Helge AlbersCEO of MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein: "Six MOIN-funded films in Cannes, three of them in competition - that's as good as it gets! From social satire to emotional romantic drama to dark thriller, everything is represented this year. We are delighted for all the teams, including the Hamburg production company Tamtam Film with their drama 'Pacifiction' and Director Rudolf Fitzgerald Leonard, who shot his short film 'Beben' almost entirely in Schleswig-Holstein. And now it's time to keep our fingers crossed!"
MORE ABOUT THE FILMS
COMPETITION
"Triangle of Sadness"
After his Cannes-winning film "The Square" in 2017, Swedish Director Ruben Östlund is back in the race for the Palme d'Or with "Triangle of Sadness". The social satire is about two models who go on a luxury cruise in the South Seas. The trip ends in an absurd disaster when the ship sinks and some survivors manage to save themselves on a deserted island. The film received 150,000 euros in production support from the MOIN Film Fund. Part of the post production and the team are from Hamburg.
"Holy Spider"
Directors Ali Abbasi's "Holy Spider", a dark German-Danish co-production, will be screened in competition at Cannes this year. In this thriller, a journalist delves into the dark underbelly of the Iranian city of Mashhad to get to the bottom of the serial murders of prostitutes by the so-called "spider killer". He believes he has to cleanse the streets of sinners. Abbasi's film "Border" won the main prize in the "Un Certain Regard" section at Cannes in 2018. The film "Holy Spider", part of whose post production took place in Hamburg, received 90,000 in funding from the MOIN Film Fund.
"Pacifiction - Tourment sur les Îles"
In Albert Serra's new drama, everything revolves around a French high commissioner in Tahiti (played by Benoît Magimel). Between official receptions and dodgy pubs, he constantly feels the pulse of the local population, from which anger can rise at any time. This is all the more true as a rumour persists: A submarine has allegedly been sighted, its ghostly presence heralding a resumption of French nuclear testing. The Hamburg production company Tamtam Film ("Ein großes Versprechen", "Manche hatten Krokodile") is behind the European co-production. The production was subsidised with 80,000 euros.
UN CERTAIN REGARD
"More Than Ever"
Directors and Script Writer Emily Atef won more German film awards than any other film in 2018 with the Romy Schneider drama "3 Days in Quiberon". Her new feature film "More Than Ever" is now celebrating its premiere in Cannes around four years later. The film is about a young woman (played by Vicky Krieps) who flees the big city and finds the place for her final journey in the nature of Norway. A love story, an emotional drama about the end of life - and a tribute to the Norwegian landscape. Atef co-wrote the script with Lars Hubrich (including "Tschick") and the production design was created by Hamburg-based Silke Fischer (including "Unorthodox" and "3 Days in Quiberon"). The production was subsidised with 200,000 euros.
"Burning Days"
In the thriller "Burning Days" by Turkish Director Emin Alper, a young and idealistic lawyer finds himself in the Turkish town of Balkaya. As the local elections approach, he is confronted with the complexity of small-town politics, where everyone lives according to their own version of the truth. Alper's film "A Tale of Three Sisters" screened in competition at the Berlinale in 2019. Part of the post production, including editing and music, took place in Hamburg. The production was funded with 100,000 euros.
QUINZAINE DES RÈALISATEURS
"Beben"
Directors Rudolf Fitzgerald Leonard's short film "Beben" was largely shot in Schleswig-Holstein - the main actor is Luis Brandt from Hamburg. The film centres on physiotherapist Mina and her young patient Leon, who lives with infantile cerebral palsy. During a therapy session in the therapy pool, an incident occurs that is recorded on a mobile phone by a few bystanders and posted on the internet. The video and its distribution on social media have far-reaching consequences for the two main protagonists. Fitzgerald Leonard wrote the script together with Luis Brandt and Executive Producer Annika Birgel. "Beben" was funded with 12,000 euros.
The 75th Cannes International Film Festival takes place this year from 17 to 28 May.
