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PRODUCTION Germany

Michael "Bully" Herbig preparing a new film

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- The highly popular German comedian and director is working on a drama feature

Michael "Bully" Herbig preparing a new film
Director Michael "Bully" Herbig (© Manfred Werner)

Best known for his local box-office hits Manitou’s Shoes (11.7 million viewers) and (T)Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 1 (9.2 million viewers), German actor-director-producer-scriptwriter Michael "Bully" Herbig is now ready to tackle a new film genre. The king of comedy already managed to surprise audiences last year by directing his first thriller, Ballon [+see also:
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. The critically acclaimed movie, which tells the true story of two families that fled the GDR in 1979 in a homemade hot-air balloon, is continuing its box-office success in 2019 and has so far drawn in more than 800,000 viewers.

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Herbig is now preparing to direct a drama inspired by the true story of a Bundeswehr (German Federal Defence Force) soldier who was sexually assaulted while doing her job. According to Blickpunkt:Film, the filmmaker is working on the script together with author and television journalist Nicole Rosenbach. Last year, Rosenbach drew attention to the story of the rape victim with a documentary that she directed for German broadcaster ARD. Raped - we denounce! revealed the questionable manner in which employers, society and the judicial system handle cases of sexual abuse. The documentary depicted the way in which the soldier was convinced by a superior that by filing a complaint, she would shamelessly ruin a colleague’s life, as well as the attempts of the police to convince her that she had brought the misfortune upon herself by provoking the aggressor. 

Michael "Bully" Herbig’s second project based on actual events is currently at the script-development stage, with shooting due to commence no earlier than 2020. Meanwhile, Ballon has made it onto the fiction-feature shortlist for the 2019 German Film Awards and has a good chance of remaining in the race for the prize.

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