News from Fatih Akin, Diane Kruger and Maurice the cat

Also included: the second part of the animated hit "The Amazing Maurice" by Hamburg production company Ulysses Films and the war drama "Each of Us" starring Diane Kruger ("The Shrouds", "Into the Fate").

New terrain for Hamburg's directing legend: In Geister weinen nicht (Bombero International, Hamburg), Fatih Akin tells the story of the impossible love between Aisha and Elias. After her death, 17-year-old Aisha finds her way into Elias' dreams from the afterlife and a passionate romance begins in which the boundaries between dream and reality become blurred. The supernatural love story will be filmed over 36 days in Hamburg and five days in Schleswig-Holstein. The script is by Hamburg-based Script Writer Ruth Toma ("Der Junge muss an die frische Luft"), with Hamburg-based Andrew Bird ("Die Saat des heiligen Feigenbaums", "Rheingold") editing the film. Shooting is scheduled to start in August 2025.

The first part was a worldwide success, now the next adventure follows: In The Amazing Maurice - The Waters of Life (Ulysses Filmproduktion, Hamburg), Maurice, Malizia, Keith and the clan of civilised rats join forces to face vampires, werewolves, pirates and sirens. Toby Genkel from Hamburg is once again in the director's chair for the Terry Pratchett film adaptation. The script was written by Giles New and Keiron Self. The film will have 470 animation days in Hamburg.

Director Lars Jessen from Schleswig-Holstein sends actor Charly Hübner to the south: in Spaziergang nach Syracus (Pandora Film Produktion, Cologne), Paul Gompitz from Rostock decides to travel to Syracuse in Sicily. However, Paul lives in the GDR - so his plan is impossible legally. There will be five days of filming in Schleswig-Holstein - shooting starts in June 2025. The new film Die Akte Elisabeth Käsemann (Tamtam Film, Hamburg) by Hamburg filmmaker Maike Mia Höhne is set in 1970s Bonn: Stefan Tietz is an official at the German Foreign Office and is entrusted with the case of Elisabeth Käsemann, a German woman who disappeared in Buenos Aires. As suspicions of junta involvement grow, the German government under Foreign Minister Genscher shows little interest in rescuing her. The cast includes Philip Froissant ("The Empress"), Eva Löbau and Hans Löw. There will be 19 days of filming in Hamburg - the start of shooting is planned for spring 2026.

Among the other supported filmmakers: Hape Kerkerling in Horst Schlämmer sucht das Glück with several days of filming in Schleswig-Holstein, the series project Schwarzes Gold with Hamburg actor Aaron Hilmer, the coming of age film Adams Acht about a rowing team from Ratzeburg with nine days of filming in Schleswig-Holstein, the animated film Das Sams und die unglaubliche Verwandlung des überausschüchternnen Bruno Taschenbiers by Ali Samadi Ahadi with 480 days of animation in Hamburg,  as well as the war drama Each of Us by Hamburg production company Bon Voyage Films.

AN OVERVIEW OF ALL FUNDED PROJECTS

Geister weinen nicht
Directors: Fatih Akin; Script: Ruth Toma, Production company: Bombero International (Hamburg); Funding amount: 900.000 Euro (production)

The Amazing Maurice - The Waters of Life
Directors: Toby Genkel; Script: Giles New, Keiron Self; Production company: Ulysses Filmproduktion (Hamburg); Funding amount: 500.000 Euro (production)

Spaziergang nach Syracus
Directors: Lars Jessen; Screenplay: Heide Schwochow, Rainer Schwochow; Production company: Pandora Film Produktion (Cologne); Funding amount: 400,000 Euro (production)

Die Akte Elisabeth Käsemann
Director and script: Maike Mia Höhne; Production company: Tamtam Film (Hamburg), Funding amount: 400.000 Euro (production)

Das Sams und die unglaubliche Verwandlung des überausschüchternnen Bruno Taschenbiers
Directors: Ali Samadi Ahadi; Script: Thomas Springer; Production company: Little Dream Entertainment (Hamburg); Funding amount: 350.000 Euro (production)

Identitti
Director: Randa Chahoud; Script: Friederike Jehn; Production company: Razor Film Produktion (Berlin); Funding amount: 200.000 Euro (production)

Schwarzes Gold
Directors: Tim Trachte, Nina Wolfrum; Script: Justin Koch, Pamela Katz, Florian Vey, Lena Fakler and Torsten Näter; Production company: Kinescope Film (Hamburg); Funding amount: 200,000 Euro (production)

Adams Acht
Director: Hannu Salonen; Script: Domenik Pockberger; Production company: Ninety-Minute Film (Berlin); Funding amount: 150,000 euros (production)

Each of us
Directors: Anna Jadowska, Anne-Zohra Berrached, Neus Ballus, Stina Werenfels; Script: Eva Pauné, Mirjam Ziegler, Anna Jadowska, Anne-Zohra Berrached, Neus Ballus, Stina Werenfels; Production company: Bon Voyage Films (Hamburg), Funding amount: 150.000 Euro (production)

Horst Schlämmer sucht das Glück
Directors: Sven Unterwaldt; Script: Claudius Pläging; Production company: Honeybird Film (Hamburg); Funding amount: 150.000 euros (production)

A Summer in Italy - World Cup 1990
Directors: Vanessa Nöcker, Nadja Kölling; Script: Nils Suling; Production company: B/14 FILM (Hamburg); Funding amount: 100,000 euros (production)

Birds
Directors and script: Christoph Lauenstein, Wolfgang Lauenstein; Production company: gretels gold (Reutlingen), Funding amount: 60.000 euros (project development)

Skaterherz
Directors: Florian Cossen; Script: Sebastian Grusnick, Thomas Moeller; Production company: Leitwolf Filmproduktion (Hamburg); Funding amount: 38,000 euros (project development)

Find out more about the funded high-end projects here.

The funding decision was made on 11 February 2025: Christian Granderath, Murat Isgüder, Wenka von Mikulicz, Caroline von Senden, Ipek Zübert and Helge Albers.
The High End Committee is responsible for films and series with production costs of over 2.5 million euros as well as cinema documentaries with production costs of over 1.5 million euros.