bombero international is one of the four co-production companies of the film, part of the post production took place in Hamburg and the Hamburg Konken Studio was responsible for the sound. Can you explain what part you had in the film as a Hamburg production company?

Nurhan Sekerci-PorstWe came on board with bombero international in the post-production phase because the Executive Producers still needed money to finish the film. When we saw the rough cut, Fatih and I immediately realised: we want to support this Director! We knew that the MOIN Film Fund had a funding programme for the completion, which we had already received in the past for Kurdish or Turkish films. This is perfect for co-productions! In this way, talents from abroad can be brought together with Hamburg companies and the films can also be distributed in German cinemas.

How did the collaboration with the Indonesian Director Edwin come about?

Nurhan Sekerci-PorstMichael Weber, who has been distributing Fatih Akin's films for many years with his global sales company MATCHFACTORY, drew our attention to Edwin's film. Michael co-produced the film with producer Viola Fügen (Matchfactory Productions) and distributed Edwin's previous film "Postcards from the Zoo" worldwide. We got to know Edwin and his Executive Producer Meiske Taurisia via Zoom and made a decision very quickly. We liked them both immediately, it was love at first sight.

The film's crew and production are quite international: The film is based on an Indonesian novel, the director of photography was Akiko Ashizawa from Japan, the editor Lee Chatametikool comes from Thailand and, in addition to bombero international and Match Factory Productions from Germany, two production companies from Singapore were also involved. How did this international co-operation work? What went particularly well and were there any obstacles?

Nurhan Sekerci-PorstWe were delighted to co-finance the post-sound work and music recordings in Hamburg and to be able to deepen the creative relationship between Germany and Indonesia. It was a wonderful experience to co-produce with so many cultures. We all learnt something new and realised how things are done in the other respective countries. The time difference was a challenge!

Meiske TaurisiaThe fact that we as a team managed to present the film to the world during the pandemic is our greatest success. At the same time, it also became our biggest challenge to get the film into Distribution. As we all know, cinemas are either closed or only open to a limited extent due to the pandemic. As a result, many films have been on hold for almost two years and the waiting list is overflowing.

The film has already been very successful in Locarno and won the Golden Leopard for Best Film. Did you sense the film's potential as a festival winner beforehand?

Meiske TaurisiaWe would never have expected this. Taking part in a competition always feels like a gamble. You never know who the competition will be and what kind of film they will make, not to mention the competing artistic and cinematic experience. This is why the Golden Leopard means so much not only to us, but also to Southeast Asian cinema.

Nurhan Sekerci-PorstAfter the success of Edwin's previous films with premieres at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Berlinale, Michael had high expectations that this film would also have a strong festival presence. Edwin's vision as a storyteller is unique, mixing genres and realising comedy in a completely new way. We therefore knew that Edwin would make this adaptation of Eka Kurniawan's bestselling novel a unique experience with strong arthouse and theatre potential.

The German premiere of the film will take place at the Filmfest Hamburg, what does it mean for you as a Hamburg production company to bring the film to the Elbe?

Nurhan Sekerci-Porst: Edwin and Kurniawan's script ambitiously attempts to combine humour, action, thrills and supernatural elements. The film is a lot of fun and we are delighted that the Filmfest Hamburg and the MOIN Film Fund see it the same way and have supported us.

Meiske Taurisia: We are very excited to be part of the Filmfest Hamburg and are proud to have arrived at this point after a long journey. It has been an amazing journey.