GFQ 2-2007 - german films

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Im Jahr des Hundes Type of Project Documentary Cinema Genre Tragicomedy, Society Production Company Wasabi Film/Munich With backing from Filmstiftung NRW, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern Producers Martin Kircher, Hendrik Feil Director Ursula Scheid Screenplay Ursula Scheid Directors of Photography Armin Dierolf, Petra Wallner Format HDV-C Pro, blow-up to 35 mm, color, 1:1.85, Dolby SR Shooting Language Chinese Shooting in Beijing, Chang Chun, Gong Zhu Lin, February & May 2007 Contact Wasabi Film GmbH & Co. KG · Hendrik Feil Bayerisches Filmzentrum · Bavariafilmplatz 7 82031 Geiselgasteig/Germany phone +49-89-64 98 12 00 · fax +49-89-64 98 13 00 email: info@wasabifilm.com · www.wasabifilm.com Scene from “Im Jahr des Hundes” (photo courtesy of Wasabi Film) In the words of writer-director Ursula Scheid, “Im Jahr des Hundes tells of dogs in China and about the dogs of people and about the people of that society. Of belief and superstition, of the rituals in the Year of the Dog, of dog owners and dog food, of children and money, of loneliness and faith in the future. These are entertaining stories, informative, bright and wacky, critical and sad. I come closer to the people via the dogs, and vice versa.” Scheid, who is no stranger to China, least of which being that she did her Master’s degree in Sino-German Relations, has known most of her film’s protagonists for many years. “Close enough,” she says, “to share a part of their lives, to show their everyday existence.” Opting for an episodic structure, Im Jahr des Hundes narrates several stories. There is the nouveau-riche and pregnant property dealer who has left her dog, and a 50-year-old woman who was left by her husband and lives, together with her dog and old mother, in a dark flat. They tell of the problems of having children while unmarried, the high dog tax and the prices of property. Episode two features an artist’s family, with one child and six dogs, who have settled for life in the country. Scheid depicts their everyday life; getting up, cooking, playing chess. The conversation ranges from the Year of the Dog and faith to art and money. Northern China is the setting of the third episode where we meet an old man, a civil servant, who was born in the Year of the Dog. Mourning his deceased wife, he dares to start anew. In episode four, a young couple plan their wedding and celebrate, sing karaoke, argue, play with teddy bears and swear eternal love to each other. “At the end of the film,” says Scheid, “I explain, from the dog’seye perspective, about the new love people have developed for the animal, of dyed and stuffed dogs, of dog restaurants and dog cemeter ies. Of the Olympic dog, Milu, his owner and life in poverty in Hutong. Also, dog training with the Beijing police and a dog butcher. Of stories and places that have not been revealed before.” As should now be patently obvious, Im Jahr des Hundes is about dogs in China and more than about dogs in China. It is about China itself, from a wholly new perspective; the dog as metaphor, as a vehicle for a new and original take on this amazing country. Founded in 2006 by Martin Kircher and Hendrik Feil, Wasabi Film takes its name from the very hot and delicious green horseradish, without which no sushi is complete. Once tasted, never forgotten! Ironman Type of Project Feature Film Cinema Genre Drama Production Company enigma film/Munich, in co-production with Odeon Pictures/Munich, Lunaris Film- und Fernseh - produktion/Munich, Neue Kinowelt Filmproduktion/Berlin With backing from Filmstiftung NRW, Filmfoerderungsanstalt (FFA), FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) Producers Fritjof Hohagen, Clarens Grollmann Director Adnan G. Koese Screenplay Adnan G. Koese, Fritjof Hohagen Director of Photography James Jacobs Editor Alexander Dittner Production Design Oliver Hoese Principal Cast Max Riemelt, Jasmin Schwiers, Axel Stein, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Ingo Naujoks Casting Buenker Casting/Berlin Format 35 mm, color, cs, Dolby Digital 5.1 Shooting Language German Shooting in Dinslaken, Amsterdam, Lanzarote, February – March, May 2007 German Distributor Kinowelt Filmverleih/Leipzig german films quarterly in production 2 · 2007 36 SK Max Riemelt, Uwe Ochsenknecht in “Ironman” (photo © enigma film/Kerstin Stelter)
World Sales Beta Cinema / Dept. of Beta Film GmbH Andreas Rothbauer Gruenwalder Weg 28 d · 82041 Oberhaching/Germany phone +49-89-67 34 69 80 · fax +49-89-6 73 46 98 88 email: ARothbauer@betacinema.com www.betacinema.com In 2000, an article in the magazine Der Spiegel on the book about the true story of the world-class triathlete Andreas Niedrig caught the attention of producer Frithjof Hohagen. “The book Vom Junkie zum Ironman created quite a stir at the time,” Hohagen recalls. “There were TV documentaries about the case, and several film production companies showed interest in the story, but nothing then came of these plans.” However, when he set up Munich-based enigma film with partner Clarens Grollmann in 2004, the Ironman story came to mind again and he approached Niedrig in person to discuss the idea of making a film about his life. The next step was to find a director, the choice falling on Adnan G. Koese whom Hohagen already knew from a previous collaboration. As Koese recalls, his reaction after being approached by Hohagen was to ask to meet Niedrig: “I am interested in the person behind the story and in getting to know them. We met and a very good relation - ship developed with Andreas, giving me every creative freedom.” “We have had a very close and trusting collaboration with Andreas and he has been very supportive and constructive with his advice,” Hohagen adds. “Creatively, one of the very first questions was who would play Andreas and we had extensive casting sessions in Berlin with many of the leading young German actors attending,” he continues. Germany’s “Shooting Star” 2005 Max Riemelt, whose previous credits include Napola and The Red Cockatoo, was finally chosen for the physically demanding role of Niedrig who had lived the life of a junkie and petty thief before radically changing direction and training to become one of the world’s most successful triathletes.