Twelve productions are competing for the Hamburg Producers Awards “German Television Films” and “German Series”, which are endowed with a total of 35,000 euros. Between comedy, mystery, thriller and drama, this year’s selection focuses on genre diversity and new directorial voices.

 

The competition entries in the “Television” section tell of overcoming life crises and the courage to make radical changes. How can solutions be found in an increasingly complex world? The selected films come up with different answers to this, using black humour, a lot of suspense and in genres ranging from mystery thrillers and tragicomedy to social drama, young adult and improv drama to crime comedy.

 

Bettina Schoeller Bouju, head of the “Television” section: “This year’s programme shows how differently television can address social issues: sometimes seriously and exciting, sometimes lightly and surprising. Humour in particular can be a form of resilience without ignoring reality. In addition to established formats such as Nachtschicht and Tatort, there is also a lot of desire to experiment with projects such as the instant fiction series BALLZ or the young adult miniseries 3 Minutes. I’m also looking forward to Caren Wuhrer and Friedrich Tiedtke, who are represented in the competition with their first feature films. LORD and Erinner mich an Morgen were created as part of the talent development programme ‘Nordlichter’.”

 

Six television films are in the running for the Hamburg Producers Award “German Television Films”, endowed with 25,000 euros, donated by VFF Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film- und Fernsehproduzenten mbH. Six productions have also been nominated for the VFF’s Hamburg Producers Award “German Series”, which is endowed with 10,000 euros. The respective producers will be awarded. This year’s TV section will open with Lars Becker’s Nachtschicht – Sterben verboten, which will be shown in competition. Out of competition and as a gift to all Großstadtrevier fans in Hamburg, the 90-minute special Knockout will be shown on the big screen on October 3 on Free Admission Day.

 

Competition Television Films

 

A killer with a right-left weakness, a dead client and a long night in St. Pauli: With Nachtschicht – Sterben verboten, Lars Becker continues his Hamburg gangster cult series and is once again responsible for directing and writing the screenplay. The Network Movie production for ZDF was created under the direction of Bettina Wente and Wolfgang Cimera.

Family celebration with plenty of potential for conflict: In Third Wedding by director Mirjam Unger, the septuagenarian entrepreneur Ingeborg Caspari gets married for the third time, and to a much younger man. The screenplay of the tragicomedy which stars Iris Berben, Axel Milberg, Lucas Gregorowicz, Max Simonischek, Kostja Ullmann, Henriette Confurius and Murathan Muslu was written by Martin Rauhaus. The film was produced by Benjamin Benedict (Wiedemann & Berg for ZDF).

 

Can a crime reveal itself in facial expressions? Lynn Oona Baur directs Woman without a name based on a screenplay by Anne-M. Keßel and a joint idea with Lynda Bartnik and Marleen Lohse, a psychological thriller about a psychologist specializing in microexpressions (Marleen Lohse), who suspects much more behind a supposedly clear case of self-defense. The producer is Joshua Lantow (triple pictures for NDR).

 

On the outskirts of Hamburg, two invisible existences collide. When the hopeless Lord (17) saves the life-weary Betty (78), an unexpected door opens for both of them. Between mistrust and closeness, a quiet alliance against invisibility, poverty and resignation emerges. LORD tells the story of (in)dignity in the precarious and of two female-read people who find support and perspective in mutual solidarity. Caren Wuhrer wrote the screenplay and directs the drama produced by Markus Mayr (MÄKSMY Films for NDR), which was created as part of the talent developping programme “Nordlichter”.

 

In the Tatort double feature Unter Freunden, Mila Şahin (Almila Bagriacik) and her new colleague Anna Nowak (Lilith Stangenberg) investigate the case of the dead accountant Francesca Polidoro. The trail leads to the high-tech company Prometheus and into a network of corruption, money laundering and organized crime. Mila is supported by police psychologist Elli Krieger (Karoline Schuch). Lars Kraume directed and wrote the screenplay with Rudi Gaul and Katharina Adler. The producers are Wiebke Andresen, Sabine Timmermann and Kerstin Ramcke (Nordfilm for NDR).

