Post-production in full swing for Peter Meister’s Der letzte Bär
by Teresa Vena
- The German filmmaker’s second feature is a dark comedy set in the year 1830, as a bear hunt gets under way in earnest
With Der letzte Bär (lit. “The Last Bear”), German director Peter Meister returns to the feature-length format. After his first feature, The Black Square, which, among other prizes, won the German Cinema New Talent Award at the Hof International Film Festival, he went on to present the vampire comedy series Der Upir, starring some of Germany's most prominent contemporary comic actors. For his newest work, he is once again adopting a humorous approach. Der letzte Bär was shot during summer this year in and around Frankfurt, and is now immersed in post-production.
The story is set in a historical context. In the year 1830, somewhere in the German provinces, society senses the changes that will soon follow in the wake of the French Revolution. Crime is on the rise, and violent acts against soldiers are getting more and more common. Under pressure, the authorities look for measures to keep the population distracted. A local general fabricates the story of a massive and dangerous bear on the loose, and places a bounty on its head. And so the hunt begins.
Meister not only directed the film, but also wrote the script for it. He was supported in the making of the drama-comedy by cinematographer Florian Mag (I Was, I Am, I Will Be [+see also:
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The cast of Der letzte Bär is no less prominent than the ensemble gathered for The Black Square. This time, the main roles are played by Austrian actor David Scheid (The Devil's Bath [+see also:
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interview: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
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interview: David Wagner
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Der letzte Bär is production by Frisbeefilms in collaboration with ZDF (Das kleine Fernsehspiel). The funding was secured through Hessen Film & Medien, Nordmedia, Medienförderung Rheinland-Pfalz and Deutscher Filmförderfonds (DFFF). The theatrical release is planned for 2026. Port-au-Prince Pictures is the German distributor.
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