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Je suis Karl

Berlinale Special Gala 2021
© Sammy Hart / Pandora Film
Somewhere in Berlin. But not just any time, this is here and now. A postman delivers a parcel and, soon afterwards, everything changes. A terrorist attack rocks a family to the core. Maxi – who loses her mother, her brothers and her home – tries to look forward, but is still deeply insecure. Nothing seems to work. Her father Alex is as traumatised as she is. The certainties of the past have been wiped out and the grief that comes with their loss obscures everything. Meeting another young person seems to help Maxi. Karl liberates her from her paralysis and urges her to conquer her fear. He has organised a meeting of European students who are looking for solutions to the catastrophic situation on the continent. The task he assigns Maxi could be the deciding factor in the success of a grand plan. By joining forces with Karl, Maxi is dancing on a knife edge: today in Berlin, tomorrow in Prague, soon in Strasbourg and eventually all over Europe. Je suis Karl – a political takeover.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

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by Christian Schwochow (Director), Thomas Wendrich (Screenplay)
with Luna Wedler, Jannis Niewöhner, Milan Peschel, Edin Hasanović, Anna Fialová, Fleur Geffrier, Aziz Dyab, Marlon Boess, Victor Boccard, Mélanie Fouché Germany / Czechia 2021 German, English, French, Czech 126' Colour Rating R12

Part of the Berlinale Summer Special

With

  • Luna Wedler (Maxi)
  • Jannis Niewöhner (Karl)
  • Milan Peschel (Alex)
  • Edin Hasanović (Ante)
  • Anna Fialová (Jitka)
  • Fleur Geffrier (Odile Duval)
  • Aziz Dyab (Yusuf)
  • Marlon Boess (Pankraz)
  • Victor Boccard (Didier)
  • Mélanie Fouché (Inés)

Crew

Director Christian Schwochow
Screenplay Thomas Wendrich
Cinematography Frank Lamm
Editing Jens Klüber
Music Tom Hodge & Floex, Max Rieger
Sound Design Rainer Heesch, Martin Jílek
Sound Jan Šulcek
Production Design Tim Pannen
Costumes Frauke Firl
Make-Up Astrid Weber, Hannah Fischleder
Casting Anja Dihrberg-Siebler
Producers Christoph Friedel, Claudia Steffen
Co-Producers Pavel Strnad, Kateřina Černá
Co-Production Negativ Film Productions Prag

World Sales

The Match Factory

Köln, Germany

Produced by

Pandora Film Produktion

Köln, Germany

Photos

Christian Schwochow

© Frank Lamm

In 2008, he graduated from the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg with his debut feature film, Novemberkind. This was followed by Die Unsichtbare, his television debut Der Turm and the cinema film Westen. He directed Bornholmer Straße and the first part in the NSU trilogy, Heute ist nicht alle Tage, for German public broadcaster ARD. In 2016, his feature film Paula premiered at Locarno while his series Bad Banks premiered in Berlinale Series in 2018. He directed the cinema adaptations of the classic novel “Deutschstunde” and the bestseller “Munich”. He has won prizes including the Grimme Award, the Max Ophüls Prize Audience Award and the German Film Award.

Filmography

2008 Novemberkind 2011 Die Unsichtbare 2012 Der Turm 2013 Westen 2015 Bornholmer Strasse; TV movie · Tatort – Borowski und der Himmel über Kiel; TV movie 2016 Die Pfeiler der Macht; TV series · Paula · Mitten In Deutschland: NSU – Die Täter; TV movie 2018 Bad Banks; TV series 2019 The Crown; TV series, season 3, 2 episodes · Deutschstunde 2021 Je suis Karl

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2021