Films by Ansgar Frerich

Germany 2018, 90 min
by Christin Freitag

Championships, the ticket to the world of pro-boxing. When he almost loses his first fight, his dreams are suddenly questioned. Malcolm's coach Jessie, still mourning his own shattered boxing career, fears to fail a second time. They intensify the training drastically, almost heading towards a path of destruction. It becomes clear that talent, passion and even hard work sometimes are not enough to succeed. It’s the family around you - nobody can make it alone. In LET THE BELL RING the classical

Germany 2017, 87 min
by Erik Lemke

The anonymous concrete construction "Excelsior" is just a stopover for many of its inhabitants. Soon, life will get better and everyone tries to get ahead in his own way: with "invisible Make-up", the 49-year-old Michael wants to re-connect with his previous success as a call boy. Claudia's days as a dancer are over, but a series of new photos are supposed to help her get back on stage. Norman wants to help others find happiness with his start-up "ChangeU" and help himself to a new sportscar. Ha

Germany 2017, 96 min
by Barbara Lubich, Michael Sommermeyer

Dresden in summer 2015: Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West – PEGIDA – march through the center of the city while in the outskirts thousands of refugees move into makeshift camps. Banda Communal, a brass band from Dresden, started to give welcoming concerts there and to welcome refugee musicians. Banda Communal becomes Banda International.The documentary follows the musicians throughout one year – from being an integration project to a band celebrated throughout Germany.DOK

Germany, Libanon, Syria, United Arab Emirates 2017, 85 min
by Ziad Kalthoum

In Beirut, Syrian construction workers are building a skyscraper while at the same time their own houses at home are being shelled. The Lebanese war is over but the Syrian one still rages on. The workers are locked in the building site. They are not allowed to leave it after 19.00 hrs. The Lebanese government has imposed night-time curfews on the refugees. The only contact with the outside world for these Syrian workers is the hole through which they climb out in the morning to begin a new day o

Germany, Qatar, Libanon, Syria 2017, 98 min
by Talal Derki

Talal Derki’s new documentary tells the story the young generation in Syria and asks about the future of children, who grew up in the war.If you want to tame your nightmares, you need to capture them first. That’s what Syrian documentary filmmaker Talal Derki learned from his father. As in his previous film RETURN TO HOMS, he returns to his homeland and becomes part of life in a war zone. For more than two years he lives with the family of Abu Osama, an Al-Nusra fighter in a small village in nor

Germany 2016, 29 min
by Erik Lemke

Since Evelin’s amputation of both legs, friends abandoned her. She is stuck in her apartment for years now, moving only between the kitchen, computer, TV and bed. Discovered old videotapes show her previous life as a man 25 years ago: the GDR no longer exists, but not everyone manages to gain a foothold in the unified Germany.

Germany 2011, 79 min
by Branwen Okpako

Branwen Okpako’s „The Education of Auma Obama“ is a captivating and intimate portrait of the U.S. president’s older half-sister, who embodies a post-colonial, feminist identity.An academic overachiever, she studied linguistics and contemporary dance in Heidelberg, Germany, before enrolling in film school in Berlin, where she met Nigerian-born director Okpako in the nineties. After living in the United Kingdom for a short period, Auma Obama eventually moved back to Kenya to mentor a young generat

Germany 2009, 95 min
by Lilian Franck, Robert Cibis

Pianomania is a portrayal of Stefan Knuepfer, the virtuosic piano tuner from Steinway, Austria, and his many famous clients at work, including Lang Lang, Alfred Brendel, Andrej Gravilov, Mitsuko Uchida, Rudolf Buchbinder and Pierre-Laurent Aimard; the film offers an unusual and amusing look behind the heavy curtains at major concerts. This film is about the quest for the perfect tone. It shows each obstacle that is created by abandoning everyday routine and surrendering oneself to Art.The fortit