Global Screen has closed a series of sales for “The Conference,” a historically accurate drama about the Wannsee Conference in Berlin, a meeting that had a single item on the agenda: the organization of the systematic mass murder of 11 million European Jews. .
The film has been acquired by Menemsha Films (North America), Pivot Pictures (Australia), The Klockworx (Japan), Swallow Wings (Taiwan), RAI (Italy), Flins & Piniculas (Spain), Films 4 You (Portugal), Arti Film (Benelux), Edge Entertainment (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Baltic countries), ITI Neovision (Poland), RTV (Slovenia), Italian Switzerland (RSI) and Red Cape (Israel).
Director: Patrik Eklund
Writers: Patrik Eklund, Thomas Moldestad, Mats Strandberg
Stars: Katia Winter, Eva Melander, Adam Lundgren
At the invitation of Reinhard Heydrich, head of the Reich Main Security Office, which included SiPo, the Gestapo and the Security Service, a meeting was held on January 20, 1942 at noon in the villa at no. 58 Greater Wannsee. It lasts approximately 90 minutes and is attended by representatives of the SS, the Nazi party and various government ministries. There is one item on the agenda: the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question.” Heydrich's goal is to have his leadership role in the deportations recognized and to include important ministries and party officials in the preparations for the genocide of European Jews.
In a style that reminds the viewer of a business meeting, the men discuss the contentious issues of authority and jurisdiction for the operation, make suggestions and raise objections in the interests of their own units, but generally declare themselves willing to cooperate, making these units Prominent men of the German state apparatus, conspirators and accomplices.
Heydrich announces to the participants that, with the “prior approval” of Adolf Hitler, all European Jews would be deported to Eastern Europe.
Adolf Eichmann, head of the Judenreferat of the Reich Main Security Office, records the outcome of the meeting in a minute. This date will be the beginning of a program of deportation of Jews from all occupied German and allied states to extermination camps in Eastern Europe. Five days after the conference, Heydrich announced that “preparatory measures had begun.”
Neil Friedman, president of Menemsha Films, comments: “The filmmakers' authentic approach in depicting this event only underscores how easily this can happen again. “This low-key approach asks us all to constantly be on ‘high alert.’”
Julia Weber, director of acquisitions and sales at Global Screen, adds: “This is a sober and dramatic reconstruction of one of the most horrendous events of the Third Reich: the technically orchestrated meeting to organize the massacre of human beings on an industrial scale. Universally acclaimed by the press, 'The Conference' is a drama that global audiences should know and will watch in disbelief. Ensuring that nothing like this happens again is our first obligation as global citizens.”
Written by Magnus Vattrodt (“The House of Witnesses”), the film is directed by Matti Geschonneck (“In Times of Fading Light”) and produced by Reinhold Elschot and Friederich Oetker. Filmed on location at Lake Wannsee and at Unionfilm Studios in Berlin, “The Conference” is executive produced by Oliver Berben at Constantin Film.
Geschonneck says: “We want to show what human beings are capable of. Show how the destruction of the entire Jewish population of Europe was discussed and organized in a sober and factual dialogue.”
Elschot adds: “The Wannsee Conference was another step towards the genocide of the Jews of Europe: the minutes on which the film is based show the complete dehumanization of the Jews by the Nazi regime.”
Oetker says: "Our goal is to remind today's audience of the persecution and murder of European Jews and the role the Conference played in the darkest chapter of German history."
Global Screen will host two market screenings at the upcoming EFM (February 13 at 4:10pm Virtual Cinema 03 and February 14 at 11:10am Virtual Cinema 10) and will also offer a 45-minute documentary, “ The Wannsee Conference – a documentary”, directed by Jörg Müllner.
Comments
Post a Comment