Enrico Saller's second feature film, The Sign of the Dragon [+lire aussi :
interview : Enrico Saller et Marina Ho…
fiche film], premiered at the Hof International Film Festival, as one of the nominees for the German Cinema New Talent Award. As with his previous film, The Dark Girl, Saller collaborated with Marina Hoeft, who served as co-director and co-producer of the crime thriller. We talked to the filmmaking duo to discuss the challenges and the advantages of filming in rural Bavaria, working with a diverse cast of actors, and what makes this film stand out from traditional German TV thrillers.

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Cineuropa: Your film is a thriller in which a deaf police inspector uncovers the crimes of The Dragon Cult. How did you get the idea for the subject? 
Enrico Saller: I wanted to make a film about bullying, partly because I was bullied at school due to my immigrant background. Victims of bullying cope in different ways. Some rise above it, others seek revenge or struggle with psychological problems for the rest of their lives. Our film is based on a script about a deaf police officer who returns to the criminal investigation department, in which The Dragon Cult did not yet play a role. We wanted to create something different to the traditional German TV film, in which the plot would typically be a social drama. Michael (played by Erol Sander) is a deaf police officer who learns to turn his weakness into a strength and rise above his circumstances.
Marina Hoeft: We knew from the outset that we wanted to shoot a film in our home region, so we started working with the Bavarian Forest Tourist Board. After visiting the Drachstich, we were so fascinated by the incredible tech that we wanted to use it as the backdrop for the story.

You mainly shot the film in the Bavarian Forest. What makes this area a special place to film, and did you face any particular challenges there?
MH: We filmed in all nine districts of Lower Bavaria. Often, we covered all the filming locations in a district in just one day. This entailed long days and meticulous planning.
ES: Lower Bavaria boasts a variety of diverse and often mystical filming locations. It was important to us to showcase all of that. One advantage was certainly the fact that the locals were very accommodating. In large cities, you would have to pay high rents for filming locations. Here, many people even let us film for free.

The Dragon Slaying Festival (Drachenstich) in Furth im Wald attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. How was it possible to shoot your film during this major event?
ES: We had already filmed some of the festival scenes a year before the actual shoot. To avoid disrupting the festival, only Marina and I were on site. We were allowed to sit downstairs in a designated area with the festival director, where we were able to follow everything and then pick the scenes we wanted to use.

Actress Verena Kringe (who portrays Stephanie) learnt sign language especially for the film. Did you learn sign language, too, and how did you direct the scenes in which it was used?           
MH: It usually takes at least three years to learn sign language. Verena worked closely with the Institute for Hearing and Speech in Straubing, to learn the basics in less than a year. Recordings of the online lessons were also made available to us. 
ES: We worked on our sign language skills to ensure that everything in the film was accurate. One challenge was that, in some scenes, our actors had to sign with only one hand instead of two, because they held something in the other hand, and those decisions on set had to be made quickly.

Many young people in rural areas do not dare to dream of a career in film because opportunities are more limited in the countryside. What advice would you give to the ones who still want to take the plunge into a film career?         
ES: In my opinion, there are three options. The first option would be to enrol at HFF Munich, where you have the opportunity to secure financing for your final film. However, you first need to be admitted to the school, and you must be able to afford the high living costs in Munich. This was not an option for me. Option 2, which is what I did, is to start writing stories and working as a set runner to gain practical experience. I also worked several other jobs, including as a photographer and in hotels, to finance my films.   
MH: Option number three would be to simply start filming for fun and enter competitions. As a kid, I made short films with my sister and father and entered them into competitions. However, I later pursued a more traditional career in office administration. Enrico reignited my interest in film when I got to know him in 2019. The most important advice is this: if you really want to get into cinema, you have to be prepared to put in many years of hard work. We would not be able to do it without each other.