Casting, 2017, Nicolas Wackerbath
2 PM
For her first television film – a remake of Fassbinder’s "Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant" – director Vera wants the perfect cast. But the first day of shooting is fast approaching and the numerous casting sessions have yet to find a suitable actress to play the leading role. Although the producer and crew are getting ever more exasperated with Vera, Gerwin is happy about the extra work, as he earns his money as an audition reader, delivering the lines of dialogue to the starry candidates at the various castings. When the male lead suddenly must back out, Gerwin thinks that this might just be his chance.
Director Nicolas Wackerbarth captures the complex essence of Fassbinder’s film and simultaneously creates a profound work of his own. "Casting" takes an unflinching look at the murky depths of human relationships driven by power, passion and desperation. Yet Wackerbarth also brings bitter truths to light about power relations and dependencies in the German television industry almost in passing. "Casting" is both intelligent and entertaining, marked by exciting turning points, humour and the breathtaking acting performances by a truly virtuoso ensemble.
Exil, 2020, Visar Morina
4 PM
First, a dead rat hangs on the door of the house where Xhafer lives with his wife and children. Then, e-mails "accidentally" don't arrive. There are increasing signs that the pharmaceutical engineer is being bullied and harassed at his workplace. And even though neither his wife nor his colleagues seem to believe him, the man from Kosovo, who has been well integrated for years, feels increasingly excluded from the (German) community. Or is he losing touch with reality?
In his second feature-length film, director Visar Morina dissects the psychological impact of social exclusion and stages it as an interplay of belonging and alienation. In subtle images that gradually change with the condition of his protagonist and with precisely acting leading actors, he shows the role that personality plays in integration into another society and how quickly a supposedly stable identity framework can become cracked.
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