3B-Produktion GmbH

Germany, Canada 2024, 90 min
by Larry Weinstein

In early 2023, filmmaker Larry Weinstein set out to make a documentary about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. It was supposed to be about how far we have come in the two hundred years since it was written. But when world events pull Larry into his own film, the question becomes a deeply personal one. BEETHOVEN'S NINE is a documentary about music, but also about war and hope. It follows nine unique individuals, including Ukrainian musicians, a deaf composer, a Polish rock star, a best-selling author, a legendary cartoonist and Weinstein himself, as they try to better understand the legacy of Beethoven’s Ninth, the composer’s own struggles, the inspiration music can provide and how humanity continues to look for hope even in the darkest times.With: Gabriela Lena Frank, Keri-Lynn Wilson & The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, Brodka, Charles M. Schulz, Leonard Bernstein, Franz Kranke, Steven Pinker, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

Germany 2022, 90 min
by Christian Berger

Anita Lasker-Wallfisch survives as a cellist in Auschwitz, while the famous conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler tries in vain to preserve his integrity and finally surrenders in a pact with the devil. With digitally restored and carefully colorized footage we tell the story of classical music in the Third Reich for the first time from an universal perspective.

2022, 103 min
by Thomas von Steinaecker

“Nothing is typical for Werner, only the atypical is typical for him.” This is just one of many attempts to characterize Werner Herzog. Documentary filmmaker Thomas von Steinaecker spoke to actors, directors, directors of photography and producers who have worked with Herzog over his long career—including directors Chloé Zhao, Joshua Oppenheimer and Wim Wenders, singer Patti Smith and actors Nicole Kidman, Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson.We also hear from Herzog himself, with extraordinary anecdotes about film locations and shoots, his admiration for Lotte Eisner, and his eternal search for beauty. Herzog’s wife Lena, his brother and his ex-wife provide the inside stories. The interviews are carefully punctuated by archive footage of Herzog never seen before, iconic excerpts from his feature films and documentaries, and his cameos in cartoon series such as The Simpsons. Together they create a kaleidoscopic image of a radical visionary and dreamer, and of his very own “Werner World.” [35 IDFA]

2021, 30 min
by Magdalena Zieba-Schwind

Sarah Willis, a horn player with the world-renowned Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, is deeply impressed by the great skill of Cuban musicians, the joy they exude while playing, and their mastery of the art of improvisation. She says: "Mozart should have been born in Cuba!" Already years ago, she thought of a project combining Mozart and Cuban music, and in 2020, she was able to make her dream a reality. The project "Mozart y Mambo" was born: a one-time musical experience that combines Mozart's horn concertos with traditional Cuban music—and includes a mambo version of "A Little Night Music."

Germany 2021, 52 min
by Carl von Karstedt

We look back at more than half a century of mysterious artistic creation while trying to crack a unique artistic code. Why are people moved to tears when Robert 'Bob' Wilson puts minimalistic petrol pumps into a production of Shakespeare's sonnets? Why does merciless repetition change our understanding of something? Together with Tom Waits, Willem Dafoe or Marina Abramović we trace back our own experience of Bob's art. Is it true what Philipp Glass the collaborator of the milestone piece 'Einstein on the Beach' laughingly and with apparent pleasure exclaims "what does it mean? It doesn't mean anything!"?with: Marina Abramovic, Willem Dafoe, Tom Waits, Philipp Glass, Christian Friedel, Christopher Nell, Ann-Christin Rommen, Stefan Kurt, Sabin Tambrea, and Traute Hoess

Germany 2021, 52 min
by Thomas von Steinaecker

Whether avant-garde, techno or hip hop – electronic music is now a driving force from contemporary classical music to pop. It has almost been forgotten that its sources can be found in Paris and Cologne, where, amongst others, the Studio d'Es-sai in Paris and later, the Electronic Studio under Karlheinz Stockhausen became centres of the avant-garde. This is the story of how rooms full of bizarre equipment were able to become miraculous places whose vibrations set the whole world abuzz.With the participation of: Jean-Michel Jarre, Eliane Radigue, Jan St. Werner, Simon Stockhausen, Jaqueline Schaeffer, Peter Baumann, Emil Schult, François Bonnet

Germany 2020, 52 min
by Thomas von Steinaecker

In the first half of the 20th century Arturo Toscanini and Wilhelm Furtwängler were revered like todays popstars. When in 1931 both of them conducted at the Bayreuth Festival it was a magical moment, the stuff of legends. But soon the polite rivalry turned into bitter enmity. Both men were forced to take a stance on fascism in their respective countries – and chose radically different paths.The documentary not only opens up the different musical worlds of the two great conductors by re-tracing their careers in Milan, Bayreuth and New York – it also poses a question which today is more relevant than ever: What does art have to do with morality?

