24.09.2025 | Donkey Days @Filmfest Hamburg
After Rosanne Pel's "Donkey Days" celebrated its world premiere in competition at Locarno this year, it will now have its German premiere at Filmfest Hamburg. The funny and tragic family drama was shot in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein and co-produced by Junafilm from Hamburg. Here we tell you why the filming went very differently to many other cinema films and what lead actress Jil Krammer actually does for a living.
Normally, cinema film productions are shot in one go. 30 days, 40 days, maybe more. Normally, the actors learn scripts with sometimes very long dialogues by heart in advance and know at what time they are in which position in a room. Normally. With Donkey Days, everything went a little differently: the film was shot in five blocks over the course of a year. The actors did not know the complete script at the start of filming - many scenes and dialogues were improvised or only created shortly before shooting. And lead actress Jil Krammer is in front of the camera for the first time ever. None of this has harmed the film - quite the opposite: the dynamic between the actresses is unique, the dialogue is razor-sharp - sometimes making you laugh, sometimes making you cry - and Director Rosanne Pel is very close to her characters and reveals their complex inner selves piece by piece.
In the summer of 2023, the starting shot was fired in Hamburg for the ambitious project, which centres on two people: The two sisters Anna (Jil Krammer) and Charlotte (Susanne Wolff), who have been competing for the attention of their mother Ines (Hildegard Schmahl) since childhood. Old wounds reopen when they return to their childhood home as adults and discover well-kept secrets - including the mysterious ashes of a deceased man and their mother's deep love for a donkey.
"We found the old family home near Bad Segeberg in Schleswig-Holstein, which was a real stroke of luck. Anna's flat, on the other hand, is in St Pauli. We also travelled with our team to Altona, Ottensen, St. Georg and Eimsbüttel," says Hamburg Executive Producer Verena Gräfe-Höft (Junafilm).
The film was shot in five blocks, each of which comprised eight to ten days of filming - spread over the four seasons. The reason: "During a normal shoot, there is hardly any time to stop and think about the material. It is very helpful when you have the opportunity to do this. You can make adjustments, introduce hidden layers or even completely redefine the tone of voice. I think it can lead to a different kind of storytelling, which is very important for diversity," says Director and Script Writer Rosanne Pel.
Before filming could begin, Pel travelled to France with her main cast for a week to rehearse the first scenes and explore the dynamics. "We discussed a lot about the characters there. Also, one of the key plots of the film takes place during a week-long holiday in the French countryside. That was very helpful in getting into character," says Pel. This preparation was also extremely important, as the cast only knew excerpts of the script.
"It was really a fine line: we wanted to remain as creative as possible during the shoot and allow for a lot of improvisation, but we still had to create a solid framework for the actors and the entire organisation of the shoot," says Verena Gräfe-Höft. In the end, however, everything worked out perfectly. "I also worked a lot with improvisation and amateur actors in my last film - I like the dynamic that this creates. But for established actors in particular, it's sometimes not so easy to work like that at the beginning. Fortunately, we didn't have that problem with Jil because it was her first time in front of the camera," says Pel. Jil Krammer, who is actually a chef in a Hamburg restaurant, joined the cast via a member of the film team - a real asset to the film.
"The shoot was quite a ride for me, as I had to constantly think about the next steps. After each block of filming, I would sit down in the editing room with my editor and rewrite scenes for the next block or completely from scratch. When we were finally finished with the project after more than a year and the news from Locarno came, it was like a release for me," says Rosanne Pel. Donkey Days" was very well received in Locarno. There was a lot of laughter and also some tears. "Many people also used the film as an opportunity to talk about their own family situation afterwards. A real compliment for the film," says Executive Producer Verena Gräfe-Höft.
The German premiere will now follow on 28 September at Filmfest Hamburg in the "Große Freiheit" section. A home game for Pel, who actually comes from Amsterdam but has been living in Hamburg for around seven years now. The main cast around Susanne Wolff and Jil Krammer will also be present at the premiere in Hamburg. The latter will not be alone: the restaurant where Krammer works will be closed for an evening so that the team can be present at the premiere. A nice gesture. Just like family.
.jpeg?fit=max&w=800&h=3161&q=90&fm=webp)