Living art and voices in your head

FUNDINGS PRODUCTION

With his new animated film Out of Frame (790,000 euros, Ulysses Filmproduktion, Hamburg), "The Amazing Maurice the Cat" director Toby Genkel delves into the colourful world of art: street dog Mimi, who seems to have sprung from a famous painting, and gallery dog Harold must summon up all their courage to bring Mimi back home - and at the same time save the masterpieces of art history that have come to life. The German-British co-production is being animated entirely in Hamburg over a period of around 550 days. The script is by Keiron Self and Giles New. The film has already won the prize for the script with the greatest international market potential at the 2024 Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film.

In Control (300,000 euros, Fifty-sixth Babelsberg Film, Potsdam) by Directors Robert Schwentke, Dr Wallace Conway wakes up one morning with an untraceable device in his head. From now on, he must follow the instructions of a mysterious voice, otherwise he faces devastating consequences. The film with James McAvoy in the leading role has six days of filming on Sylt and in St. Peter Ording. The script was written by Skip Bronkie and Zack Akers.

The documentary series Iran Unveiled - A History of Women (150,000 euros, LOOKS International, Hamburg) shows the history of Iran from the perspective of women. Directors is Iranian Emmy winner Maryam Ebrahimi, the script is by Armin Ghassim. A further 150,000 euros in production funding will go to Emily Atef's new film Mercy (zischlermann filmproduktion, Lübeck). The co-production between France, Great Britain and Germany tells the story of the friendship between British journalist Anna, who is sent to Nairobi in 1999, and Mercy, who lives in a slum there. Atef co-wrote the script with Hawa Essuman, Jeannine Dominy and Josune Hahnheiser. Directors Frauke Finsterwalder is adapting the novel Eurotrash (100,000 euros, Walker+Worm Film, Munich) by Christian Kracht, in which Philipp embarks on a road trip through Switzerland with his drunken mother Helene. Finsterwalder wrote the script together with Christian Kracht. There will be one day of filming in Hamburg, with Hamburg-based Silke Fischer in charge of the set design.

FUNDINGS PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

Katrin Gebbe's series The Werewolf & Renée (80,000 euros, Junafilm, Hamburg) has already been presented at the Berlinale's Co-Production Market - and is now entering the next phase. In 6x50 minutes, the Hamburg-based Director and Script Writer tells the story of the noblewoman Renée, who is married off by her mother to the notorious libertine Marquis de Sade and then swears revenge. The animated film Mandela - The Hand That Shook The Tree (75,000 euros, Animationsfabrik, Hamburg) is about the life of former South African president and freedom fighter Nelson Mandela. The film is based on a graphic novel, the script is by Roger Hawkins and Santa Bucanan. A further 37,000 euros will go to Tour de Franzi (Kinescope Film, Bremen) by Joya Thomé, which was funded as part of the Special Children's Film programme.

FUNDINGS DISTRIBUTION

Zwei zu Eins (45,000 euros, X Distribution, Berlin) by Filmfest Hamburg Director Natja Brunckhorst is the opening film at the Munich Film Festival - the comedy starring Sandra Hüller and others will be released in cinemas on 25 July 2024. Julia von Heinz's Treasure (20,000 euros, Alamode, Munich) celebrated its world premiere at the Berlinale 2024; the road movie starring Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry will be released on 12 September 2024.

A detailed overview of all projects funded by the High End Committee can be found here.

The funding decision was made on 29 May 2024: Christian Granderath, Murat Isgüder, Wenka von Mikulicz, Caroline von Senden, Ipek Zübert and Helge Albers.