Germany, The Netherlands

Synopsis

As Francis gets washed up on the shores of Southern Europe, he swears an oath to God: From now on he wants to be a new, a better, a decent man. Soon after Francis finds himself in Berlin, where he realises how hard it is to be righteous when you are an illegal refugee in Germany – without papers, without nation and without a work permit. When he receives an enticing offer from the charismatic German, Reinhold, to earn easy money, Francis initially resists the temptation, maintains his oath and stays away from Reinhold’s shady dealings. But eventually he is sucked into Berlin’s underworld and his life spirals out of control.

Director's Biography

Burhan Qurbani was born in Germany in 1980 as the son of Afghan refugees. From 2002 Qurbani studied directing at the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy. Qurbani's graduation film SHAHADA celebrated its premiere at the 60th Berlinale in 2010. Burhan Qurbani's second feature film WIR SIND JUNG. WIR SIND STARK. also received much attention and celebrated its premiere at the Rome International Filmfestival as the opening film of the competition. BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ is the third full-length feature film by Burhan Qurbani and premiered at the 70th Berlinale 2020. It was nominated in 11 categories for the German Film Award and won five awards.

FILMOGRAPHY:
2020 BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ
2014 WIR SIND JUNG. WIR SIND STARK.
2011 KRIEGER OHNE FEIND (20X BRANDENBURG), short
2010 SHAHADA
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Cast & Crew

Directed by: Burhan Qurbani

Written by: Martin Behnke, Burhan Qurbani

Produced by: Leif Alexis, Jochen Laube, Fabian Maubach

Cinematography: Yoshi Heimrath

Editing: Philipp Thomas

Production Design: Silke Buhr

Costume Design: Anna Wübber

Make-Up & Hair: Marcela Barreto

Original Score: Dascha Dauenhauer

Sound: Simone Galavazi, Michel Schöpping

Visual Effects: Frank Kaminski

Casting: Suse Marquardt, Alexandra Koknat

Cast: Welket Bungué (Franz / Francis), Jella Haase (Mieze), Albrecht Abraham Schuch (Reinhold)

Nominations and Awards

  • European Original Score 2020
  • European Film 2020
  • European University Film Award 2020
  • European Screenwriter 2020
  • Feature Film Selection 2020