorts AFTERMATH (2015), FIND FIx FINISH (2017), and THE RAFT (2019). He is currently working on the short WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR.

Check out the new GFQ digital issue www.germanfilmsquarterly.de

Specially designed for desktop and mobile devices, to keep you informed on all the latest German ﬁlms and ﬁlmmakers, and a whole lot more!

30 GFQ 4-20 19 uPCOminG Films alle reDen ÜBer Das Wetter

lara is 36 and thinks she has made it, GENRE Drama CATEGORY Feature DIRECTOR that she has escaped from the back - Annika Pinske SCREENPLAY Annika Pinske Cwoods of Eastern Germany and be - CAST Anne Schäfer, Judith Hofmann, Max longs now to Berlin’s intellectual elite. She is Riemelt, Anne-Kathrin Gummich, Emma doing her PhD in philosophy, her young Brüggler, Marcel Kohler, Sandra Hüller, Ro - daughter’s father has the kid during the nald Zehrfeld, Christine Schorn, Hermann week, she’s enjoying an affair with Max, a Beyer, Thomas Bading, Alireza Bayram PRO - younger student, as well as a close friendship DUCERS Luise Hauschild, Annika Pinske with her professor and admired mentor, PRODUCTION COMPANY Deutsche Film- Margot. But as Margot flirts with suicide and und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB), in co- Clara, back where she came from, no longer production with Pennybooth Production feels part of her own family, she is forced to LANGUAGE German confront the painful realization that her sup - posed “rise” has its price. CONTACT Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB)

n six new episodes BAD BANKS Season 2 GENRE Drama, Thriller CATEGORY Series narrates how the financial world is re - DIRECTOR Christian Zübert STORY CREATED Iinventing itself six months on from the BY Oliver Kienle CAST Paula Beer, Barry crisis. Toughened regulations make business Atsma, Desirée Nosbusch, Albrecht Schuch, extremely hard going for the merged German Mai Duong Kieu, Tobias Moretti, Marc Global Invest bank. For Christelle Leblanc, Limpach, Noah Saavedra, Germain Wagner, the new head of investments, the longed for Jean-Marc Barr PRODUCER Lisa Blumen - rise to a seat on the board is now more berg PRODUCTION COMPANY Letterbox distant than ever. Mean while in Frankfurt Film produktion, in co-production with Iris things are not going exactly to plan for Jana Productions Deutschland, Real Film, ZDF, in Liekam either. But at least she has long since co operation with ARTE LANGUAGE German got her team lined up and is good to go, and whilst the old banking world is still on only SALES half power, the young financial sector is Federation Entertainment experiencing a fundamental and radical [email protected] change in the shape of small, nimble, start- www.fedent.com ups and FinTechs. © Letterbox Filmproduktion/FabrizioMaltese

BlutsauGer (Wt)

hooting wrapped at the beginning of Unfilmed Screenplay during this year’s October on Julian Radlmaier’s second Berlinale. Sfeature BLOODSUCKERS (WT) which sees the director reunited with the producer GENRE Art, Comedy, History, Tragicomedy of his 2017 graduation film SELF-CRITICISM CATEGORY Feature DIRECTOR Julian OF A BOURGEOIS DOG. Radlmaier SCREENPLAY Julian Radlmaier CAST Alexandre Koberidze, Lilith Stangen - Georgian filmmaker Alexandre Koberidze berg, Alex Herbst, Corinna Harfouch, Andreas plays a penniless Soviet refugee who dreams Döhler, Daniel Hoesl, Mareike Beykirch, of making a career in Hollywood at the end of Kyung-Taek Lie, Knut Maier, Stefan Laucher the 1920s. However, on the way there, he falls PRODUCER Kirill Krasovski PRODUCTION in love with a young and wealthy female COMPANY Faktura Film, in co-production vampire who is spending the summer on with The Post Republic, Maier Bros., Ludwig the Baltic coast with her clumsy assistant – Kameraverleih LANGUAGE German with unforeseen consequences. Radlmaier’s script was praised by the jury as being “extra - SALES ARRI Media International

