Constantin Film presents a Christian Becker ... - Delphis Films

Constantin Film
presents
a Christian Becker Production for
Westside Filmproduktion and Rat Pack Filmproduktion
A Christian Ditter Film
starring
Nick Romeo Reimann, Fabian Halbig, Leonie Tepe, Manuel Steitz,
Javidan Imani, Robin Walter, David Hürten, Ella-Maria Gollmer,
Maria Schrader, Smudo, Nora Tschirner,
Esther Schweins, Dietmar Bär and many others
Screenplay by
Neil Ennever and Christian Ditter
Based on characters and story elements from the novel "Crocodiles"
by Max von der Grün
Producers
Christian Becker
Lena Olbrich
Directed by
Christian Ditter
German Distribution by
Constantin Film
International Sales by
Delphis Films

CONTENTS
Synopsis 3
Press Notes 3
Story 4
The Adventure Continues 6
roduction Notes 7
Cast
Nick Romeo Reimann 9
Fabian Halbig 9
Leonie Tepe 9
Manuel Steitz 9
Ella-Maria Gollmer 10
Nora Tschirner 10
Esther Schweins 10
Dietmar Bär 11
Smudo 11
Maria Schrader 11
Crew
Christian Ditter (Writer-Director) 13
Neil Ennever (Writer) 13
Christian Becker (Producer) 13
Lena Olbrich (Producer) 14
Heiko Maile (Composer) 15
Cast & Crew 16
Page
2

SYNOPSIS
Summer vacation, the first tender stirrings of romance and cool new gang
headquarters – life could be perfect for The Crocodiles, were there not strange goingson
in the plant where Ollie (MANUEL STEITZ) and Maria's (LEONIE TEPE) parents
work. The factory is facing lay-offs and maybe even closure, meaning their parents
may lose their jobs, even their home. That would spell the end of the Crocodiles: if
Ollie and Maria have to move, there would be no gang left for Hannes (NICK ROMEO
REIMANN), Kai (FABIAN HALBIG), Jorgo (JAVIDAN IMANI), Frank (DAVID
HÜRTEN) and Peter (ROBIN WALTER), either! So of course the Crocodiles would do
anything to get to the bottom of the mysterious series of accidents at the plant -
including hair-raising stunts and chases, secretive sleuthing, and even going so far as
to get a makeover from Kai's seriously annoying big-city cousin Jenny (ELLA-MARIA
GOLLMER), so they can go undercover at the hippest nightclub in town. The
Crocodiles put the pedal to the metal and race full speed ahead – on bikes and
souped-up wheelchairs – into their next adventure!
PRESS NOTES
Shooting on CROCODILES 2, the sequel to the hit kids' tale of action and adventure
about a cool bunch of buddies in Germany's rust belt. The first installment, which sold
almost 650 000 tickets at the German B.O., earned writer/director Christian Ditter the
kids' movie award "White Elephant" and the screenwriting prize "Kid Tiger" awarded
by film board FFA and kids' channel Ki.Ka. THE CROCODILES was shown at 20
international festivals, winning prizes including the Audience Prize as well as the
Children's Jury Prize at the prestigious 23rd Cinekid International Film Festival in
Amsterdam. Now Christian Ditter is back with another exciting adventure for the
CROCODILES, based on the characters in the best-selling children's novel by Max
von der Grün.
The popular line-up of characters remains the same: Nick Romeo Reimann (THE
WILD SOCCER BUNCH 3-5), Fabian Halbig (the drummer of top teen band
"Killerpilze"), Leonie Tepe (TACO UND KANINCHEN) and Manuel Steitz (HERR
BELLO) play the young leads, backed by grown-up stars like famed rapper Smudo,
veteran screen beauty Maria Schrader (AIMEE & JAGUAR) and comedy darling Nora
Tschirner (KILLING IS MY BUSINESS, HONEY; RABBITS WITHOUT EARS) as the
hapless parents.
CROCODILES 2 is again being produced by Westside Filmproduktion and Rat Pack
Filmproduktion under the aegis of leading German producer Christian Becker (WICKIE
THE MIGHTY VIKING, THE WAVE, BANG BOOM BANG) and producer Lena Olbrich,
who also supervised part 1. Both companies are part of Germany's leading mini-major,
Constantin Film. Shooting took place in and around the Ruhr coal-and-steel region, in
towns like Duisburg, Kleinenbremen (Porta Westfalica), Dortmund, Hückelhoven and
Cologne. Funding was provided by the federal, Bavarian, and North Rhine-
Westphalian film boards, and NRW Bank.
3

