THE CIRCLE
by Stefan Haupt
synopsis
Founded in the early 1940s, the network around the magazine ‘Der Kreis’ (’The Circle’) was the only gay organisation to survive the Nazi regime. It blossomed during the post-war years into an internationally renowned underground club. Legendary masked balls at the Theater am Neumarkt in Zurich provided 800 visitors from all over Europe with a secret and safe space to act out their ‘otherness’ in a self-determined way. It is there that timid teacher Ernst Ostertag falls in love with drag star Röbi Rapp. Ernst searches for a way to fight for his gayness to be accepted as normal outside the boundaries of ‘The Circle’ network without losing his employment as a teacher. Röbi champions the joint fruition of their love. Following a murder in the gay community, violent repression against gay people also endangers ‘The Circle’ network.
international title: | The Circle |
original title: | Der Kreis |
country: | Switzerland |
sales agent: | Reservoir Docs |
year: | 2014 |
genre: | fiction |
directed by: | Stefan Haupt |
film run: | 102' |
release date: | FR 04/03/2015 |
screenplay: | Stefan Haupt, Christian Felix, Ivan Madeo, Urs Frey |
cast: | Matthias Hungerbühler, Sven Schelker, Anatole Taubman, Marianne Sägebrecht, Stephan Witschi, Antoine Monot Jr., Matthias Meier |
cinematography by: | Tobias Dengler |
film editing: | Christoph Menzi |
art director: | Karin Giezendanner |
costumes designer: | Catherine Schneider |
music: | Federico Bettin |
production: | Contrast Film, SRF - Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen |
distributor: | Ascot Elite Entertainment Group, Salzgeber & Co. Medien, Outplay Films |