First I travel, then the audience travels

Socks, plastic bag, socks, plastic bag - and only then the shoes. Hamburg-based Executive Producer Dorothe Beinemeier would never have thought that this combination would help against wet icy feet when she travelled to the Syrian border in Israel in December 2019. Directors Ameer Fakher Eldin spent almost three weeks shooting his feature film debut "The Stranger" in the Golan Heights. He grew up here himself and knows the area inside out. For the Hamburg part of the crew, it was a wet and cold adventure: "Our collaboration came about through a few lucky coincidences. I had actually travelled to Israel in the summer of 2018 for another project, but I met Ameer there. He was a young, up-and-coming Director who was looking for partners for his first feature-length film," reveals Beinemeier. Even though the financing was not exactly easy, she decided to support the project with her Hamburg-based company Red Balloon Film. The special style of the Director had convinced her.

And so she travelled to the Syrian border over the Christmas holidays in 2019 - together with Hamburg Director of Photography and HMS graduate Niklas Lindschau and a few other crew members from the Hanseatic city. "The winter there is really harsh and we had to get tips from the locals on how to withstand the weather," reveals Beinemeier. The Directors then came to Germany for post production - and has lived in Hamburg ever since thanks to an artist's visa. And that is precisely what drives Beinemeier in international co-productions: Partnerships that go beyond a one-off collaboration. And, of course, attracting film talent to their home city.

A few weeks ago, "The Stranger" celebrated its premiere at the Venice Film Festival and was awarded the Edipo Re prize. A great success for a debut film and confirmation of Beinemeier's flair. The German premiere at Filmfest Hamburg will follow on 5 October. The film focuses on a failed doctor in the Golan Heights who drinks too much and has fallen out with his family. Then one day he meets a wounded man from the Syrian war - and fate takes its course.

But this year, a second production, "France" by Bruno Dumont, which was co-produced by Red Ballon Film, will be screened at the film festival on 7 October. "I was delighted when the collaboration with Bruno came about and could hardly believe my luck," enthuses Beinemeier. The film, starring international star Léa Seydoux, premiered in competition at Cannes 2021 and tells the fictional story of star journalist France de Meurs, who is seemingly unaffected until she injures a wheelchair user in a car accident, falls into a downward spiral and has to start all over again. Even though the film was not shot in the north, Barbara Kreuzer (make-up) was once again part of the team from Hamburg and parts of the post production also took place in the Hanseatic city. The team also spent around a week filming in Bavaria.

A directorial debut from the Golan Heights and great cinema from France at the same time - how does that fit together? "Both films are pure arthouse and auteur cinema. That's where the overlap lies for me," says Beinemeier. She is also building on long-term collaborations for both projects. New projects are currently being planned with both Dumont and Ameer Fakher Eldin. With so much auteur cinema, one almost forgets that the Hamburg-based Executive Producer actually comes from the children's and family film sector. With her former company Hamsterfilm, she produced successful projects such as "My Friend the Giraffe" and the vampire series "The Heirs of the Night". Her current project is the film adaptation of the youth book series "Alea Aquarius", for which she secured the rights very early on. The series is currently in project development. Beinemeier's portfolio also includes "When I'm done dying", a youth film about a rapper from the slums of Istanbul. The drama has already won an award for Best Director (Nisan Dağ) at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and will hopefully be released here soon. The film is a perfect match for Red Balloon: an international co-production with a young female Director. "Other countries, other cultures, other stories. That's why I make co-productions. You could also say: first I travel, then the audience travels," says Beinemeier and laughs. Film as a journey, as international understanding, without having to leave the cinema seat or the living room. She wants to show her audience new things and develop an understanding for other cultures.

But of course the Hamburg-based Executive Producer herself also enjoys going on a trip to the cinema. Is there a film that she is particularly looking forward to at Filmfest Hamburg? "I'm already very excited about the closing film 'Les Olympiades' by Jacques Audiard. But beyond that, the greatest gift is that the film festival is taking place physically, that you can go to the cinema and talk to people on site," says Beinemeier. We can only agree with that.