PORTFOLIO

EMBODIED CHORUS

world premiere at IDFA 2023 / nominated for IDFA Best First Feature Award

hybrid / creative documentary

written & directed by Mohamad Sabbah & Danielle Davie

produced by Julia Wagner, HEARTWAKE films (Germany) & Yara Abi Nader, madame le tapis (Lebanon)

coproduced by Hélène Walland & Chris Neuman, Wild Fang Films (Luxembourg)

 

with Danielle Davie, Mohamad Moe Sabbah, Caroline Hatem, Basma Baydoun, Cyril Kokozaki, Hashem Adnan, Firas Hallak

 

Two filmmakers draw from their own personal experiences of living with Sexually Transmitted Infections, through Danielle’s raw filmed diary and Moe’s vibrant queer memory of living with a Sexually Transmitted Infection. Together they embark on a collaborative journey into the realms of bodies, intimacy, stigma and shame.

with the support of: IDFA Bertha Classic development fund 2018, Springboard El Gouna Egypt: Main Jury Award, Lebanese Ministry of Culture fund 2019, IMS Media Support Denmark 2019, PostOffice Beirut, AFAC Arab Fund for Arts and Culture 2019, BUSAN ACF/AND Asian Cinema Fund 2019, Luxemburg Film Fund, OIF Fonds Images de la Francophonie & IDFA Bertha Fund Europe 2020

 

Awards & markets: nominated for Robert Bosch Film Prize 2018 (DIFF Special Award @Berlinale 2018), Beirut Cinema Platform 2018 (Award: Invitation to Rotterdam Lab 2019), Participation in Tripoli Film Festival Pitching Forum 2018 (Awards: Invitation to Cine Gouna Platform, The Postoffice Beirut Finishing award), Jury main award for 'Best project in development', Cinegouna Springboard 2018, Invitation IDFAcademy & IDFA Summer School, selected for IFP Week New York 2020 / Spotlight on documentaries section;

6th BCP Beirut Cinema Platform 2022 - works in progress, winner CNC main jury award (jury members: Rémi Bonhomme, Nadia Benrachid & Edward Parodi)

 

https://www.facebook.com/embodiedchorus, https://www.instagram.com/embodiedchorus/

Berlinale 2022 / Tribeca Festival International Narrative Competition 2022

WE MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD / WIR KÖNNTEN GENAUSO GUT TOT SEIN

WE MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD

fiction feature / social satire, 93 mins

A high-rise building near the forest is famous for its carefully curated community. When a dog disappears and her daughter refuses to leave the bathroom, security officer ANNA faces an absurd battle against an irrational fear, that slowly spreads amongst the residents and rattles this utopia with a view. - A story about belonging, the fight for truth and the power of fear -
 

directed by Natalia Sinelnikova, written by Natalia Sinelnikova & Viktor Gallandi

produced by HEARTWAKE films

in coproduction with RBB Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg and Filmuniversity Konrad-Wolf

in cooperation with Kojoten Filmproduktion

with the support of Cine Chromatix Italy

distribution Germany by eksystent Filmverleih

international sales by Fortissimo Films

 

Anna Ioana Iacob | Iris Pola Geiger | Ursel Şiir Eloğlu | Gerti Jörg Schüttauf | Zeynep Mina Sağdıç | Wolfram Moritz Jahn | Frau Drescher Susanne Wuest | Herr Drescher Knut Berger | Frau Richards Cristin König | Herr Richards Jörg Pose | Vertreterin Wiebke Rita Feldmeier | Vertreterin Nicole Lara-Sophie Milagro | Protokollant Alexander Wertmann | Bürgerwehr Lilly Menke | Niklas Drescher Felix Jordan | Sängerin Naffie Janha | Sängerin Elina Schkolnik | Serpil Jasmin Kraze | Elias Richards Cito Andresen | Anne-Marie Drescher Fritzi Uhrig |

 

funded by the Leuchtstoff initiative of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg & RBB Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg, supported by Leo Baeck foundation & Eberhard Schoeck Stiftung

// 2021 Final Touch Lab by IDM AltoAdige & Bolzano Film Festival - Cinechromatix Italy postproduction award  & True Colours International Distribution Prize, presened at European Work In Progress 2021, presented at Industry@Tallinn & BalticEvent / International Works In Progress 2021 - winner: Jury Special Mention

premiere: Berlinale / Berlin International Film Festival 2022 as opening film of Perspektive Deutsches Kino, 11.02.2022

international premiere: Tribeca Festival, International Narrative Competition, 09.06.2022; Award Winner Best Cinematography

in financing

MASCHA (WT)

EMBODIED CHORUS, HEARTWAKE films heartwake.de, Julia Wagner, Film Produktion, Berlin, STI, sexually transmitted infections, HIV positive, dialogue (c) Julia Wagner

fiction feature / drama

An energetic woman in her 50s faces the biggest challenge in her life when her bipolar son moves back in with her and his young son. Despite their good intentions, living together becomes a power game and Mascha finds herself in the courtroom, claiming custody for her grandchild.