STORY
BOOM! With a loud crash, the Crocodiles find themselves in a tunnel leading to an
abandoned mine. What a lucky find: It's the perfect location for their new headquarters.
Hannes (NICK ROMEO REIMANN), Kai (FABIAN HALBIG) Ollie (MANUEL STEITZ),
Maria (LEONIE TEPE), Frank (DAVID HÜRTEN), Jorgo (JAVIDAN IMANI) and Peter
(ROBIN WALTER) waste no time in getting their new HQ shipshape. Here they'll be
safe from prying eyes and uninvited guests – just a precaution, after a gang of burglars
led by Frank's hoodlum brother Dennis destroyed their hideout last year.
Their burglar-nabbing escapade taught the Crocodiles how to stick together, their
bickering among each other is a thing of the past: wheelchair-bound Kai is usually even
faster than the rest of the gang on their bikes, thanks to his new set of wheels. Hannes
may still be the shortest, but everyone knows he's also the bravest. Jorgo has learned
to be proud of his Greek roots, and Peter isn’t quite the scaredy-cat he was a year ago.
All except for Elvis, who was sent to boarding school by his parents as punishment for
spray-painting graffiti, the Crocodiles are an inseparable team, that sticks together like
glue. Ollie, their leader, may not approve of the fact that Maria and Hannes have a
crush on each other and are making their first shy attempts at flirting – Maria is his
sister, after all. But he doesn't let it get in the way of them having a good time and lots
of adventures together.
The gang is enjoying the freedom of summer vacation. Only Kai, whose parents
(MARIA SCHRADER and SMUDO) are planning a romantic get-away, suddenly has an
unwelcome escort to "take care" of him: His annoying big-city teen cousin Jenny (ELLA-
MARIA GOLLMER), of all people, is his babysitter, whether he likes it or not. She's
more interested in boys and her looks, and thinks the Crocodiles and their whole gang
thing is just kids' stuff.
In the meantime, things are not looking good at the factory where Ollie and Maria's
parents work (ESTHER SCHWEINS and DIETMAR BÄR): For some reason, the
assembly line keeps breaking down and the company has to run reduced shifts. If
things don't change soon, the plant will have to close, the workers will be laid off and
have to vacate their company-owned housing. That means Ollie and Maria's family
would have to move in with their grandparents in a different city – a nightmare scenario
for the Crocoldiles! The gang would surely fall apart without Ollie and Maria.
They need a plan, and fast: A Crocodile meeting is called. The gang decides to shadow
two factory employees they saw acting suspiciously, the Boller twins (ROMAN and
RAOUL BRAUNER). To trail them, the kids will have to find some way to get into the
hippest nightclub in town: CHROME. The bouncer at the door (CHRISTIAN
KAHRMANN) at first proves an insurmountable obstacle for the Crocodiles. He only lets
Jenny in on account of her older looks - but thankfully she sneaks our heroes in through
the back, their pride sullied but their resolve intact. Inside the club, they are able to
confirm their misgivings about the Boller twins' shady dealings. And Ollie just barely
manages to avoid getting the stuffing beat out of him.
4

On a secret mission behind enemy lines, the Crocodiles sneak inside the huge factory
itself to find the final scrap of evidence they need. But they are surprised and almost
beaten by the Boller twins, only barely managing to escape thanks to a daring
maneuver. The next day they meet with Ollie and Maria's parents – whose dad is a
union leader – in order to fill them in about the dastardly doings in the plant, but they
don't listen. The decision has already been made by management - the factory will be
shut down, and the workers thrown out on the streets. The packing crates have already
been ordered.
Totally despondent, Hannes comes home and finds his single mom, Kristina (NORA
TSCHIRNER), with her new date, Dieter Gotte (FELIX KLARE). Hannes had actually
been hoping that Dieter would be the man to make his mom happy again – he even
arranged the first date himself, via the internet. But something about this guy seems
fishy. Hannes calls the Crocodiles into action, and together they hatch a plan for an
unusual undercover mission. The brave friends will have to go to extraordinary lengths
to expose the bad guys' villainous schemes. In an action-packed, edge-of-the-seat
climax in their underground headquarters, the Crocodiles will fight to save the factory,
the city and their gang!
5