“Max was in superb condition and muscular in Napola, but he had to really lose weight for this role and is now quite skinny for the scenes during Andreas’ decline as a junkie in the Ruhr region,” explains Hohagen, who co-wrote the screenplay with Koese. The cast includes Jasmin Schwiers (Tattoo) as Andreas’ wife Sabine and Uwe Ochsenknecht as his mentor and trainer, while Axel Stein – known until now for his roles in such pratfall co medies as Ants In The Pants – takes a distinctly new direction with a character part as one of Andreas’ friends who pays the price for their drug addiction. For Koese, who came to directing via acting and screenwriting, Ironman is his feature film debut and also marks the first pro duction of newly-established Neue Kinowelt Filmproduktion run by Hermann Florin and Boris Schoenfelder. “I really like the classic way of filmmaking and working with light,” the director says. “I also spend a lot of time on the visual composition: before we began shooting, I sat down with the DoP and discussed the shots to the last detail. Everything is composed and prepared, there is no room for improvisation.” “Moreover, my background as an actor means that when we are rehearsing, I am not in front of the monitor, but always like to be with the actors as if on the stage. That physical contact is important for me.” 80% of the shoot was in and around Dinslaken – an area Koese knew well as he originates from this part of the Ruhr region – and the production team couldn’t want for more support from the local people and authorities, with mayor Sabine Weiss doing everything in her power to make the shoot feel welcome. The NRW shoot was then followed by a day of scenes in Amsterdam and then a break of six weeks for Riemelt to “fatten up” to look like a real sportsman before three days of filming on Lanzarote during the real Ironman com - petition in mid-May. MB Liebe und andere Verbrechen Type of Project Feature Film Cinema Genre Drama, Tragicomedy Production Company COIN Film/Cologne, in coproduction with Art & Popcorn/Belgrade, Amour Fou Filmproduktion/Vienna, Studio Arkadena/Trzin With backing from Filmstiftung NRW, BKM, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Eurimages, City of Belgrade, Serbian Ministry of Culture, South Eastern European Cinema Network, Vienna Film Fund, Hubert Bals Fund, Atelier du Cinéma Européen, WDR, BMW Group Producer Herbert Schwering Director Stefan Arsenijevic Screenplay Stefan Arsenijevic Director of Photography Simon Tansek Editor Andrew Bird Production Design Volker Schaefer Principal Cast Anica Dobra, Milena Dravic, Vuk Kostic, Hanna Schwamborn Casting Susanne Ritter Format 35 mm, color, 1:1.85, Dolby Digital Shooting Language Serbian Shooting in Belgrade, February – March 2007 German Distributor Pandora Film Verleih/Aschaffenburg World Sales The Match Factory GmbH · Michael Weber Sudermanplatz 2 · 50670 Cologne/Germany phone +49-2 21-2 92 10 20 · fax +49-2 21-29 21 02 10 email: info@matchfactory.de www.the-match-factory.com german films quarterly in production 2 · 2007 37 Director Stefan Arsenijevic (right) on the set of “Liebe und andere Verbrechen” (photo © COIN Film/Biljana Ristivojcevic)
Page 1 and 2: German Films Quarterly 2 · 2007 AT
Page 3 and 4: OF THE Cannes Film Festival 2007 60
Page 5 and 6: 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56
Page 7 and 8: That is Next Generation’s drawing
Page 9 and 10: Scene from “Rocks” programmers
Page 11 and 12: like to see implemented. And the mi
Page 13 and 14: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? A selection of
Page 15 and 16: NEXT GENERATION 1998 - 2007 Next Ge
Page 17 and 18: NEXT GENERATION 2007 A Selection of
Page 19 and 20: In spite of the ups and downs durin
Page 21 and 22: Watch her shorts and you’ll know
Page 23 and 24: Similarly, Stefan Tolz was a gradua
Page 25 and 26: “At the time, I set myself a pers
Page 27 and 28: M. Wiedemann, U. Muehe, Q. Berg, S.
Page 29 and 30: FFF Bayern’s Dr. Klaus Schaefer,
Page 31 and 32: GERMAN ANIMATIONS IN ANNECY For the
Page 33 and 34: World Sales TELEPOOL GmbH · Wolfra
Page 35: Moreover, the venture will also be
Page 39 and 40: However, Roehler and Sperl are not
Page 41 and 42: offering to sleep with women via th
Page 43 and 44: Die Anruferin THE CALLING GAME “P
Page 45 and 46: Autopiloten AUTOPILOTS Autopilots t
Page 47 and 48: Dos Patrias Cuba y la noche TWO HOM
Page 49 and 50: Halbe Stunden HALF HOURS Melanie St
Page 51 and 52: Das Herz ist ein dunkler Wald THE H
Page 53 and 54: Libanon - Standhalten im Wahnsinn L
Page 55 and 56: Mikrofan Sam is a rapper, so are hi
Page 57 and 58: Monks - The Transatlantic Feedback
Page 59 and 60: Osdorf The highrise estate Osdorfer
Page 61 and 62: Prater Vienna’s Prater is an amus
Page 63 and 64: Der Rote Elvis THE RED ELVIS On the
Page 65 and 66: Die Wilden Huehner und die Liebe WI
Page 67 and 68: GERMAN FILMS SHAREHOLDERS & SUPPORT
Page 69 and 70: ASSOCIATION OF GERMAN FILM EXPORTER
Page 71 and 72: Walter Brus Phone +49-(0)89-3809-17
Page 73 and 74: 7 GERMAN FILMS PREVIEWS 2007 12 - 1
Page 75 and 76: FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES IMPRINT Arg

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