RONALD ZEHRFELD MOHSIN AHMADY A FILM BY FEO ALADAG SYNOPSIS German soldier Jesper signs up for a mission in Afghanistan, despite having lost his brother during an operation in the war-torn country. Jesper and his squad are assigned to protect a village outpost from increasing Taliban influence. With the help of young and inexperienced interpreter Tarik, Jesper seeks the trust of the local community and the allied Afghani militia. More than ever, he discovers the immense differences between the two worlds. When the lives of Tarik and his sister Nala are threatened by the Taliban, conflicted Jesper is torn between his military obligations and his conscience. COMMENTS FROM WRITER-DIRECTOR FEO ALADAG ORIGIN OF THE PROJECT was necessary for the highest authenticity in easy to find other producers to bring on board I remember my feelings looking at a newspaper environment, cast and atmosphere. I believe this and work on this film – at least not in Germany photograph showing a German soldier in always fuels the story and the environment you’re – since most were scared off by the risk, financial Afghanistan back in 2002/3. It seemed like an creating and always reflects back into the finished and otherwise, such a production does involve. entirely new image – a fighting German soldier output. It was also my hope that by working Such a production is vulnerable and dependent deployed in a war-torn country in combat together closely with an Afghani team and cast on daily events and politics. Everything can run uniform, fully armed. It made me think about and the Afghani officials who helped secure our smoothly on Monday, then suddenly Tuesday Germany’s attitude towards its military. Why shooting, we could send a signal that peaceful and morning your production could be dead due was there no contemporary German movie fruitful cooperation on a cultural level between to circumstances beyond your control. That’s featuring German soldiers in action? The Third Afghanistan and a Western country was indeed usually not the working environment a producer Reich dominates storytelling in German cinema possible. During research, I made three trips to or director looks for. Filmmaking involves enough in regards to Germany’s soldiers. It seemed Afghanistan, each time for two to three weeks. I risks already. It’s better to think twice before you time to shift perspective and move beyond the triple the amount of uncontrollable incidents trauma. It’s vital to communicate, to tell stories, and circumstances. I absolutely understood and to trigger some sort of dialogue and empathy by I would not have wanted to burden this risk to generating options of identification. Too much any other production company than my own of too unreflected “United We Stand” makes (Independent Artists). me shiver, but too little respect for commitment and bravery make me feel worse. It somehow LIVING WITH GERMAN SOLDIERS seemed unfair to me how the work of German Inbetween Worlds is an original story inspired soldiers was being reflected in German society. spent another four weeks of preproduction there, by real life incidents woven together to fit the This was my starting point. During the two years plus the five weeks of the shoot. This project dramatic arc of what I wanted to convey. My of my intense research on this project I became challenged me in many ways. Most used and research began with lots of reading about the more and more intrigued by Afghanistan and its most important I guess was my ability to really German army and Afghanistan, then I started people. The more I educated myself on the needs passionately live and work for what I felt strongly meeting with people and listening to their stories. of all sides of this conflict, the clearer it became about, to hang in there until we succeeded in It didn’t take me long to realize that I needed to to me where to look for the core of my story. what we wanted to achieve. My stubbornness, my go to Afghanistan in order to learn more. I knew curiosity and my love for and interest in people that I would have to get to Afghanistan in a way SENDING A SIGNAL helped me a great deal. that would allow me to live with German soldiers Inbetween Worlds was actually shot primarily for a short while, go out on patrols with them, feel on location in northern Afghanistan, around TRIPLE THE UNCONTROLLABLE their fear, their hopes, their frustration, eat their the cities of Mazar-e-Sharif and Kunduz. This I always had the impression it would not have been food, smell the fuel in the vehicles and learn about what it means to serve in such an environment. I order to have every possible access to information change the schedule. We had to do it this exact ended up on an 8-hour patrol march carrying 40 about the daily status of the security estimations day. We found the new location, had to apply the kg on my 50 kg body. I observed the environment in the area. This involves intel from the ISAF blocking, be flexible and still stick to our plan and and made my first contact with locals. I was (International Security Assistance Force) troops to my vision of this scene. It was tricky. The entre determined to learn as much as I could about (both German and US), and, of course, the ANA village helped us and the main explosion ended what it felt like to be deployed in a war zone like (Afghan National Army). I made sure we were up being facilitated by our Afghani partners. We Afghanistan. My travels generated both strong all well protected by the ANP (Afghan National shot with three cameras and at times with four. impressions and also even more questions. Police) as well as by other forces in the area. We had to shoot everything in one day. Needless to say that physically it was exhausting. It was SECURITY WAS ISSUE NUMBER ONE COMBAT a very intense day of filming, as often cruelly The idea of shooting a movie in Afghanistan is In the combat scene, Jesper and his team get running against the clock. Some villagers needed as difficult as one might imagine. But maybe attacked by Taliban forces and are assisted by to flood a part of the location around lunch time in different ways than one would anticipate because the village needed water, so we were not beforehand. First, there are the physical challenges only up against our schedule but also up against put on a crew coming from a Western country. parts of our location being flooded. It was a wild It’s not easy for a film crew to live in an army day and we often think of it. Lots of things that camp. I lived outside with my daughter, since we today laugh about played it hard on us that children are not allowed in German army camps. day back in May 2013. But bottom line I greatly It was probably somewhat easier for us because enjoyed this day of filming. As crazy as it was we we were free to have a natural interaction with also did have fun – much more than I ever would the local population. Perhaps the most difficult the group of Arbakis, civilian fighters they are have thought we would have. part of shooting in Afghanistan are the security working together with. We had scouted a fantastic issues that must be dealt with for a foreign crew. location for this scene over many weeks in a village TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF EVERYTHING Security was issue number one and my main we were to shoot some scenes before. I rehearsed Actor Ronald Zehrfeld has a powerful physical concern while prepping and shooting. We had to this on location with my military experts, actors appearance that made him look right for the part, all be safe at any given point of time – at least as and my team. We had a full choreography but his sensitivity and vulnerability are what I safe as we could determine it. It was a lot about accordingly to the script. I had blocked it based was convinced would bring Jesper’s inner conflict evaluating what’s worth trying and what simply on this location. Thirty-six hours before we were to life. When local civilian lives are endangered, would be too risky of me to lead my team into. to film this scene we lost the location due to Jesper is torn between his own conscience and Making sure you have a reliable security system security concerns. We got intel that it would be army regulations. He has to decide to either is tricky. It involves a lot of communication, better not to come back to this location. So we follow the rules, his orders, in the name of the politics, networking, connecting all sides in had to find a new location. There was no way to system of which he has been part for so long and which is such a great part of his being, or the shoot, I saw Mohsin standing near me with INBETWEEN WORLDS to trust his own values, his own conscience and his four-year-old nephew. He said hi and I fell for The title makes reference to many situations in what he believes in – knowing he will have to face him, knowing he was Tarik. Again while location the story – to soldier Jesper’s inner conflict, to the consequences which might result from such scouting, I first saw Saida at the university in the cultural place interpreter Tarik’s new job a decision.