 

 

director: John Kolya Reichart (PARTY OF EIGHT)

screenplay: Carl Gerber (24 WEEKS)

 

// selected for Full Circle Lab 2020: www.fullcirclelab.org/full-circle-lab-upper-rhine // supported by Filmland MV with the Film residency Mecklenburg-Vorpommern scholarship for writer Carl Gerber // selected for Pop Up Film Residency in Denmark

in development

WOMEN OF MY LIFE

documentary, 90 min

ZAHRAA, an actress from the new generation, confronts her aunt HAYAT - a midwife who’s hands she was born into - and HANAA - a famous women rights activist who has become her mentor - to understand what her future as a woman and artist in a politically unstable country like Iraq could be.

 

writer & director: Zahraa Ghandhour

produced by: Zahraa Ghandhour (IQ), HEARTWAKE films (DE) & Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion (CH)

 

// 2020 nomination for the Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung for International Cooperation Germany/Arab World & recepient of the 2021 RBFP Development Prize, 2021 participant in Beirut DC's BCP Beirut Cinema Platform 2021 - El Gouna award ), invitation to El Gouna Springboard

in development

LOOSE (WT)

mini series / queer drama (4x45 min)

Genderfluid Cosi (17) is in the final year of high school, navigating through a society that divides the world into two genders. When Esra (14) approaches Cosi for tutoring, a friendship develops between them. The more Cosi gets involved in Esra’s family affairs, their connection breaks apart.

 

writer & director: Julia C. Kaiser (HANNAS, FLOATING!)

 

in development

DIE KÖNIGIN VON THULE / THE QUEEN OF THULE

fiction feature / gangster dramedy, 90 min

When a memory lapsed coat-check girl finds herself kidnapped in her lady boss’ car, the two women race the roads of Poland, chased by the police. They want to free themselves from their previous life, but first they must find out who killed the man at last night's party?!

 

written by Paula Redlefsen

directed by Ewa Wikiel

produced by: HEARTWAKE films (GER) in co-production with KOI Studio (PL)

// development supported by the German-Polish Film Fonds of FFA, Medienboard, MDM Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung & PFI Polish Film Institute 03/2020: https://www.ffa.de/aid=1394.html?newsdetail=20200303-1351_deutsch-polnischer-filmfonds-unterstuetzt-vier-neue-projekte

FINISHED FILMS

2019

SEGUNDO TEMPO

fiction feature

After their father's death, Carl and Ana decide to go to Germany to rescue his unknown story.

There, not only will they discover familiar tracks, they will confront and recognize themselves, to move forward in their lives.

 

writer & director: Rubens Rewald

producer: Miraçao filmes (BRA)/ HEARTWAKE films (executive producer DE )

 

December 2019: SEGUNDO TEMPO is celebrating its world premiere in the Rio International Film Festival 2019!

Congratulations to the wonderful director Rubens Rewald, Miraçao filmes Production & the whole crew!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6013674/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

producer for Sommerhaus Filmproduktion

WAS UNS NICHT UMBRING / WHAT DOESN'T KILL US

2018

Fiction feature / theatrical

W/D: Sandra Nettelbeck

Sommerhaus Filmproduktion

Premiere Locarno 2018

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6050396/?ref_=nv_sr_2

IN DEN GÄNGEN / IN THE AISLES

2018

Fiction feature / theatrical

Director: Thomas Stuber

Writers: Clemens Meyer & T.Stuber

Sommerhaus Filmproduktion, MDR, ARTE, SWR, BR

Berlinale Competition 2018

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6263618/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

development, packaging & financing for Sommerhaus Filmproduktion

incl. BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ, WHEN HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT, A SMALL SMALL WORLD, ...



previous works as producer

DER WEISSE SCHATZ und die Salzarbeiter von Caquena / THE WHITE TREASURE

2012

documentary feature

Writer, director & DOP:

Eva Katharina Bühler

 

Just beside an endless white salt desert, Daniel Lopez and his family lead a traditional life in the salt worker´s village of Caquena up in the Bolivian Andes. Since it has become known that Salar de Uyuni holds the worlds´s biggest amount of lithium - THE future´s resource - their little village finds itself in a place where global interest is reaching in.

In a close portrait this film carefully joins two generations while discovering first signs of future changes.

