The teaser for Fatih Akin’s “Amrum” has debuted ahead of the film’s world premiere in the Cannes Premiere section of the Cannes Film Festival. Beta Cinema is handling world sales, with Warner Bros. distributing the film in Germany and Dulac Distribution in France.
The film is set on Amrum Island, off the coast of Germany, in spring 1945. In the final days of the war, 12-year-old Nanning braves the treacherous sea to hunt seals, goes fishing at night, and works on the nearby farm to help his mother feed the family. Despite the hardship, life on the beautiful, windswept island almost feels like paradise. But when peace finally comes, it reveals a deeper threat: the enemy is far closer than he imagined.
The film is based on the childhood of German actor, writer and director Hark Bohm, who wrote the original screenplay, which was then re-written and directed by Akin.
In a statement, Akin spoke about the cinematic influences on the film. “The films that came to mind when Hark first told me the story were ‘Bicycle Thieves’ and ‘Shoeshine’ by Vittorio De Sica,” he said. “The scenes where Nanning searches for driftwood at night made me think of ‘The Night of the Hunter’ by Charles Laughton. The whole film was supposed to breathe the spirit of ‘Stand by Me’ by Rob Reiner — thus, my cinematic upbringing became the first personal connection to the film.”
Jasper Billerbeck stars alongside Laura Tonke, Lisa Hagmeister, Kian Köppke, Lars Jessen, Detlev Buck, Jan Georg Schütte, Matthias Schweighöfer and Diane Kruger.
The producers are Akin and Herman Weigel. The film is produced by Bombero International and Warner Bros. Film Productions Germany, in co-production with Rialto Film. Karl Walter Lindenlaub is director of photography, and Andrew Bird is the editor.
Akin broke through in 2004 with “Head-On,” which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. “The Edge of Heaven” (2007) won best screenplay at Cannes, and “Soul Kitchen” (2009) won the special jury prize at Venice. “The Cut” (2014) premiered in competition at Venice. “In the Fade” (2017) won best actress in Cannes for Kruger and the Golden Globe for best foreign language film. “The Golden Glove” (2019) had its world premiere at Berlin Film Festival. His next film, “Rheingold” (2022), drew over one million admissions in Germany.
