29/09/2022 - German director and author Laura Laabs directs a crime story interweaving different eras in Germany's history

Director Laura Laabs (with the clapperboard) with the cast, crew and financers of Rote Sterne überm Feld (© Amerikafilm/Julia Arif)

The first phase of shooting on Laura Laabs’ debut feature film Rote Sterne überm Feld (lit. “Red Stars Above the Field”) took place in Berlin and in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania region in the outskirts of Bad Kleinen at the end of April. Further days of shooting followed in August and are set to wrap in December in the same region, as well as in Schleswig-Holstein, all located in northern and eastern Germany. The young German author and director has already made several short films since finishing her studies at the Konrad Wolf film university in Potsdam-Babelsber, with her short doc Enkel der Geschichte (lit. “Grandchild of History”) winning a special prize at Visions du Réel in 2010.

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Laab’s feature film debut tells the rather complex story of a young woman living in the provinces. This usually quiet landscape is shaken up when a skeleton is found in a marsh. Given how well-preserved it is, it’s not immediately clear how old the body is. The village begins to speculate about its whereabouts as the police investigate the case. In four acts, the film tells a crime story transporting the protagonists back to inglorious events in German history. The young woman initially believes she’s not connected to the case, but she slowly begins to realize she’s mistaken.

The lead role of the young woman Tine will be taken up by German actress Hanna Ehrlichmann, who has taken part in several TV productions to date. She’ll be backed by a cast of newcomers and more experienced actors, including Camill Jammal, Jule Böwe (Grand Jeté [+see also:
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interview: Isabelle Stever
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interview: Sophie Linnenbaum
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interview: Ann Oren
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Rote Sterne überm Feld is produced by Amerikafilm in collaboration with TV channels ZDF and Arte. Farbfilm Verleih is in charge of the film’s distribution in Germany.

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