Films by Jürgen Winkelblech

Germany, Austria 2010, 90 min
by Jan Tenhaven

The film tells the life-affirming stories of five senior athletes across the world who all have one goal – to take part in the track and field World Masters Championships in Finland. The biggest challenge is their age as all athletes are between 77 and 100 years old - a race against time and personal degeneration as they jump, run and throw the discus. In their long lives, they have fought many personal crises and losses, they have survived wars and other tragedies, some of them have won the battle against terminal diseases. Now they are united in one common goal: to take part in the Championships. No matter what it takes. If they only do not die before. Life will end soon – so what? As everybody is quite aware of that biological fact, there is plenty of space for a good portion of humour. Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion Köln GmbH + Co KG

Germany 2005
by Andreas Geiger

Donzdorf on the edge of the Swabian mountains in Southern Germany. A village just like any other, with a pointed church spire, a supermarket and a new housing estate. But Donzdorf is the seat of “Nuclear Blast Records”, one of the world’s most successful independent heavy-metal record companies. The company’s boss, Markus Staiger, grew up with heavy metal, like many young people in rural areas, and has turned his enthusiasm into an empire with branches in Los Angeles and other major cities. Housewives from the village work for the mail order department, sending out bloody skulls to every conceivable place in the world. Listening Sessions are held in the village pub, where the offerings are commented on by the regulars as critically as by international journalists. The film takes a look at the occasionally comical interaction of the tranquil village inhabitants with the rather crude hard rock scene. But traditional positions have shifted: whereas heavy metal once stood for rebellion against provincial traditions and conventions, it has today, far removed from urban subcultures, long become a firm and established part of life in the country.