Germany 2020, 52 min
by Sylvie Kürsten

At the beginning of the 20th century there were two celebrated liberators of music who were the complete opposite of each other: the stylishly nonchalant Igor Stravinsky who revolutionized the musical field from the rhythm-section on the one hand – and on the other the smart and world-weary Arnold Schoenberg with his visionary 12-tone-music. What started as a respectful meeting of two composers soon turned into a bitter rivalry that led to a fundamental debate about progress and truth in music. We travelled to L.A., Vienna and Venice to trace the steps of the two genius composers.

Germany 2020, 52 min
by Andreas Morell

Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi were the two most celebrated artists of the second half of the last century. Made into hostile enemies by their admirers, the two became untouchable goddesses of the opera.How serious was the rivalry of the two divas in reality, and how much have the rivalry – and in the end also the scandals of Maria Callas – affected her fame and Renata Tebaldi's oblivion?We have travelled to the opera houses in New York and Milan to search for clues, have spoken with companions, friends and opera experts, and – of course – have listened to the two unparalleled voices. The result is a fascinating journey through the world of opera and song.

2019, 52 min
by Andreas Morell

Carlo Gesualdo – beastly murderer and divine composer – is one of the most striking figures in the history of music. Based on his dramatic honor killing, the film tells the story of multi-facetted, revolutionary music and the search for forgiveness.Gesualdo, 47, is the Prince of Venosa, a musical genius and insomniac. Every night he lies awake, haunted by the gruesome act he committed on the 16th of October 1590. Developing from this opening sequence, the documentary tells the story of this extraordinary character, well-illustrated through visits to the original settings in Naples and the village of Gesualdo, as well as enacted scenes.Through the power of music, the film explores the thin line between fascination and disgust. How is it possible to commit a capital crime, yet write divine music? Are crime and genius interwoven? And can salvation through music be achieved?

2019, 43 min
by Magdalena Zieba-Schwind

Founded by members of the Philharmonic Orchestras from Berlin and Vienna, the PHILHARMONIX branded their ensemble-DNA with an important codex: they play everything – literally EVERYTHING! – they have always wanted to play. Virtuosity and iron discipline meets with boundless joy and passion for music of every kind. Tristan meets Tango, Strauss' "Fledermaus" meets Queens „Don't stop me now", „Summertime" meets Beethoven. Together with the PHILHARMONIX we take their feel-good-music off the stage and right into everyday life!

2016, 156 min
by Sylvie Kürsten, Andreas Gräfenstein, Henrike Sandner

The documentary series tells the stories behind the most significant developments in art history that very often result from the fierce competition of genial masters of a single generation. We introduce the great antagonists in art and the artistic hotspots that developed through their rivalries. By showing the duels between the two artists we offer the audience a unique understanding of the master craftsmen and an entirely new perspective on their work.Dramaturgically, the narrative of the duel not only opens opportunities for comparisons, but also the means to stage a showdown. The duel becomes a window to the stories behind them through which the social development can be more closely examined.German title of the series: DIE GROSSEN KÜNSTLERDUELLE Trailers: Michelangelo vs Leonardo http://vimeo.com/184683005Van Gogh vs Gauguin http://vimeo.com/184672347Nolde vs Liebermann http://vimeo.com/184670077

Germany 2016, 93 min
by Ralf Pleger

Even though Florence Foster Jenkins is known as the worst singer of all times she has had a successful stage career in NYC in the 1920s, seemingly suspending all the rules. Taking on the challenge of portraying the flamboyant ’queen of dissonance‘ is opera superstar Joyce DiDonato. This casting enablesthe audience to experience two contrasting musical worlds: the melodious music Florence Foster Jenkins claimed to make, and the dissonant reality that her listeners were subjected to. Renowned experts in the field, contemporary witnesses, as well as original audio recordings and previously unpublished photos gradually expose the scandal and mystery that still surrounds Florence Foster Jenkins.With: Joyce DiDonato, Adam Benzwi and Jan Rekeszus

Norway, Germany, USA 2024, 84 min
by Julie Lunde Lillesæter

When Amy, Marina and Hanna’s rape cases are dismissed by the Austin police, all three women try to find a way to rebuild their lives. They join forces with twelve other women in a ground-breaking federal class-action lawsuit, the first to argue that sexual assault isn’t prosecuted because it’s a crime that predominantly affects women. The group is determined to hold police and prosecutors accountable for their inaction, but their resilience is tested as they face setbacks from the system they hope to change. Ultimately, AN ARMY OF WOMEN offers a hopeful look into a movement that aims to change the future for women everywhere.The film is produced with support from the Norwegian Film Institute, Fritt Ord, Still Water Foundation, Viken Film Center, Arts Council Norway, NDR Norddeutscher Rundfunk, NRK, SVT & DR.