We Might As Well Be Dead, produced by EWA member Julia Wagner, opens Perspektive Deutsches Kino at the Berlinale
The social satire WE MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD, will have its World Premiere at the 72nd Berlinale. The film has been produced by Julia Wagner, of Berlin-based HEARTWAKE Films and alumna of Berlinale Talent Campus 2016.
As Julia describes it, the film is a feminist and political film since it speaks from a migrant woman perspective, dealing about the feeling of belonging in a western society, told with a distinctive artistic perspective. They bring visibility to a debut film from Germany for it to be seen on an international level and therefore making young migrant feminist voices visible and heard as new German cinema. They had plenty of women with diverse backgrounds in lead positions of the film, from cast to crew, including the German/Russian director Natalia Sinelnikova and the lead actress and associate producer Romanian Ioana Iacob.
For Julia, it’s crucial to have real encounters with audiences in a physical cinema, so they really hope all goes well in these changing times, and the fact that the online EFM will allow hybrid screening options allows for the market people to engage and discover new talents.
We are looking forward to seeing the picture of a predominantly all-female team on stage opening the Perspektive Deutsches Kino on FEBRUARY 11th.
The film was co-produced with Charlene Gürntke and Lina Mareike Zopfs for Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in association with Magdalena Wolff for Kojoten Filmproduktion and Ioana Iacob. Fortissimo handles its international sales and the theatrical release in Germany is planned for autumn 2022 by eksystent distribution.
WE MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD is a debut feature by the German filmmaker Natalia Sinelnikova.
Berlinale & tickets
In this micro-society everyone is safe and sound as long as one stays inside and obeys the rules.
A story about belonging, fight for truth and the power of fear
The film follows 40-year-old Anna (Romanian actress Ioana Iacob, also a co-producer), who lives in an appealing apartment building near the forest with her teenage daughter Iris. It’s a safe and secure place, and as security officer, Anna holds an important position. When the caretaker Gerti’s dog disappears, fear and mistrust are sparked in the community. Believing that her evil eye is responsible for the dog’s disappearance, Iris locks herself in the bathroom. To prove her daughter’s fears irrational, Anna starts searching for the missing animal. Soon, the community is convinced that Gerti’s dog died a violent death. Fear and suspicion spread among the residents. Anna tries to reason with them, but a group of voluntary vigilantes start investigating her, and her situation gets increasingly dire.