german documentaries 2011

GANGSTER
by Christian Stahl BERLIN | CONFLICTS | CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY | CONTROVERSY | MIGRATION
At 15 Yehya is boss of an Arab-boy-gang – one of the
‘Gangsters-to-be’ in Berlin-Neukoelln. Two years later, the son of
Palestinian refugees is sentenced to three years in prison after a
brutal armed robbery.
The film accompanies Yehya during his years in prison and follows
his family in Berlin and Lebanon. It is the portrait of a juvenile
delinquent, whose criminal mind, charme and surprising
power of reflection are as stunning as they are shocking.
German title: GANGSTERLÄUFER
Festival: Max Ophuels Preis Saarbruecken
90min | HDCam | DigiBeta | DVD | 16:9 | German version with English subtitles
The film takes us on a journey through urban periphery, which, despite being right on our doorstep,
is entirely unfamiliar territory for most of us. Think of the late afternoon drive to IKEA. It is a journey
through a characterless and anonymous landscape that appears to express nothing whatsoever.
It is as if we had just parked the car on the hard shoulder, climbed over the barrier and fought our
way through the brambles to the white areas on our mental street map. The alleged no-man’s land
between dual carriageways, business parks, wastelands, flooded quarries and disused railway junctions
is inhabited by people who have claimed this territory for themselves, in order to create their own
dominion – like archipelagos in an almost incomprehensible void on the borders of the city, liberated
spaces full of passion and extraordinary plans.
German title: AUSFAHRT EDEN
Festivals: Hof
80min | DigiBeta | 16:9 | original German version with English subtitles available
676
german documentaries 2011
Production:
HANFGARN & UFER
Apostel-Paulus-Str. 6
10823 Berlin, Germany
tel.: +49 (0) 30-84855000
info@HU-film.de
www.HU-film.de
www.gangsterlaeufer.de
THE GARDENS OF EDEN
by Joerg Haassengier and Juergen Bruegger CITIES | CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY | CULTURE | NATURE | SOCIAL BIOTOPE
A stunning look at Afghan daily life in Kunduz, a city in the Afghan war. The story of five young
Afghans: Mirwais, a 10 year old boy, who defines war and peace with the words of a child. Nazanin,
18, fights for women's rights as a local radio reporter while wearing a burqa. Hasib, an activist for
democracy, who becomes disillusioned while preparing the Afghan elections. There's Ghulam and
Khatera, who are shooting their first film in the middle of the conflict – the outcry of a young generation
of Afghans. All five struggle hard for their goals and dreams, while living in daily fear of Taliban
attacks and the consequences of the foreign military’s presence. Having witnessed a devastating NATO
air strike in 2009, the people of Kunduz display a growing reluctance to trust foreigners. Nevertheless,
my team and I preferred to meet the local population rather than to be 'embedded' with ISAF forces.
German title: GENERATION KUNDUZ – Der Krieg der Anderen
81min | HDCam | original version with English or German subtitles available
Production:
filmtank gmbh
film + medienproduktion
Lippmannstr. 53
22769 Hamburg, Germany
tel.: +49 (0) 40-43186113
fax: +49 (0) 40-43186111
www.filmtank.de
GENERATION KUNDUZ – The War of the Others
by Martin Gerner CONFLICTS | DAILY LIFE | PORTRAIT | POLITICS | WOMEN | YOUTH | HUMAN-RIGHTS | WAR&PEACE
Contact:
Martin Gerner Filmproduktion
Neue Maastrichter Str. 14
50672 Cologne, Germany
tel.: +49 (0) 221-529110
cell: +49 (0) 176-40341254
tel.: +93 799-4038782 (Kabul)
mar.gerner@gmail.com