Helle Nächte

Bright Nights
Austrian civil engineer Michael lives with his girlfriend in Berlin. For years, he has barely had any contact with his 14-year-old son Luis. When Michael’s father dies the two nonetheless travel together to the funeral which is held in the remote north of Norway. At the deceased’s secluded home Michael begins to pack up his late father’s personal items – watched in silence by his son. Two people who barely know each other are suddenly caught in an intimate situation. After the funeral, Michael surprises Luis by suggesting that they spend a few days together exploring the region. A road movie begins that is also a journey into their non-existent shared past. Being together turns out to be more difficult than expected. Never having spent any time with each other on a daily basis, they have trouble handling their relationship. Whilst Michael glosses over this situation, Luis can't hide how hurt he is. His father’s long years of absence stand between them like a wall. When they are in the car together it feels like the calm before a storm. During the long days of the summer solstice, days when the sun never sets, Michael tries to break the repetitive cycle and find a joint way forward.
by Thomas Arslan (Written and Directed by)
with Georg Friedrich, Tristan Göbel, Marie Leuenberger, Hanna Karlberg
Germany / Norway 2017 German, English 86' Colour

With

  • Georg Friedrich (Michael)
  • Tristan Göbel (Luis)
  • Marie Leuenberger (Leyla)
  • Hanna Karlberg (Cecilia)

Crew

Written and Directed by Thomas Arslan
Cinematography Reinhold Vorschneider
Editing Reinaldo Pinto Almeida
Music Ola Fløttum
Sound Design Jochen Jezussek, Christian Obermaier, Tormod Ringnes
Sound Andreas Mücke-Niesytka
Production Design Reinhild Blaschke
Costumes Anette Guther
Make-Up Krisztina Szántó-Konthur
Assistant Director Cavo Kernich
Casting Ulrike Müller, Nina Erdahl
Production Manager Elisa Fernanda Pirir
Producers Florian Koerner von Gustorf, Michael Weber
Co-Producers Maria Ekerhovd, Svein Andersen, Kjetil Jensberg
Commissioning Editor Andrea Hanke
Co-Production mer FILM Bergen
FilmCamp Overbygd
WDR Köln

World Sales

The Match Factory

Köln, Germany

Produced by

Schramm Film Koerner & Weber

Berlin, Germany

Lucas A. Vignale

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1997, he began his career as an editor and then turned to directing with a focus on the music industry. He directed Tripolar 360°, a documentary about the band Usted Señalemelo. In collaboration with Gaspar Prim Díaz, he wrote and directed a short and a medium-length film for Gaspi’s YouTube channel which together have exceeded 17 million views. He wrote and directed his first short film, La Pasión, with Lorenzo Ferro. El Tren Fluvial is their debut feature film.

Filmography (Filmography)

2023 La Pasión (The Passion); short film; co-directed by Lorenzo Ferro 2026 El Tren Fluvial (The Fluvial Train)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026