W. Coast Premiere
Sunday, October 19th @ 4:30 PM at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles.
Admission is free with above RSVP link | Capacity is limited | Light refreshments provided
RSVP holders will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.
SAD JOKES
Germany (2024) 96 min. Digital Projection. German/English/Italian/Swedish with English Subtitles
Writer-Director Fabian Stumm
Cinematography Michael Bennett
Editor Kaspar Panizza
Cast Fabian Stumm, Haley Louise Jones, Justus Meyer, Ulrica Flach, Jonas Dassler, Godehard Giese, Marie-Lou Sellem, Anne Haug, Knut Berger
Producers Fabian Stumm, Nicola Heim, Lucie Tamborini
Co-producer Nele Schallenberg, Wiebke Wesselmann
Production Company Postofilm (Berlin)
Set in present-day Berlin, writer-director-actor Fabian Stumm frames his tragicomical second feature as a series of autofictional vignettes, ranging from the touching to the absurd, that tell the story of Joseph (Stumm) and Sonya (Haley Louise Jones), close friends who are raising their young son, Pino, together. Joseph, a filmmaker, is working on a new idea for a project and has been struggling, for several years now, to move on from the breakup with his ex-boyfriend Marc (Jonas Dassler); while Sonya is suffering from severe bouts of depression that increasingly tear her out of her life and from Pino. When Sonya admits herself to a clinic to recover, Joseph struggles to juggle parenting, romantic possibilities, and his artistic ambitions.
Stumm's poignant portrayal of modern queer life and an artist's perseverance is at times absurdly funny and banal, hopeful and heartbreaking, and – like real life – sometimes all of these at once.
AWARDS
German Film Awards 2025 Best supporting Actor
IFF Berlin 2025 German Film Critics Award Best Actor
Filmfest München 2024 FIPRESCI-Award Förderpreis Neues Deutsches Kino, Best Director
FABIAN STUMM was born 1981 in Koblenz and studied acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute New York. He has appeared on stage at HAU Berlin, Münchner Kammerspiele, Volksbühne Berlin, The Kitchen New York, and Tate Modern London, among others. His film work includes LORE by Cate Shortland, BELA KISS: Prologue by Lucien Förstner, PRECIOUS IVE by Sarah Blaßkiewitz, and the Grimme-Award nominated series DRUCK. His films include BRUXELLES (2022), DANIEL (2022) and his feature-length debut BONES AND NAMES (2023). SAD JOKES premiered in 2024 at the Filmfest München.
WORLD SALES
SALZGEBER
www.salzgeber.de
The German Currents Film Festival 2025 is a co-production of the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and the American Cinematheque, with the support of The Friends of Goethe, ELMA, Condor, The Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles, go-international, Tupetz Wine Connection, Paulaner USA, Paulaner Sunset, Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V., the German Film Office, our media partners Deutsche Welle, KPFK Radio, Campus Circle, our educational outreach partners Creating Creators, and in cooperation with the German Consulate General in Los Angeles.
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