In "Porcelain", Directors and Script Writer Annika Birgel tells a story about social traditions and female role models from a "coming-of-age" perspective. The short film is now being shown for the first time in the Generation Kplus programme of the Berlinale and is therefore aimed at a young audience.
Work on the short film began four years ago. The story for "Porcelain" was created together with co-author Rudolf Fitzgerald Leonard, with whom Birgel also wrote her previous scripts: Through the eyes of ten-year-old protagonist Fina, played by Hamburg native Nell Marie Haack, cinema audiences accompany a traditional wedding reception that takes place on a small and somewhat remote island. Fina is confronted with conservative role models and questions of belonging.
Porcelain" was produced by the Berlin production company "Problemkind", but the film was shot over a total of six days in Schleswig-Holstein. The film was mainly shot in Lübeck, but some scenes for the film were also shot on the small Hallig Nordstrandischmoor. "One of the reasons why we decided to shoot "Porcelain" in Schleswig-Holstein was our previous film "Beben", which was shot in Kiel and Dithmarschen. While scouting for "Beben", we discovered some incredibly great locations that served as inspiration for the filming locations for "Porcelain"," reveals Birgel. The team also stayed in an old farmhouse near Schleswig-Holstein California during the "Beben" shoot and were enthusiastic about the traditional half-timbered houses and thatched roofs - which can now also be found in "Porcelain".
According to Birgel, there was another reason for choosing a Hallig as the film location: "The idea was to create another isolation with the Hallig, which represents a small, self-contained society". This is also emphasised in the film by the outsider's view of the protagonist, who observes the exuberant celebration with reserve.
For Directors Annika Birgel, "Porcelain" is a very personal film that takes a look back at her own childhood. She describes the process of coming up with the idea as "a period of time during which I reflected on my own childhood and the traditions I experienced and asked myself what these experiences leave behind in me". Even her own family photos, which show women from her family in different generations and roles, have become part of the short film. This collection is part of her "nostalgic streak and fascination for old family pictures".
On 21 February, the short film will celebrate its world premiere at the Berlinale, where it will be shown four times in the "Generation Kplus" programme. The competition programme shows current films that deal with the lives of children and young people. For Annika Birgel, who studied film education, this is the perfect platform for "Porcelain", which is primarily aimed at a young audience. Particularly exciting for the Directors: the reactions of urban audiences to the film's rural perspective.
Tickets for the screenings of "Porcelain" at the Berlinale are available here (https://www.berlinale.de/de/2024/programm/202403921.html).
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