 

2011 DOK Leipzig, Germany - Premiere

2011 Kodak Best Cinematography Award

2012 IFFF Internationales Frauenfilmfestival Dortmund|Köln, opening film, competition, (winner Best Cinematography Award)

2011 Highlights Kodak Cinematography Award

2012 IFFF Intl. Frauenfilmfestival Dortmund|Köln, opening film, competition, GER; winner Best Cinematography

2012 Mediawave, Intl. Competition, Hungary

2012 Sehsüchte, Competition, GER

2012 Intl. Competition -VILLAGE DOC documentary film festival Milan IT

2012 Trento film festival, IT

2012 15th CinemAmbiente - Environmental FilmFest, IT

2012 FICA Intl.Festival of Environm. Film, Competition, BRA

2012 Intl. Competition FEST – Intl. Film Festival, Espinho Portugal

2012 BergBuchBrig 2012, CH

2012 Tegernseer Bergfilm-Festival, GER

2012 XI Euganea Film Festival, IT

2012 SCENECS, Intl. Debut Festival, Amsterfoord, NL

2012 Filmschau BW, Competition Film Prize B-W, GER

2012 Watch Docs, PL

2013 DocHouse London, UK

more: www.facebook.com/TheWhiteTreasure 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2043817/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

3 part film installation KAROLINE LUISE VON BADEN

2015

3part-film installation for Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe

 

director & writer: Alexander Landsberger

Idea & Concept: Julia Wagner& Alexander Landsberger

SCHWARZER ZUCKER / DARK SUGAR

2014

fiction 45 mins

Written by Kristin Franke & Christoph Kainz

Directed by Kristin Franke

P: Julia Wagner for Franke|Wagner|Kainz Filmproduktion GbR & Filmakademie BW,

in Coproduction with SWR & in cooperation with the Academy of Performing Arts BadenWürttemberg

 

Greta returns to her hometown Leipzig with girlfriend Marie. The mother has died, and memories hit Greta merciless: In the rush of the political events at the time of the Wend in German Democratic Republic 1989, along with family upheavals, her childhood gets lost and dissolves into a dark white frenzy.

Driven by her eternal quest for love and recognition she loses herself in an uncompromising wake of power, stubbornness and passion.

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3551770/?ref_=nm_flmg_asst_1

http://schwarzer-zucker.de/

 



BIST DU GERMAN HAST DU ANGST

2014

documentary feature

Writer & Director: Franziska Margarete Hoenisch

P: Julia Wagner & Jule Engel / FilmakademieBW

supported by Karl-Steinbuch Scholarship of the MFG Baden-Württemberg    

 

Germany - land of the disheartened and naysayers ? The documentary YOU ARE GERMAN YOU GOT ANGST is an invitation to reflect one's own Angst and the 'being-German'.


Director Franziska M. Hoenisch takes us along on a personal quest to discover the development of fears and hopes of Germans in a comprehensive and tangible way.

It comes as an initation to change perspective, to dig into one ́s own history - along with an encouragement for intergenerational dialogue.
 As we learn more about fears and states in German life reality, we ́re looking at observations of our European neighbors and engage in a dialogue, as we consult experts from Germany and abroad on the topic " German Angst". In interviews we explore perspectives of people from different generations with a focus on “our German Angst”.

BEELZEBUB

2009

2015

fiction 38 mins

Writer & director: Barbara Ott

P: Julia Wagner & Anja Goll/ FilmakademieBW

 

Driven by his brutishly possessive love for daughter Lilly, her anarchistic, egomaniac father Hannes shoots Lilly's 50-year-old boyfriend and buries him in the woods.

Cushioned by their daily lives in a one-cop, one-priest village, people are absorbed with themselves as much as they are with everyone else. So well-known each is to the other, no one would seriously suspect anyone.

A peculiar, atmospheric depiction of the great love between father and daughter.

 

2010: 21. Kinofest Lünen

2010 Filmschau B-W,.

2011 Berlinaire Filmfest Gent

2011 Outnow! Festival Bremen

2009: Caligari Script Prize

THE PERFECT SOUND

2014

Music documentary / SWR 45 mins

D: Elisabeth Hamberger

W Elisabeth Hamberger & Julia Wagner

P: Julia Wagner for FABW

SWR Südwestrundfunk

DOP: Carina Neubohn

Sound: Tobias Scherer



FRISCH GESTRICHEN

2011

fiction short

Writer & director: Florian Schnell

 

While Werner can not accept losing his paint shop to bankruptcy, son Felix despairs at the injustice of the world and can not bear his father's humiliation.

Two generations, at least two different opinions. And a triumph protest action, where the two finally meet.

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4342418/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

 

Trailer

http://vimeo.com/39040422

 

 

OHNE PAPIERE - Kaçak

2009

Writer: Janine Dittmann

Director: Christian Werner

DOP: Julia Schlingmann

P: Lan Hirche & Julia Wagner / FABW