31 uPCOminG Films GFQ 4-20 19

DeutsCHlanD89

hen the “anti-fascist” Berlin Wall GENRE High-End Drama CATEGORY Series falls on November 9th 1989, DIRECTORS Randa Chahoud, Soleen Yusef Wsuperspy Martin Rauch must deal SCREENPLAY Jörg Winger, Steve Bailie, with the consequences. The peaceful revo - Roger Drew, Ed Dyson, Michael Idov, Lily Idov lution has thrown his world into turmoil. CAST Jonas Nay, Maria Schrader, Sylvester He and his fellow agents at the HVA (East Groth, Uwe Preuss, Alexander Beyer, Carina German Foreign Intelligence) are reeling. Wiese, Anke Engelke, Fritzi Haberlandt, Their government has collapsed, their organi - Lavinia Wilson, Florence Kasumba, Svenja zation is in chaos and their futures are un - Jung, Corinna Harfouch PRODUCER Daniel certain, at best. How to play the next hand? van den Berg EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Anna Join Big Brother at the KGB? Go West and Winger, Jörg Winger, Sebastian Werninger work for an enemy agency? Use international CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Philipp Driessen contacts to begin a new career? Or run off to PRODUCTION COMPANY UFA Fiction, in paradise with hoarded gold? In the face of a collaboration with Amazon, Fremantle, UFA new world order, our heroes reinvent them - Distribution LANGUAGE German selves.

n his new and excitedly awaited feature GENRE Drama CATEGORY Feature DIRECTOR film, ENFANT TERRIBLE, Germany’s star Oskar Roehler SCREENPLAY Klaus Richter, Idirector Oskar Roehler dedicates himself Oskar Roehler CAST Oliver Masucci, Hary to one of the greatest icons of German Prinz, Katja Riemann, Felix Hellmann, cinema in the second half of the 20th century, Anton Rattinger, Erdal Yildiz, Markus Rainer Werner Fassbinder, interpreting the Hering, Michael Klammer, Jochen Schropp, life and impact of this cinematic legend in Frida Lovisa Hamann, Lucas Gregorowicz, artistically innovative form. Antoine Monot Jr., Eva Mattes, Isolde Barth PRO DUCERS Markus Zimmer, Stefan Arndt, Uwe Schott PRODUCTION COMPANY Bavaria Filmproduktion, in co-pro duction with x Filme Creative Pool, WDR, BR, ARTE LANGUAGE German

CONTACT Bavaria Filmproduktion

his, the third film in the ‘Help’ series, GENRE Family Entertainment CATEGORY in which young Felix accidentally but Feature DIRECTOR Granz Henman SCREEN - Tconstantly shrinks his parents, teacher PLAY Gerrit Hermans CAST Oskar Keymer, and friends, sees familiar faces pursuing Lina Hüesker, Anja Kling, Andrea Sawatzki, their evil hopes and schemes while the arrival Axel Stein, Maximilian Ehrenreich, Eloi Christ, of the pretty Melanie, a new pupil, throws Georg Sulzer, Johannes Zeiler, Michael Felix and his buddies into chaos: he has Ostrowski, Lorna zu Solms, Cosima Henman, secretly fallen for the new girl, but his friends Tobias Schäfer, Maria Hofstätter, Otto are not so impressed, feeling there is some - Waalkes PRODUCERS Corinna Mehner, Hans- thing not quite right about her. While Felix Eddy Schreiber PRODUCTION COMPANY blue works with the help of the friendly school eyes Fiction, in co-production with Karibu - ghost on controlling his unique power, a film, Minifilm, Filmvergnuegen, Potemkino school trip turns out to be more of a horror Port, WS Filmproduktion LANGUAGE German trip as first Felix shrinks his friends and then they are all lured into a trap by Hulda, the SALES 140-year-old school terror, the ghost of the ARRI Media International