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES...
Hannes: "Come on! We can't have a gang without a headquarters!"
Peter: "B... b… better no gang than a d-d-dead one."
Jenny: "Aw, sweet, a gang with an animal name! Are there a lot of handicapped kids
here?"
Kai: "Well now there’s one more."
Frank: "Your cousin is totally hot, man!"
Kai: "That explains all the hot air."
Maria: "I'd rather have brains than look like that!"
Ollie: "The headquarters is for Crocodiles only."
Hannes: "Ollie's our leader. There won't be any more Crocodiles without him and
Maria."
Jorgo: "Hey, look, I found a whole box full of candles."
Hannes: "Jorgo, that's dynamite!"
Frank: "Quick, blow it out!"
Hannes: "Do your friends stick up for you, no matter what?"
Jorgo: "When I grow up, I wanna be unemployed, too!"
Kristina: "What do you do when you're not stalking women on the internet?"
Dieter Gotte: "I'm an investor."
Kristina: “Hmm. Well, your Return on Investment is going to be negative tonight."
6

PRODUCTION NOTES
Exactly one year after the first installment of THE CROCODILES, shooting started on
the sequel – right on time for the start of summer vacation. "We were already working
on the sequel during the shooting of the first film, in case the audience liked the first
part", explains producer Christian Becker: "On a kid's film series, you're always facing
the challenge that your cast grows older quickly, and then the story doesn't work any
more."
As writer-director Christian Ditter hit the editing room, the production firm hired
screenwriter Neil Ennever to start working on the script for the sequel. He was Christian
Ditter's first choice: "We've known each other since film school, when we worked on a
short film together. Developing a story together, it's very important to be on the same
wavelength, humor-wise. I really had a great time working with Neil."
The story has grown along with our protagonists and the audience: The Crocodiles are
a year older now. "So the sequel is a little more grown up, but still shares the themes of
friendship, loyalty, social responsibility and humor. Everything that was important in the
first part is also there in the sequel", says Christian Becker. "That means we have an
action-packed story, which is even more exciting and incredibly emotional. The fans of
the book by Max von der Grün, of the first movie and the TV movie, won't be
disappointed."
The cast has also been ramped up for CROCODILES 2: German stars Esther Schweins
and Dietmar Bär are two rust belt originals. The two Ruhr natives play Ollie and Maria's
blue-collar parents fighting for their livelihood with real hometown zeal. "While the first
movie was about the integration and acceptance of handicapped people, the second
part is about social responsibility", explains producer Christian Becker. "It's about
families threatened economically, in danger of losing their jobs, their homes, everything,
and the closure of their factory, while it's all combined with a suspenseful detective
story." Fellow producer Lena Olbrich adds that "the social themes are always an
important part of the CROCODILES. The story is funny and exciting, but there's another
level in the film, which is about responsibility and standing up for each other."
Writer-director Christian Ditter sees the film as reflecting problems of modern society:
"Right now we unfortunately have a lot of companies going bankrupt, and a lot of people
losing their jobs. That has consequences for the way we live together, in a community,
in a town or suburb – where our story takes place. I thought that was an interesting
topic to pick up and tell in a way a young audience can relate to."
Despite the socially-conscious subject matter, the filmmakers took pains never to lose
sight of telling an exciting and entertaining story, first and foremost. The action
sequences were filmed employing elaborate stunts and shot, on request by the young
actors, without stand-ins as much as possible. "The kids were really great", Christian
Ditter enthuses. "Each one of them had a stunt to shoot. That means each one had a
highlight day. Just before something was about to collapse under them, for instance, I
did have the feeling they were a little nervous. But they tried not to let on."
Most of the action sequences were also staged in live-action. "A real challenge!" recalls
producer Lena Olbrich. "For instance, we really shot the fireball, and the bridge in the
gang's headquarters really did collapse like that.
7

