12/02/2025 - The German DoP discusses the challenges of his current project, an adaptation of Caroline Wahl’s novel of the same name, helmed by director Mia Maariel Meyer

(© Marcus Hoehn)

Tim Kuhn is one of seven talents to be promoted by German Films through its annual Face to Face campaign during the Berlinale (see the news). The cinematographer has worked on various projects, such as the recent international co-production Happy Holidays [+see also:
film review
interview: Scandar Copti
film profile] by Palestinian director Scandar Copti. His newest feature, 22 Bahnen, is now in post-production.

Cineuropa: Your current project is an adaptation of Caroline Wahl’s novel 22 Bahnen by director Mia Maariel Meyer. What were the biggest challenges for you on this job?
Tim Kuhn: It was a great collaboration, both on the production side and with the director. When we were developing the visual concept, we talked about which films we liked. Coming up with the concept was a long process. It was important to appeal to an audience that would also be familiar with the novel. That was a big challenge. We also involved the author. We had to find a cinematic space for a strong first-person perspective and the many inner monologues.

In addition to adapting this novel, you have also worked on series and a classical feature. What experience do you take with you from one project to the next?
You always take something with you from one project to the next. For me, this work is a strong team effort. I thrive on the creative input that I get from everyone and that I provide for myself. I try to approach each project independently. Of course, this includes the strong involvement of the director. What does he or she want? This always results in something new.

How would you describe your own visual language?
There are many approaches in this field. There are people who don't want to be recognised and don't want to stand out with their own language. I do believe that every camera person brings something of their own to it. I'm always looking for something authentic – for realism in the world we create on film. So even if a project is highly stylised, I think I'm still looking for realism in it. I think of film as something holistic, in which all of the trades come together creatively, and visual language is one part of the film reality we create. 

Happy Holidays is your biggest international project to date. How did this collaboration with director Scandar Copti come about?
Thanks to the German co-producer from Red Ballon Film, Dorothe Beinemaier. They were still looking for team members from Germany for the project. I then flew to Haifa and got to know Scandar. Then everything happened very quickly. I was taken in by Scandar's energy. We had already started talking about the movie, and I took part in workshops with all of the actors. I was sucked into the project straight away. It was a really great experience because Scandar is someone who has very precise ideas. I was also very impressed by his honesty, which was paired with his enthusiasm and strong will to tell this story. It was great for me to immerse myself in this world, in this culture that I didn't know.

The story is set in Israel. You didn't know the country beforehand. How important is it to find out more about the context of the film’s setting?
The director found this view from the outside to be particularly interesting – a view without certain prejudices and characterised by different values. But on top of that, the preparation for the shoot took almost five months. I took part in workshops, lived there and got to know the people. This phase also allowed a relationship of trust to develop between the people involved.

How did you work with the actors?
They were all non-professionals. Scandar held workshops with them over the course of several years. Most of them do the same job in real life as they do in the movie. Scandar introduced them to their characters psychologically. The actors didn't know the script, and their emotional reactions were important during filming. We merely created places where they could move freely. From the very beginning, the work in the workshops was relatively intimate. I was there with a small camera and tried out different situations. Later, a second camera was added for the actual shoot because we had to be well prepared, as we couldn't do any repetitions.

You also wield the camera on two German series, Breaking Even and Luden. Is the camera work different in this format?
I try to make sure it doesn't make a difference. I think it's always the production circumstances that make the difference. How much time do you have? How much money do you have? What are your expectations for the production value? The requirements and conditions are always different, and thus they make the project different. But my approach is actually always the same. I'm interested in visual narration, storytelling, characters and movement.

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