With Erinner mich an morgen, Friedrich Tiedtke tells the story of a geriatric nurse, played by Stefanie Reinsperger, who awakens memories in a dementia ward with imaginative role plays, and increasingly loses control herself. Tiedtke wrote the screenplay together with Manuel Ostwald, Ida Åkerstrøm Knudsen and Stefanie Reinsperger. The “Nordlichter” film for NDR was produced by Andrea Schütte and Dirk Decker (Tamtam Film).

 

Competition Series

 

Three Minutes to Fame: The young adult series 3 Minutes, directed by Mark Monheim and Mahnas Sarwari, tells the story of three teenagers who dream of success, a lot of money and a better life via a livestream app, and learn how high the price of attention can be. The scripts were written by Silvia Overath and Anika Soisson based on treatments by Marina Cardozo, Peter Furrer and Tankred Lerch and a concept by Lukas Lankisch. Producers are Lukas Lankisch (veam) and Felix Zackor (nuworx productions).

 

What makes a man a man? In the instant fiction series BALLZ, Benjamin Teske directs a radical comedy about masculinity, fear and honesty. “He’s got balls,” a saying that seems to apply to fitness trainer Julian (Maximilian Mundt) pretty well so far. But a testicular cancer diagnosis really shakes his self-image. The scripts were written by Thandi Sebe and Toby Arsalan. Behind the production of ZIEGLER FILM for ZDF are the producersTara Biere and Tanja Ziegler.

 

One year before the terrorist attack on Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz, investigators were already on the trail of perpetrator Anis Amri. In Blindspot Berlin, David Nawrath paints a detailed picture of radicalization, institutional blind spots and official failures. Together with David Marian, Nawrath also wrote the screenplays. The series was produced by Simon Amberger, Korbinian Dufter and Rafael Parente (NEUESUPER for ARD Degeto).

 

What if the worst possible version of one’s own self suddenly wants to take over one’s own life? Lea Becker directs Shifters, a mystery thriller series about eerie doppelgangers on a North Sea island. The scripts were written by Arne Nolting and Jan Martin Scharf. Producers are Andi Wecker, Tobias Ketelhut, Bernd von Fehrn and Lasse Scharpen (Network Movie and Studio Zentral for ZDF).

 

A private rehab clinic on Sylt is the destination for those people who can no longer cover up their problems by throwing money at them. In their improv dramedy series Rehab, Emil and Oskar Belton tell stories about addiction, self-deception and new beginnings with a lot of humour and drama. The brothers are jointly responsible for directing, writing and producing, and had Marie-Lou Sellem, Peter Kurth, Martin Brambach, David Schütter, Pheline Roggan, Stephan Luca, Nicole Heesters and Katy Karrenbauer, among others, appear in front of the camera. (Kleine Brüder for ARD).

 

Work-to-rule is a thing of the past: What happens when civil servants keep their habitus, but the work itself disappears? The improv mockumentary Nine to Five – Das Amt by director Leonard Fuchs observes everyday life in the German office between forms, coffee kitchen and career ambitions. The plot is written by Momo Sinner, Ellen Holthaus, Miriam Suad Bühler and Timon Karl Kaleyta. The series was produced by Tina Ermuth and Carsten Kelber (Pyjama Pictures for ZDFneo).

 

Großstadtrevier special out of competition

 

On Free Admission Day, FilmFest Hamburg brings the Großstadtrevier to the big screen: The third 90-minute feature ever of the popular tv staple, Großstadtrevier – Knockout will be screened out of competition on October 3 and invites Hamburg audiences to celebrate their familiar TV heroes together in the cinema. This time, the focus of the special, directed by Kirsten Laser and based on a script by Andreas Kaufmann, is on precinct commander Mrs. Küppers (Saskia Fischer), who herself becomes the target of the investigation after a serious traffic accident.

 

The section “Televisionen” is presented by Deutsche Fernsehlotterie