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
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
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)
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!
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
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
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
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
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
OHNE PAPIERE - Kaçak
2009
Writer: Janine Dittmann
Director: Christian Werner
DOP: Julia Schlingmann
P: Lan Hirche & Julia Wagner / FABW