The mine we found was such a fantastic location, with a great pit, where we shot live.
So the F/X department had quite a job this time around, making all those explosions in
real life."
On the sequel, the team was just as dedicated to finding authentic locations and
invested a great deal of time and effort to find the perfect places to shoot – in Cologne,
Duisburg, Dortmund and Hückelhoven. Especially the abandoned mine in Porta
Westfalica – scene of the spectacular showdown and the set for the gang's
headquarters – turned out to be a real challenge. "We had about 48 tons of equipment
in there. All of a sudden, it became a challenge to hang a single light", Lena Olbrich
reports. Add to that the fact the mine had a more or less constant temperature of 10°C
(50°F), making it a chilly place to work. While outside, on the hottest summer days of
2009, the mercury reached 37°C (99°F), the film crew was several hundred meters
under ground, shooting in winter jackets, scarves, hats and gloves. The young actors
had to act their scenes in light summer clothes, no less. Despite getting cold ears and
noses, the kids enjoyed the adventure of shooting underground and survived the
production with no colds or coughs.
"Our cast had changed a lot over the year", Christian Ditter recalls. "All of a sudden,
they were all a foot taller and a lot older, and for me that was like – wow! Our rapport
was even closer than it was first time around, so that was great." For producer Christian
Becker, this energy proved contagious for all the crew and the finished film, as well. "It's
going to be an incredibly emotional journey for the audience, and I'm already looking
forward to getting the feedback from the audience. CROCODILES 2 is even better than
the first one!"
8

CAST
Nick Romeo Reimann (Hannes)
Nick Romeo Reimann was born in Munich, Germany in 1998. He erupted onto the
screen 2006 in his breakout role as "Nerve" in the WILD SOCCER BUNCH series,
whom he played in parts 3, 4 and 5, directed by Joachim Masannek, author of the
bestselling book series. He also appeared in detective show SOKO 5113 in 2006.
Playing "Hannes" in the first installment of THE CROCODILES (2008), Nick had to
prove his courage with a spectacular dare.
Fabian Halbig (Kai)
Fabian Halbig, born in Dillingen on the Danube in 1992, is the drummer of teen punk
rock band Killerpilze (Killer Shrooms), which he founded in 2002 together with his
brother Johannes and two schoolmates. Their debut album "Invasion der Killerpilze"
was released 2006, reaching the Top Ten in Germany and Austria. They followed it up
with their second album 2007, the third long-player is to follow 2010. The role of
wheelchair-bound Kai in THE CROCODILES (2008) was Fabian Halbig's acting debut.
Leonie Tepe (Maria)
Leonie Tepe, born 1995, is a talented athlete as well as actress: she likes dancing
(ballet and video-style dancing), competitive swimming and climbing. Following guest
appearances on TV series HALT DURCH PAUL! and SOKO COLOGNE, she had her
first lead in the TV adaptation of the kid's mystery series TACO UND KANINCHEN,
written by Amelie Fried and Peter Probst, which was aired 2008. In THE CROCODILES
(2008), Leonie Tepe as "Maria" was the only girl cool enough to be in the gang.
Manuel Steitz (Olli)
Manuel Steitz, born in Munich 1994, began acting in short films by students of Munich
film school HFF such as ANIMAL LOVER, 2002. In 2004, he acted in CATCH OF A
LIFETIME, directed by Sebastian Stern. He had his first theatrical feature role in
ROBBER HOTZENPLOTZ, directed by veteran German DoP Gernot Roll, as one of the
two child leads. Then, in 2007, he had the child lead in another adaptation of a popular
children's classic, Paul Maar's MR. BELLO, directed by Ben Verbong and co-starring
Armin Rohde as the dog-turned-man. In 2008, Manuel Steitz played the part of "Olli",
leader of THE CROCODILES.
9

