The young director Kai arrives at a small town theatre. In the course of the autumn days of 1989 he resolves to stage "Waiting for Godot", an explosive play in which people wait for something that never occurs. His work however is constantly disrupted by the tumultuous political circumstances of the time. Whilst his plan is repeatedly having to be thought out anew, the cast are rehearsing for a revolt. Ultimately the wall falls.
Andreas Dresen's cinema debut portrays these times of change as they appeared in the provinces. The film explores the boundaries between cowardice and courageousness. For a brief moment a small town theatre transformes itself into a world stage.
35mm | Farbe / colour
Laila Stieler, Andreas Dresen
Andreas Höfer
Karl-Heinz Sass
Marcus Berndt, Peter Glaser, Paul Freuer
Tobias Morgenstern, Rainer Rohloff
Thorsten Merten, Jeannette Arndt, Kurt Böwe, Burkhard Heyl, Petra Kelling, Horst Westphal
Max Film Wolfgang Pfeiffer Filmproduktion, MDR
Arsenal – Institut für Film und Videokunst e.V.
Karl Winter
Potsdamer Str. 2
10785 Berlin
Germany
Tel: +49.30.269 55 15 0
Fax: +49.30.269 55 11 1
kw@arsenal-berlin.de
www.arsenal-berlin.de
Andreas Dresen - born 1963 in Gera, Germany. Studied directing at the HFF "Konrad Wolf" in Potsdam-Babelsberg before going on to work as an author and director for television, film and the stage. Has since the release of NIGHTSHAPES in 1999 been widely regarded as one of the most renowned German directors. Dresen received numerous festival awards, including various accolades from the Berlinale.
DER KLEINE CLOWN (1985, short)
SCHRITTE DES ANDEREN (1987, short)
NACHTS SCHLAFEN DIE RATTEN (1988, short)
WAS JEDER MUSS (1988, doc)
JENSEITS VON KLEIN WANZLEBEN (1989, short, doc, Cottbus 2004, 2009)
SO SCHNELL GEHT ES NACH ISTANBUL (1990, short)
ZUG IN DIE FERNE (1990, short)
ES BLEIBT ALLES GANZ ANDERS (1991, doc)
KRAUSES KNEIPE (1993, doc)
KUCKUCKSKINDER (1994, doc)
RAUS AUS DER HAUT (1997, Cottbus 2006)
NACHTGESTALTEN (1998)
DIE POLIZISTIN (2000, TV)
HALBE TREPPE (2001)
HERR WICHMANN VON DER CDU (2003, doc)
WILLENBROCK (2004)
SOMMER VORM BALKON (2005, Cottbus 2005)
WOLKE 9 (2008)
WHISKY MIT WODKA (2009)