32 GFQ 4-20 19 uPCOminG Films

HOme

his summer saw Actress Franka GENRE Drama CATEGORY Feature DIRECTOR Potente making her feature length Franka Potente SCREENPLAY Franka Potente Tdirectorial debut with HOME which CAST Jake McLaughlin, Kathy Bates, Aisling tells the story of 40-year-old Marvin Hacks, Franciosi, Lil Rel Howery, Derek Richardson, who comes home after more than 20 years in Stephen Root, James Jordan PRODUCERS prison wearing the same Adidas tracksuit he Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo PRODUC - had on when he was arrested as a teenager. TION COMPANY augenschein Filmproduktion, in co-production with Lemming Film, Fire - When he arrives back in his small American glory Pictures LANGUAGE English hometown of Clovis, Marvin finds out that, even after two decades, the people there have SALES not forgotten the atrocity he committed all BAC Films those years ago. Despite the confrontation [email protected] and hostility from the locals, he will do what www.bacfilms.com it takes to reclaim his place in society and accept the repercussions of the crime he

Kiss me BeFOre it BlOWs uP

subversive love story between clash - GENRE Romantic Comedy CATEGORY Feature ing cultures and families, KISS ME DIRECTOR Shirel Peleg SCREENPLAY Shirel ABEFORE IT BLOWS UP is a romantic Peleg CAST Moran Rosenblatt, Luise Wolf - misadventure crossing all borders. ram, Rivka Michaeli, Juliane Köhler, Bernhard Schütz, Irit Kaplan, John Carroll Lynch PRO - When two generations of Israeli women fall DUCERS Christine Guenther, Chevy K. Chen for a German woman and a Palestinian man, PRODUCTION COMPANY Fireglory Pictures, chaos follows. in co-production with Erfttal Film & Fernseh - produktion LANGUAGE English, Hebrew, What happens with lovers who don’t fit but do German, Arabic belong together? SALES Totem Films [email protected] www.totem-films.com

riter-director Simon Verhoeven’s GENRE Comedy CATEGORY Feature DIREC - latest comedy marks his fifth col - TOR Simon Verhoeven SCREENPLAY Simon Wlaboration with producers Quirin Verhoeven CAST Elyas M'Barek, Palina Rojin - Berg and Max Wiedemann after such box- ski, Frederick Lau, Nicholas Ofczarek, Mark office hits as MEN IN THE CITY 1 & 2 and Filatov, Caro Cult, Rauand Taleb, Leon Ullrich, the 2016 refugee comedy WELCOME TO Taneshia Abt, Nikola Kastner, Paul Wollin GERMANY. PRODUCERS Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann PRODUCTION COMPANY Wiedemann & Berg Bartender Milo meets the woman of his Film, in co-production with Sentana Film - dreams, Sunny, in a fateful moment and produktion, SevenPictures Film LANGUAGE arranges to go on a date. Everything seems German to be running smoothly, but when Milo’s chaotic friend Renzo turns up, the romantic CONTACT evening escalates into an absolutely mad Wiedemann & Berg Film chase through Berlin’s nightlife pursued by [email protected] some underworld heavies. However, nothing www.w-b-film.de

33 uPCOminG Films GFQ 4-20 19

Die sCHule Der maGisCHen tiere

ilming is underway for the first GENRE Family Entertainment CATEGORY adaptation based on Margit Auer’s Feature DIRECTOR Gregor Schnitzler F best-selling children’s book series SCREEN PLAY Viola M.J. Schmidt CAST Emilia The School of Magical Animals which has been Maier, Leonard Conrads, Loris Sichrovsky, translated into over 20 languages around the Nadja Uhl, Milan Peschel, Justus von Dohná - globe. nyi, Heiko Pinkowski, Stephan Luca, Marleen Lohse, Frederick Lau, Katharina Thalbach, Ida is sad at having had to move to a new town Sophie Rois PRODUCERS Alexandra Kordes, and school, but then everything changes for Meike Kordes PRODUCTION COMPANY Kor - the better when her class teacher Miss Corn - des & Kordes Film Süd, in co-production with field at the Wintersteinschule announces one LEONINE, Wega Film, Clever Production day that each pupil is to receive a magical ani - LANGUAGE German mal as a companion. Ida’s new friend, the talk ing fox Rabbat, is both smart and witty, so CONTACT everyone in the class suddenly wants to be Kordes & Kordes Film Süd friends with her. But then various objects [email protected]

