Lampenfieber

Kids in the Spotlight
Stage fright before a world premiere at the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin. Europe’s biggest youth ensemble is about to perform the show ‘Spiel mit der Zeit’ on the largest theatre stage in the world: a playful journey through time with lots of singing, dancing, acrobatics and stage machinery. The show is the result of a great deal of hard work for these performers aged between six and sixteen. Alice Agneskirchner captures it all with her camera: the auditions for the new annual intake of the youthful troupe; the selection of the lucky ones and the tears of the disappointed; the tough training sessions and focused rehearsals; and finally the premiere – with red carpet and all. In between, the camera homes in on several young performers, introducing us to their family lives and their dreams. Illness and death are not omitted either. As we meet these kids, some in their make-up, others without, we learn of the joy and suffering of lives lived between school, their families and the theatre. ‘Fear is okay’, says the show’s director. ‘It’s part of the process.’ At the end, the choir joins in: ‘Home is where you sing together’. The proud ensemble is rewarded with thunderous applause.
by Alice Agneskirchner Germany 2019 German, Arabic 92’ Colour World premiere | Documentary form Rating R0

Crew

Written and Directed by Alice Agneskirchner
Cinematography Marcus Winterbauer
Editing André Nier
Music Benjamin Schlez, Berend Intelmann
Sound Design Karl Gerhardt
Sound Karsten Höfer, Thomas Funk
Assistant Director Silvia Beck
Production Manager Anique Roelfsema
Line Producer Kathrin Isberner
Creative Producer Georg Tschurtschenthaler, Zora Nessl
Producer Christian Beetz
Executive Producer Christian Beetz

Produced by

Alice Agneskirchner

Born in 1966 in Munich, Germany. She studied political science, theatre studies and German, comparative anthropology, and later film directing. Alice Agneskirchner works as a writer, director and documentary producer. Her film Lampenfieber was screened at the Berlinale in 2019.

Filmography (documentaries, selection)

1994 Raulien’s Revier; 87 min. 1995 Herr, Frau, Hund; 65 min. 1999 Waschen und Legen; 90 min. 2001 Cheerleader-Stories; 5 x 27 min. 2003 Zusammen; 14 min. 2006 Liebe Mama, ich kannte Dich kaum ... (Dear Mum, I Hardly Knew You ...); 90 min. 2013 Ein Apartment in Berlin; 84 min. 2017 Auf der Jagd – Wem gehört die Natur? (On Hunting – Who Owns Nature?); 100 min. 2019 „Wie HOLOCAUST nach Deutschland kam ...“;; 90 min. · Lampenfieber (Kids in the Spotlight); 90 min. 2022 Komm mit mir in das Cinema – Die Gregors (Come With Me to the Cinema – The Gregors); 155 min.

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2022