BEYOND THE BLUE BORDER - German Currents Film Festival 2024

The German Currents Film Festival and the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles would like to invite you to its screening of Sara Naumann's BEYOND THE BLUE BORDER.

BEYOND THE BLUE BORDER

Sunday, October 13th @ 3:00 pM

at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles

1901 West 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90057

Admission is free with RSVP
Capacity is limited.
RSVP holders will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Light refreshments provided

Free Parking is available at Metro/Retail parking structure located at

Public transport is possible with the red line to MacArthur Park/Westlake stop.

Using carpool or ride-share options are appreciated.

BEYOND THE BLUE BORDER

Director Sarah Neumann
Screenplay Sarah Neumann, Based on "Jenseits der blauen Grenze" by Dorit Linke
Director of Photography Nikolaus Schreiber, Felix Gänsicke (Underwater Camera)
Cast Lena Urzendowsky, Willi Geitmann, Jannis Veihelmann, Winnie Böwe, Stefan Mocker
Producers Nicola Pantzke, Jasper Philipp Mielke, Karoline Henkel, Felix Schreiber, Arto Sebastian Buhmann
Co-producers Delphine Schmit, Guillaume Dreyfus, Anna Maria Aslanoğlu, Julia Irene Peters, Jutta Feit
Production Company Wood Water Films
Co-production Company Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH (Ludwigsburg),
Südwestrundfunk (SWR), Arte Deutschland TV GmbH

August 1989, East Germany. Hanna (Urzendowsky) is a talented swimmer who dreams of becoming an Olympic champion. When not training, she’s with her best friends Andreas (Geitmann) and Jens (Veihelmann). Andreas comes from an abusive home and has never fit into the rigid GDR system. When Hanna and Jens learn that Andreas is to be “socialistically re-educated” in a youth work camp, they know they must help him. Andreas sees only one way out: to swim 50 km west, across the Baltic Sea to freedom. But in a society that demands conformity, Hannah’s friendship with Andreas threatens her Olympic dreams. Suddenly, she is faced with the decision of her life: does she leave her secure place in socialist society, or let Andreas swim alone, knowing that he will never make it without her help? Neumann’s multi-award-winning debut feature, based on Dorit Linke’s novel, "Jenseits der blauen Grenze," looks to Germany’s recent past to explore timeless themes of self-sacrifice, friendship, and the search for freedom.

AWARDS
Filmfest Bremen 2024 Audience Award, Best Regional Film
Max Ophüls Preis 2024 Best Young Actor, Audience Award - Feature Film, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
Sarah Neumann was born in Görlitz in 1988. After studying film and theater studies at the Free University of Berlin, she worked as a production coordinator at UFA Fiction in Potsdam. She has been studying directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg since 2015. BEYOND THE BLUE BORDER is her feature length film debut.

F ULL FESTIVAL PROGRAM:

The German Currents Film Festival is produced by the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and the in kind cooperation with the and with the support of , , , and the

Host or Publisher Goethe-Institut Los Angeles