rincipal photography continues until GENRE Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, December 2019 for the epic futuristic Science Fiction CATEGORY Series DIREC - Psaga TRIBES OF EUROPA which marks TORS Philip Koch, Florian Baxmeyer W&B Television’s second collaboration with SCREENPLAY Philip Koch, Jana Burbach, Netflix after working together on the first Benjamin Seiler SHOWRUNNER Philip Koch German Netflix Original DARK. CAST Henriette Confurius, Emilio Sakraya, David Ali Rashed, Melika Foroutan, Oliver Set in a shattered Europe in 2074 after a Masucci, Benjamin Sadler, Ana Ularu, Robert mysterious global catastrophe, the six-part Finster, James Faulkner EXECUTIVE PRODU - series centers on several so-called “Tribes” CERS Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann, Philip who are fighting for dominance over the con - Koch, Maximilian Vetter PRODUCTION COM - tinent. Three siblings set out to change the PANY W&B Television LANGUAGE German fate of this new “Europa”. CONTACT TRIBES OF EUROPA is being directed by the Wiedemann & Berg Television series’ creator and showrunner Philip Koch [email protected] with Florian Baxmeyer and will premiere on www.w-b-television.de © Gordon A. Timpen Netflix in 2020.

34 Call F or Entries

Int ernational F eatur e Film Competition Int ernational Burning Lights Competition Int ernational M edium L ength and Short Film Competition Gr and Angle Latitudes Opening Scenes Deadline : 3 January 2020 for films finished b y 1 April 2020 The films in competition ar e scr eened in world, int ernational or Eur opean Pr emier e.

Call F or Pr ojects

Pit ching du R eel Rough Cut Lab Docs in Pr ogr ess Deadline N o. 1: 1 5 N ovember 2 019 Deadline N o. 2 : 1 5 December 2 019 We ar e looking f or pr ojects that ar e pr esent ed f or the first time at their curr ent stage.

Main P artner Media P artner Institutional P artner GERMAN FILMS: A PROFILE GFQ 4-20 19 GERMAN FILMS SERVICE + MARKETING

is the national infor mation and advisory s. uPerVisOry 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 Peter Dinges the umbrella association for the Association Antonio Exacoustos of German Feature Film Producers, the Manuela Kehlenbach Association of New German Feature Film Kirsten Niehuus Producers and the Association of German Sabine Pollmeier Film Exporters, and operates today in the legal form of a limited company. In 2004, the team company was re organized and now operates under the name: German Films Service + Simone Baumann Managing Director Marketing GmbH. Johanna Buse Regional Coordinator: Southern Europe & Latin America Christine Harrasser Press & PR, Television sHareHOlDers are the German Pro - Angela Hawkins Communications & Marketing ducers Guild, the German Pro ducers Alliance, Anne Heidebrecht Distribution Support & Animation the Association of German Film Exporters, Nicole Kaufmann Regional Coordinator: USA, UK & Northern Europe the German Federal Film Board (FFA), the Dennis Ruh Festival Relations Deutsche Kinemathek, the German Docu - Fides Schäffer Regional Coordinator: Asia & Australia mentary Association, FilmFernsehFonds Martin Scheuring Project Coordinator & Short Film Bayern, Film- und Medien stiftung NRW, Andrea Schiefer Monitoring & Strategic Development, Business Affairs Medien board Berlin-Brandenburg, and the Sabrina Schrödl Assistant to the Managing Director German Short Film Association. Bernhard Simek Regional Coordinator: Eastern Europe, Documentary Film