Ella-Maria Gollmer (Jenny)
Ella-Maria Gollmer, born 1994, had her acting debut in star techno DJ Marc 'OH's music
video "When the Children Cry" 2002. In 2006, she acted the lead role of Lilly Nyvell in
John Delbridge's INGA LINDSTRÖM: VICKERBY FOR EVER. A year later, she was girl
vampire Marry in THE WILD SOCCER BUNCH 5. In 2008, she played the title
character THE COUNTESS, as a young Julie Delpy. In 2009, she acted the part of
"Lisa" in TV movie ROSANNA'S DAUGHTER.
Nora Tschirner (Hannes’ Mutter Kristina)
Nora Tschirner, born 1981 in Berlin, began her screen career as an MTV VJ 2001. First
acting roles for movies and TV followed, including NEVER MIND THE WALL (2001)
directed by Connie Walter, and the lead role as Paula in ARD's "Dawson's Creek"
adaptation STERNENFÄNGER "("Star Catchers"). Theatrical leads followed, including
in Arno Saul's KEBAB CONNECTION (2004) Ute Wieland's FC VENUS (2006), TV
movies LAST PIECE OF HEAVEN (2007) by Jo Baier and JON TICHY: SPACE PILOT
(series, 2007). Her breakout role came opposite Germany's top beau Til Schweiger in
his hit rom-com RABBITS WITHOUT EARS (2007). In 2008, Nora Tschirner acted both
the part of Hannes' Mom in Christian Ditter's CROCODILES, as well as opposite comic
Rick Kavanian in screwball comedy KILLING IS MY BUSINESS, HONEY, followed by
Spanish feature LA NOCHE QUE DEJÓ DE ILOVER by Alfonso Zarauza. In 2009
followed BON APPETIT by David Pinillos and the equally successful "Rabbits" sequel
ZWEIOHRKÜKEN, again directed by Til Schweiger.
Esther Schweins (Ollie and Maria's Mother)
Esther Schweins, born 1970 in Oberhausen, Germany, studied drama in Karlsruhe und
Bochum. She first became famous on RTL's version of "Saturday Night Live".
Numerous TV and movie roles followed, such as thriller FIRE (2004) by Hardi Sturm, a
film adaptation of Maxim Gorky's NIGHT ASYLUM (2005), THE CALLER (2006) by
Felix Randau and INSENSITIVE (2007) by Mathilde Bonnefoy. In 2009, she also acted
in Vivian Naefe's TV movie THE DOC AND THE WITCH. She also tours live with her
one-woman stage show CAVEMAN, and currently with follow-up "Hi Dad! Help, I'm a
father" . Esther Schweins voiced Princess Fiona in the German dub of SHREK 1-3, and
has hosted theater shows for ZDF theater channel and 3sat since 2000.
10

Dietmar Bär (Ollie and Maria's Father)
Dietmar Bär, born in Dortmund 1961, studied acting at Bochum Drama School and
acted his first lead in Dominik Graf's TV movie TREFFER (1984), following it up with
numerous broadcast and theatrical productions, such as Doris Dörrie's breakout hit
MEN (1985), TV miniseries KOMMISSAR KLEFISCH (1989-1995) and SPORTS
DOCTOR CONNY KNIPPER (1993-1995), Lars Becker's DAS GELBE VOM EI (1998),
THE MAMBO GAME (1997), directed by Michael Gwisdek, KAI RABE AGAINST THE
VATICAN KILLERS (1998), Peter Thorwarth's IF IT DON'T FIT, USE A BIGGER
HAMMER, GUYS AND BALLS (2003), Marcus O. Rosenmüller's TV movie MISSION
HAMBURG – THIRD HALF (2008) or Lars Becker's TV production NIGHT SHIFT –
RUSSIAN ROULETTE (2008). He became a household wnameord as Freddy Schenk,
one of the homicide detectives on the Cologne team of long-running series SCENE OF
THE CRIME, which he has acted since 1997 along with partner Klaus J. Behrendt, a
role that won him a German TV Prize as best male series actor in 2000.
Smudo (Kai's Father)
Smudo was born 1968 in Offenbach, Germany. In 1989, he founded hip-hop quartet
"Die fantastischen Vier", together with Michi Beck, Thomas D. and And.Y, who rose to
be the top German rap act with their overnight smash "Die da" (1992), followed by "Sie
ist weg" (1995). Their latest album "Fornika" also topped the charts 2007. In addition to
movie roles such as WAS GEHT – DIE FANTASTISCHEN VIER (2001) or POEM – I
SET MY FOOT UPON THE AIR AND IT CARRIED ME (2003), Smudo has also cut his
teeth as a dubbing actor recently, including a penguin in MADAGASCAR (2005) and
MADAGASCAR 2 (2008), the role of "Justforkix" in the German dub of ASTERIX AND
THE VIKINGS (2006), and in HOODWINKED (2006. In THE CROCODILES (2008), he
played the father of wheelchair-bound "Kai".
Smudo is a race car driver and pilot.
Maria Schrader (Kai's Mutter)
Maria Schrader was born in Hannover in 1965. After attending the Max Reinhardt
Seminar in Vienna, she acted on the stage before her screen debut 1989 in Dani Levy's
ROBBYKALLEPAUL. She followed it up with many theatrical and TV roles, including
ONE OF MY OLDEST FRIENDS (1994) directed by Rainer Kaufmann, Doris Dörrie's
NO ONE LOVES ME (1994) and AM I BEAUTIFUL? (1998), SILENT NIGHT (1995) and
MESCHUGGE (1998) by Dani Levy, as well as AIMÉE AND JAGUAR (1998). In 2001,
she appeared in the film version of Erich Kästner's youth classic EMIL AND THE
DETECTIVES, in 2002 in Dani Levy's I'M THE FATHER, in 2003 in Margarethe von
Trotta's ROSENSTRASSE, 2004 in Peter Greenaway's THE TULSE LUPER
SUITCASES and 2005 in SNOWLAND by Hans W. Geissendörfer. In the first
CROCODILES (2008), she played the mother of wheelchair-bound Kai.
11

