A group of German construction workers start a tough job at a remote site in the Bulgarian countryside. The foreign land awakens the men’s sense of adventure, but they are also confronted with their own prejudice and mistrust due to the language barrier and cultural differences. The stage is quickly set for a showdown when men begin to compete for recognition and favor from the local villagers. Produced by Maren Ade’s Komplizen Film, Western was presented in 2017 at Cannes in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ section and in 2018, as a Special Event, at the Trieste FF.
“Several different paths led to this film that , increasingly and by association, joined together to form a story. One was the Western genre. I grew up with it during the 1970s, sitting in front of a TV set in West Berlin … [ [anche] also] the subject of latent xenophobia – something I’ve long wanted to explore in a film … I liked the idea of the German men, with their claim to technical superiority, arriving in Bulgaria and sharing the experience of communism with the people in the villages.” (V. Grisebach)
Sceneggiatura / Screenplay: Valeska Grisebach
Fotografia / Photography: Bernhard Keller
Montaggio / Editing: Bettina Böhler
Suono / Sound: Uve Haussig, Fabian Schmidt
Scenografia / Art Director: Beatrice Schultz
Costumi / Costume Designer: Veronika Albert
Interpreti / Cast: Meinhard Neumann, Reinhardt Wetrek, Syuleyman Alilov Letifov, Veneta Frangova, Vyara Borisova
Produzione / Produced by: Komplizen Film Production
Coproduzione / Co-produced by: Chouchkov Brothers, Coop99, KNM, ZDF-Das Kleine Fernsehspiel
In collaborazione con / In collaboration with: Arte
Con il sostegno di / Supported by: Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Minister of State for Culture and Media, Mdm Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, German Federal Film Fund, Bulgarian National Film Center, Austrian Film Institute, Media and German Federal Film Board
Distribuzione internazionale / World Sales: Films Boutique
Valeska Grisebach
Film director and screewriter, Valeska Grisebach was born in 1968 in Bremen, Germany. In 1993 she began studying to be a director at the Viennese Film Academy under Peter Patzak, Wolfgang Glück and Michael Haneke. Her graduation film Be My Star (2001) received the Critics’ Award at the Toronto IFF as well as the Best Film Prize at Torino Film Festival. Her second feature film, Longing, premiered in 2006 in the Berlinale Competition. Western has been successfully presented at several international film festivals.
Selected filmography
2001 Mein Stern (Be My Star); Premi / Awards: Toronto IFF – Menzione speciale FIPRESCI / FIPRESCI Special Mention; Torino FF – Miglior film / Best Film 2006 Sehnsucht (Longing / Desiderio); Premi / Awards: Warsaw IFF – Premio speciale della giuria / Special Jury Award; 2017 Western; Premi / Awards: Premio dell’Associazione critici cinematografici tedeschi / German Film Critics Association Award – Miglior film, Migliore attore / Best Film, Best Actor