German Films’ budget of presently €4.85 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, in cluding Berlin, Cannes, about current German films and the German (FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Filmförderung Venice, San Sebastian, Locarno, Sundance, film industry, as well as international market Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Film- und Karlovy Vary, Toronto, New York, Shanghai, analy ses and special festival brochures Medien stiftung NRW, HessenFilm, Medien - 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 in forma tion about new German films, a förderung, and Nord media) make a financial German sales companies and producers at film archive, in formation 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, Toronto, tions Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, MIP, FILMART) 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 - International Feature Film responsibilities to those of German Films. tion with the Goethe-Institut The organiza tion, with its headquarters in  Organization of the German Films Pre - Hamburg, aims to develop and realize joint  Staging of industry screenings in key views geared toward arthouse distributors projects for the pre sentation of European international territories and buyers of German films films on an inter national level.  Providing advice and information for rep -  Selective financial Distribution Support In association and cooperation with its share - resentatives of the international press and for the foreign releases of German films holders, German Films works to promote fea - buyers from the fields of cinema, home ture, documentary, television and short films. entertain ment, and television  Organization with UniFrance of the annual German-French film meeting In addition, German Films has foreign re p -  Providing advice and information for resentatives for Eastern Europe and China/ German filmmakers and press on inter -  Presentation of the annual FACE TO FACE Southeast Asia. national festivals, conditions of participation, WITH GERMAN FILMS campaign which and German films being shown shines a spotlight on some of the most in - fluential German talents currently working in  Organization of the annual Next Genera - the industry, who represent just some of the tion Short Tiger short film program, which many dynamic ‘faces’ of German filmmaking presents a selection of shorts and is inter - today. nationally premiered in Cannes 36 GFQ 4-20 19 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

Produzentenverband e.V. German Producers Guild Häberlstr. 5 | 80337 Munich/Germany phone +49-89-22 84 50 45 | fax +49-89-12 19 76 03 [email protected] | www.produzentenverband.de Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und medien Federal Government Commissioner for Culture & the media Potsdamer Platz 1 | 10785 Berlin/Germany | phone +49-30-18 68 10 fax +49-22899-681 51 30 20 | [email protected] | www.kulturstaatsministerin.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

mitteldeutsche medienförderung GmbH Petersstr. 22-24 | 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 Hanover/Germany phone +49-5 11-1 23 45 60 | fax +49-5 11-12 34 56 29 | [email protected] | www.nordmedia.de

37 ASSOCIATION OF GERMAN FILM EXPORTERS GFQ 4-20 19 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 sOla media GmbH Grünwalder Weg 28d – a brand of telepool GmbH Rotebühlplatz 29 82041 Oberhaching/Germany Sonnenstr. 21 70178 Stuttgart/Germany phone +49-89-6 73 46 98 28 80331 Munich/Germany phone +49-7 11-96 89 44 40 [email protected] phone +49-89-24 41 29 55 00 fax +49-7 11-96 89 44 51 www.betacinema.com fax +49-89-55 87 61 91 06 [email protected] [email protected] www.sola-media.com www.globalscreen.de

Constantin Film Verleih GmbH Feilitzschstr. 6 media luna new Films uG 80802 Munich/Germany Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring 38, 6 th Floor phone +49-89-44 44 60 0 50672 Cologne/Germany fax +49-89-44 44 60 666 phone +49-2 21-51 09 18 91 [email protected] fax +49-2 21-51 09 18 99 www.constantin-film.de [email protected] www.medialuna.biz

38 GFQ 4-20 19 IMPRINT & FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES

German Films Quarterly is published by: Editor FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES Angela Hawkins German Films Service + Marketing GmbH Eastern Europe Herzog-Wilhelm-Str. 16 Contributors Marcel Maïga 80331 Munich/Germany Martin Blaney, Matthias Dell, phone +49-176-38 84 56 72 phone +49-89-5 99 78 70 Simon Kingsley, Anke Sterneborg [email protected] fax +49-89-59 97 87 30 [email protected] Translations China www.german-films.de Lucinda Rennison Anke Redl Wework-02-105 Cover NAGA Shangyuan Tower 4, No.9 Thomas Heise (© Inge Zimmermann) Dongzhimen Nei Street Dongcheng District Design & Art Direction Beijing 100007/China Werner Schauer www.triptychon.biz phone +86 13601355919 [email protected] ISSN 1614-6387 Printing Office www.esta-druck.de Credits are not contractual for any of the films mentioned in this publication. German Films supports the use of paper from sustainable forestry. The pages of this magazine are made of PEFC certificated cellulose. Scan here to visit © German Films Service + Marketing GmbH PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification our GFQ website schemes) is the largest independent organization worldwide for securing and continuously improving a sustainable forest manage - All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or ment and it guarantees ecological, social and economic standards. Currently there are 265 million hectares of PEFC certificated forest transmission of this publication may be made worldwide. without written permission.

OPENING THE DOORS TO German Cinema