Films by Julia Lemke

2025, 86 min
by Julia Lemke, Anna Koch

Santino is a circus kid. He travels around the country with his family and animals in a caravan - here today, there tomorrow. Home is not a fixed place for him, but rather his parents Angie and Gitano, his brother Giordano, countless uncles and aunts, cousins and especially his great-grandfather Ehe, one of the last great circus directors in Germany. Ehe tells Santino wild stories from his long life: about the magnificent bull elephant Sahib, his own first steps as a clown and the feeling of freedom for which it is worth putting up with all the hardships. On Santino's eleventh birthday, Ehe asks what Santino would like to show in the circus ring one day - after all, he has something to contribute to their community. But how do you find out? Circusboy tells the story of the lives of the last nomads in Germany. About growing up in an extended family, with the animals, and a life without a safety net. A documentary road film with animations about the power of belonging and community.

Germany 2023, 92 min
by Lisa Wagner

Who says that women can't break dance? Frieda, Viola and Jilou are three of the most successful women in the male-dominated breaking world. At different points in their sports careers, the three friends are facing new challenges and life-changing decisions. DANCING HEARTBEATS accompanies the dancers during their hard training, international battles and their fight for recognition and equal rights. WithB-Girl Jilou – Jilou RasulB-Girl Frost – Frieda FrostB-Girl Viola – Viola Luise Barner

Germany 2020, 91 min
by Julia Lemke, Anna Koch

GLITTER AND DUST is a documentary film about girls who do manly things in the male dominated world of rodeo and who try to find their own path in the process.Maysun does everything she can to gain her father's recognition, to meet his expectations - as a girl.Tatyanna (17) is competing as a bullrider for the Navajo team. Not only is she one of a few girls riding bulls, she is doing so without a helmet or protection. Although they move about in the powerful imagery of the American prairie and the myths of the Wild West, they give it new resonance and break free of it. In today's world, where many people yearn for the authoritarian systems of yesteryear, GLITTER & DUST tells the story of cowgirls who seek a new tomorrow in their conservative homeland.

2016, 82 min
by Anna Koch

Four German teenage girls are getting ready for an exciting school year. The young wrestlers Janny, Lisa, Debby and Michelle have been accepted to the Elite School of Sports, a boarding school in Frankfurt that follows East German traditions in getting talented athletes to the top. The girls can expect years of exhausting, intensive training schedules, strict diets and extreme pressure to perform. In their free time they hang out together, listen to music and long for home – they aren’t all built for this kind of regime. Michelle struggles with her weight, Lisa is homesick, Jenny feels insecure within the group, and Debby sets the bar very high. For years on end the film follows the girls at school, during the grueling workouts, in the intimacy of their lodgings and on the mat – the place where it’s all really supposed to happen. In slow motion, hair swings about and faces show strain as they maneuver themselves and their opponents into astonishing positions. While each win provides a euphoric moment, the film is dominated by scenes of sadness, frustration and anger. Still there's also the will to always get back up and rise to the challenge.(IDFA)