Germany Strikes Back: “Russendisko” shot in Berlin

For many years the Germans were very patient and diplomatic about numerous films in the spirit of Soviet propaganda which showed low IQ and combat spirit of Hitler’s Army compared to Soviet partisans, military or civilians in the WW2. Now the time has come to strike back and make fun of uncivilized and weird Russian emigrants who drink vodka from ‘samovars’ unable to assimilate in the Western society.

March 19, 2011. Berlin.  Oliver Schmitz, who directed Life, Above All and a segment of Paris, Je T’Aime is currently shooting Russendisko (Russian Disco). The script by Oliver Ziegenbalg is based on the book by Vladimir Kaminer (Moscow-born Kaminer, a Jewish DJ, sound engineer and columnist emigrated to Germany and even announced in 2006 his intention to run for Mayor of Berlin in 2011).

The film features three young Russians – Vladimir, Misha and Andrei – who emigrate to Germany in 1990 and arrive in East Berlin at a time of musical and cultural ferment with a few roubles left in their pockets and some big dreams which do not always come true. Their new life is a collection of amusing bitter-sweet events filled with the integration problems which are still common among Russian immigrants in Germany.

Starring: Matthias Schweighöfer and Friedrich Mücke (the two East-German buddies in Friendship!) as well as Christian Friedel (the teacher in Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon).

Russendisko is produced by Christoph Hahnheiser and Arthur Cohn for Black Forest Films, in co-production with Seven Pictures Film for the SAT 1 network. It has backing from regional fund Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the DFFF and FFA on a national level, and the MEDIA Programme.

Shooting will continue until mid-May. The film will be released in theatres by Paramount Pictures in spring 2012.

(Sources: www.cineuropa.org, www.wikipedia.org)

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