Films by Tim Elzer

2022, 86 min
by Volker Sattel, Francesca Bertin

The Tara is a river on the outskirts of Taranto whose waters are believed to have healing properties; bathing there is a tradition for the inhabitants of the city. Starting from this bucolic place, Volker Sattel and Francesca Bertin take us on a journey through a territory where myths clash with reality and where so-called progress has taken a heavy toll on nature and society.With Jasmine Pisapia, Adriana Sellani, Cataldo Ranieri, Marco Tomasicchio, Vincenzo Romito.Produced by Volker Sattel FuFi Film, tuned by Kirberg Motors.

Germany 2022, 111 min
by Florian Heinzen-Ziob

Germany, India 2021, 79 min
by Rebana Liz John

"What makes you angry?" asks the filmmaker. A small film crew enters the ladies compartments of the local trains in Mumbai. Chance encounters and acquaintances are invited to reveal their opinions, their confessions and their stories in a 'public' space. Their diverse answers thread themselves into an unfolding tapestry of details and observations. The light on the faces, the figures in the background, the driving noises of the train and the interactions between the travelers bring the space alive. Black and white images distill the essence of the space. A poetic rhythm takes us across Mumbai and its mix of cultures, languages and faces, providing insight into how urban Indian women see and shape their lives.Poems: Kamla BhasinMusic: Jin Jim, Johann May, Daniel Manrique Smith, Nico Stallman, Neu Klang, Act Music, Lucas Pizzini72 BERLINALE Jury:"The Compass-Perspektive-Award goes to Ladies Only, a raw, honest film that concentrates on the essentials, truly standing out with its decisiveness and clarity of form. A crowd of people push their way through the narrow door of a train compartment, and for 80 minutes a transitional location becomes intimate theatre, in which we get to know various women. Filmmaker Rebana Liz John asks questions about existential issues such as freedom, family and career, and we obtain personal insights into the lives of the protagonists. She has different generations read a poem out loud and comment on it, interrelating their differing points of view. Interview moments alternate with quietly observed situations. The montage creates visible emphasis and contrasts, and takes a firm standpoint. As a result, the public space of the train compartment becomes an intimate space. Numerous situations and times of day are interwoven, and the finely crafted sound design generates continuity and tension. It takes courage to tell such a reduced story, to take a close look and to produce a socially relevant film from everyday life".

Germany 2018, 80 min
by Johanna Sunder-Plassmann, Tama Tobias-Macht

outside portrays four homeless men. Starting from the objects they cary around with them the film opens the gates to a world that otherwise remains hidden.outside not only invites to a change of perspective but tries to show four homeless people that have preserved a sense of dignity and pride that is all too often denied to them.Belinale catalogue:Homeless people, tramps, vagabonds and vagrants. Are they all the same idea? Or are they completely different? Sometimes the choice of words can help to change perspectives. The film draußen also adopts a different perspective by following four people living on the streets who own very little. Nothing they possess would ascribe them any apparent social status and yet everything they have is of value. Matze, Elvis, Filzlaus and Sergio are all survivors - and each of them is a real character. In order to hear their stories the two directors decided to adopt a particular strategy and concentrate instead on the items that their protagonists carry about with them. They asked them to open the door to their world by allowing them to take a look inside their plastic bags, pockets and shopping trollies, much as if they were entering someone’s home. The few objects that are to be found within contain a wealth of information and meaning. Charged with emotions and memories, these objects are no less than the fragments of their lives. In their conversations, the full import of these treasures begin to take shape.

Germany 2018, 89 min
by Florian Heinzen-Ziob

GERMAN CLASS takes us back to school. Over the course of six months the film closely follows class teacher Ute Vecchio as she prepares children who have just arrived from other countries for the German school system. Small successes, large set-backs, school pranks and the looming threat of deportation – the challenges the children face are just as diverse as the countries and cultures they originate from.The ambitious Pranvera, who even beats the boys in arm wrestles, has to suffer the deportation of her best friend. Ferdi, who dreams of working as a car mechanic, only has four months left to catch up on four years’ worth of schoolwork. And class clown Kujtim has already managed to learn four languages in his eventful lifetime, but cannot write any of them.GERMAN CLASS is a touching portrait of learning, adapting and growing in a new language and in a new society. A fresh look at an institution that we think we all know well – school.With: Ute Vecchio, Kujtim, Ferdi, Schach, Pranvera

2018, 90 min
by Beryl Magoko

As a child in Kenya, the filmmaker Beryl Magoko was subjected to a life-threatening ritual of which many girls become victims even today. At the time, “female circumcision” – a friendly, barely adequate term for the genital mutilation she endured with horrible pain – seemed to her like something that was an integral part of growing up. Today she knows that it doesn’t have to be that way. Knowledge alone doesn’t help her, so she meets other victims who, like her, waver between anger and shame and still suffer from the procedure decades later.With her personal and highly political film, Beryl Magoko sets out on a journey that leads her both into the past and the future. Strikingly frank, but without anger, she confronts her own family with questions and reproaches. At the same time she is facing the decision whether to undergo reconstructive surgery and begin a new chapter in her life. (DOK Leipzig, Luc-Carolin Ziemann)