Maria Schrader's long list of awards includes Bavarian and German Film Prizes 1994
for NO ONE LOVES ME and Bavarian and German Film Prizes/Filmband in Gold 1998,
Silvern Bear 1999 for AIMÉE AND JAGUAR. Her 2007 directing debut LOVE LIFE won
critical acclaim.
Since 2007, she has also been acting on the stage at the Schauspielhaus Cologne
(THE GOLDEN FLEECE, GOD OF CARNAGE) and at Hamburg's Thalia Theater (DIE
KONTRAKTE DES KAUFMANNS).
12

CREW
Christian Ditter (Writer-Director)
Christian Ditter was born in Giessen in 1977. He attended Munich film school HFF
Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München, winning prizes at national and
international festivals with his short films VERZAUBERT (2000) and GROUNDED
(2003). His internationally funded and produced debut feature FRENCH FOR
BEGINNERS launched at the top of German B.O. charts in summer of 2006. He went
on to direct Grimme Prize and German TV Prize winning series TURKISH FOR
BEGINNERS (2007) and hit RTL series DOCTOR’S DIARY (2008), which won the
German TV Prize, the German Comedy Prize and the Grimme Prize. In 2008, he
directed the theatrical adaptation of Max von der Grün's children's classic THE
CROCODILES, which won him the kidpic prize "White Elephant" as well as the
screenplay prize "Kid Tiger" awarded by the federal film board and KI.KA kids'
channel.
Neil Ennever (Screenplay)
Neil Ennever studied film and TV production at Westminster University in London,
concentrating on screenwriting in the last two years of his studies. His mentor was Tony
Grisoni - author of films like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "In This World". Neil
wrote and directed his graduating film THE WAIT before coming to Germany to work on
the short GROUNDED with Christian Ditter.
Since moving to Germany he has worked as screenwriter for Wiedemann & Berg
Filmproduktion, Hofmann & Voges Entertainment and Odeon Pictures on various film
and TV projects. He is currently writing a drama for Hager Moss Film and a comedy for
Film1.
Christian Becker (Producer)
Christian Becker, born in 1972 in Krefeld, worked in the film industry for several years
before enrolling at Munich Film School in 1994, where he produced over 15 short films,
commercials and numerous documentaries, including graduating films DER GROSSE
LACHER by Benjamin Herrmann and Florian Gallenberger's Student Oscar winner
QUIERO SER.
In 1997, Becker founded Indigo Filmproduktion and Becker & Häberle Filmproduktion
together with partner Thomas Häberle, with which he produced TV movie DAS
PHANTOM, theatrical features BANG BOOM BANG and IF IT DON'T FIT, USE A
BIGGER HAMMER, KANAK ATTACK and 7 DAYS TO LIVE. In 2000, Becker was one
of the most successful producers in the German industry at the age of 28.
In 2001, Christian Becker left Indigo and Becker & Häberle, which had been folded into
publicly-held F.A.M.E. AG, and went on to found Rat Pack Filmproduktion and Westside
Filmproduktion together with leading German distrib Constantin Film and his close-knit
band of filmmaking pros.
13

