The shoot for a tragicomedy with the working title Die Abenteuer der Lausitzerin Wilma (lit. “The Adventures of Wilma from Lusatia”) has been completed, and the film is now in post-production. It has been edited and is slated to be released next year. German director Maren-Kea Freese thus directs her first fiction feature after a hiatus of nearly 20 years. Her first movie, Zoe, based on her short of the same name, premiered in 2000 at the Berlinale and was very well received. It travelled internationally and won the Award for Best Up-and-coming Director at Filmfest München. Then, in 2005, came Was ich von ihr weiß, a drama about a mother-daughter relationship. This film, for which Freese also wrote the script (as was the case for her previous work), was acclaimed by critics, too, and was shown internationally. In 2011, the director, together with Silvia Kaiser, made a documentary for television.

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Now she is back with a new fiction feature that once again boasts a female protagonist. Die Abenteuer der Lausitzerin Wilma tells the story of Wilma, a woman in her fifties who has spent most of her life in rural Germany, in the region of Lusatia, which is known for its lignite mining and has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the mining activities were abandoned. Wilma is one of the people who end up without a job. This sees her spiral into a crisis, after which she decides that she needs a change of scenery. She then arrives in Vienna, exploring the big city and seeking out fresh inspiration. She gains renewed energy and embarks on a new life project.

The protagonist, Wilma, is played by acclaimed German theatre and movie actress Fritzi Haberlandt. Haberlandt, who was trained at the prestigious Ernst Busch Acting Academy in Berlin, has been working in recent years on many cinema and TV productions in Germany. She has participated in several children's films and series. Among the most popular was Babylon Berlin, which had four seasons and was directed by a team of three, including Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run). She often takes on supporting roles, so her involvement in Freese's new film is a great opportunity for her to show off her skills.

Starring alongside Haberlandt is an ensemble of German and Austrian thesps, such as Stephan Grossmann (Exile [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Visar Morina
fiche film]), Thomas Gerber (Buba) and Valentin Postlmayr (Alma & Oskar [+lire aussi :
critique
fiche film]). As for the crew, Freese is backed up by DoP Michael Kotschi (One of These Days [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Bastian Günther
fiche film], Wagenknecht [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film]) and editor Florian Miosge (Luise, O Beautiful Night [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Xaver Böhm
fiche film]).

Die Abenteuer der Lausitzerin Wilma is being staged by Ma.ja.de Filmproduktion in co-production with TV channel MDR. It has been funded by the Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (BKM), the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, DFFF and Creative Europe. Its release date is not yet known, but it will be distributed in Germany by Neue Visionen Filmverleih.

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