Andreas Dresen wraps the shoot for his latest feature, Alte Liebe
- The veteran German director reunites with screenwriter Laila Stieler for a poignant portrayal of long-term marriage, starring Dagmar Manzel and Joachim Król
Acclaimed German filmmaker Andreas Dresen has completed principal photography on his latest feature, Alte Liebe (lit. “Old Love”), which revolves around an elderly married couple facing the quiet turbulence of later life.
The story follows Lore and Harry, who have been married for 40 years. Their relationship, full of arguments, reconciliations, affection and irritation, has gradually distanced them from one another. When their little granddaughter comes to visit and their grown-up daughter Julia announces her wedding to a wealthy industrialist old enough to be her father, the couple’s stagnant routine is thrown into disarray. The impending wedding becomes a catalyst for the emergence of long-buried emotions, unspoken regrets, old affairs, and overdue conversations about unfulfilled dreams and the meaning of life in retirement.
In the leading roles are two highly respected German actors, Dagmar Manzel (Silent Summer [+see also:
trailer
interview: Nana Neul
film profile], Quiet Freedom [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), who portrays Lore, opposite Joachim Król (All About Me [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Berlin Alexanderplatz [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Burhan Qurbani
film profile]) as Harry. The supporting cast includes a mix of established performers and emerging talent, reflecting the film’s multi-generational scope.
The movie marks another collaboration between Dresen (Cloud 9 [+see also:
trailer
film profile], As We Were Dreaming [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Andreas Dresen
film profile]) and screenwriter Laila Stieler, with whom he has worked on numerous projects. Before Alte Liebe, Stieler wrote the scripts for Gundermann [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Rabiye Kurnaz vs George W. Bush [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andreas Dresen
interview: Meltem Kaptan
film profile] and their most recent collaboration, From Hilde, with Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andreas Dresen
film profile]. The screenplay is based on the bestselling 2009 novel of the same name by Elke Heidenreich and Bernd Schroeder, which was widely praised for its dry humour and insightful observation of human relationships.
Filming took place in October across various locations in Leipzig, Berlin and Brandenburg, lending authenticity to the movie’s portrayal of middle-class life in contemporary Germany. The cinematography is by Michael Hammon, with production design by Susanne Hopf and art direction by Michael Randel. Jannis Stahnsdorf served as the production manager, while Andreas Walther was the production sound mixer.
Alte Liebe is being produced by Meike Kordes and Alexandra Kordes for Berlin-based Kordes & Kordes Film, in co-production with Andreas Leusink and Andreas Dresen for Iskremas Filmproduktion. The film received financial support from Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM) and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (MBB). A theatrical release in Germany is planned for 2026.
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