Under the new shingles, Christian Becker churned out a host of successful TV projects,
such as HUNT FOR THE ANCIENT RELIC, two seasons of IF IT DON'T FIT, USE A
BIGGER HAMMER – THE SERIES, RATS 2, or ProSieben's hit spoofs FAIRY TALE
HOUR and the ProSieben FUNNY MOVIES.
Thearical ventures include Helge Schneider's concert film JAZZCLUB – THE EARLY
BIRD CATCHES THE WORM (2004) and B.O. smash THE TRIXXER (2003), which
sold 1.9 million tickets. Becker also produced Peter Thorwarth's film GOLDENE ZEITEN
(2004), theatrical hit HUI BUH – THE GOOFY GHOST (2005) by Sebastian Niemann or
THE VEXXER (2007) by Cyrill Boss & Philipp Stennert. In 2008, Dennis Gansel's THE
WAVE was invited to Sundance and won a German Film Prize (2008).
That same year, he and his team produced Sebastian Niemann's screwball comedy
KILLING IS MY BUSINESS starring Nora Tschirner and Rick Kavanian, as well as
award-winning kid's classic adaptation THE CROCODILES, directed by Christian Ditter.
In the summer of 2009, Christian Becker's production of VICKY THE VIKING, directed
by Germany's most successful director Michael Bully Herbig, sold almost 4.9 million
tickets to this day.
Current pipeline includes best-seller pulp mystery adaptation JERRY COTTON
(German release: 03/11/2010) directed by Boss & Stennert, German über-producer
Bernd Eichinger's ZEITEN ÄNDERN DICH (German release: 02/04/2010) directed by
Uli Edel, and, shooting currently, Dennis Gansel's vampire romance WE ARE THE
NIGHT (German release: Fall 2010)
.
Lena Olbrich (Producer)
Lena Olbrich was born in Munich in 1980, majoring in German Literature and
Communications at Munich University until 2005. She began working for Christian
Becker as early as the year 2000, learning the creative ropes of a producer's job from
the ground up: she first worked in Development, then as Line Producer, supervising TV
and movie projects IF IT DON'T FIT, USE A BIGGER HAMMER (series, 2 seasons
2003-04), ICH BIN EIN BERLINER (TV, 2005), PROSIEBEN FAIRY TALE HOUR (TV,
2 seasons, 2006-07), THE VEXXER (2006) directed by Cyrill Boss and Philipp Stennert,
and the FUNNY MOVIE spoofs (TV, 2007). In 2008, Lena Olbrich handled her first
theatrical film as producer, with the adaptation of Max von der Grün's THE
CROCODILES, which went on to win a number of awards.
14

Heiko Maile (Composer)
Heiko Maile is a musician and composer best known as one of the founding members
of Camouflage – a band that charted internationally with hits "Love Is A Shield" and
"The Great Commandment" – with whom he released seven albums and countless
singles over the band's 25-year history.
He also works as a music producer, film composer (THE WAVE, THE CROCODILES)
and keyboard player in Stuttgart, Berlin and the Frankfurt composing collective
"Gutleut.tv".
His musical focus lies on composing and recording electronic music. Working closely
with director Christian Ditter on CROCODILES 2, he crafted a soundtrack heavily
indebted to modern youth culture.
The Film Single:
Further info on the sound track and single via mail or Constantin Film Press Server
15

CAST
CREW
Hannes Nick Romeo Reimann
Kai Fabian Halbig
Maria Leonie Tepe
Olli Manuel Steitz
Jorgo Javidan Imani
Peter Robin Walter
Frank David Hürten
Jenny Ella-Maria Gollmer
Hannes’ Mother Nora Tschirner
Kai's Mother Maria Schrader
Kai's Father Smudo
Ollie and Maria's Mother Esther Schweins
Ollie and Maria's Father Dietmar Bär
Boller 1 Raoul Brauner
Boller 2 Roman Brauner
Directed by Christian Ditter
Screenplay Neil Ennever and Christian Ditter
based on charactes and themes of the novel
"Vorstadtkrokodile" by Max von der Grün
Producers Christian Becker
Lena Olbrich
Business Management Kristina Strohm
Production Companies Westside Filmproduktion GmbH
Rat Pack Filmproduktion GmbH
Director of Photography Christian Rein
Set Design Eva Stiebler
Costume Design Caro Sattler
Editing Ueli Christen
Principle Photography 6/30/2009 - 9/3/2009
Locations Duisburg, Kleinenbremen (Porta Westfalica),
Dortmund, Hückelhoven, Cologne
Funded by Filmstiftung NRW, FFF FilmFernsehFonds Bayern,
FFA Filmförderungsanstalt, DFFF, NRW Bank
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DISTRIBUTED IN GERMANY BY
Constantin Film
Photo material (TIFFs / JPEGs in various resolutions)
and text material are available for download online at:
www.constantinfilm.medianetworx.de
INTERNATIONAL SALES BY
DELPHIS FILMS INC.
225 Roy St. East, suite 200, Montreal, QC, Canada H2W 1M5
Phone: 1-514- 843-3355 Fax: 1- 514- 843 9574
Contact: Xiaojuan Zhou, President, xiao@delphisfilms.com
www.delphisfilms.com
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