Short
30'

Director
Wouter Wirth




 shot on raw
ARRI Alexa Mini

lensed with
Zeiss Highspeed Uncoated



 VISUAL APPROAcH We visually tell the story from the point of view of the main character, Cornelia. We look over others' shoulders at her, atmospherically capturing the suppression that surrounds her, or we stay by her side as she fights for revolution. We use wide lenses to stay close to her while still being able to sense the surrounding environment.

At first, her presence is defined only by a subtle, burning edge of light that separates her from the walls, making her almost impossible to grasp within the frame. In stoic, static shots, we attempt to find her in the monochromatic spaces.

As the story unfolds, the camera becomes increasingly immersive, flowing alongside the rapid developments of the narrative. The tone and energy of the movement take a dramatic turn toward the end, reflected in the free, wild movement of the camera and the glowing colors of the sky, mirroring the character’s path to what seems to be freedom. 



AWARDS
Medium-length films Beaver at Biberach Film Festival 2024
Audience Award at Return Festival in Weimar 2024
Winner “Best Social Change” at Short Film Factory 2024




Photo Credit: Behind the Scenes, CSP






FBW Film Rating



In 1789, the concepts of freedom and emancipation meant something different than they do in the 21st century. … In the carefully constructed and staged exposition, we meet the young and idealistic Cornelia, who is under the thumb of her despotic father and longs to escape the confines and stale atmosphere of provincial southern Germany. However, she soon realizes that as a woman, even among seemingly progressive men, she has little say.

In the final minutes, the film transforms into a grotesque, filled with bloodshed and presenting an alternative historical narrative. Ecker and Wirth subversively and inventively engage with the conventions of historical drama, ultimately leading to the absurd with stylistic elements reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino. They achieve several impressively written, acted, and filmed sequences, such as Cornelia's farewell to her ill mother in candlelight and the close-up of cheese at the picnic under the trees.



Source: (Free translation) Jury statement Sturm&Drang, FBW press statement 2024         
      





Festivals

2024, Return Festival in Weimar – World Premiere
2024, Biberacher Filmfestspiele
2025, 48. Internationale Grenzland-Filmtage
2025, SHORTS – Trinationales Filmfestival Hochschule Offenburg
2025, Wegiel Film Festival



 Awards

2024, Audience Award – Return Festival in Weimar
2024, Mittellange-Filme-Biber – Biberacher Filmfestspiele
2024, Winner “Best Social Change” – Short Film Factory 

              Credits

Writer   Romina Ecker
Director   Wouter Wirth
Producer   Kirsten Wehr, Tanja Schmidbauer, Andreas Schmidbauer
Director of Photography   Caroline Spreitzenbart 
Camera Operator   Florian Strandl, Christoph Werner, Manuel Lübbers
Steadicam Operator   Christoph Werner
A-Cam 1st AC   Christopher Pütz
2nd AC   Lukas Lerche
B-Cam 1st AC   Nadja Mild
Additional AC   Julian Weisser, Alexander Mitzler
Gaffer   Anna Rothärmel
Additional Gaffer  Johann Oeding, Ian Schroeder Leon
Electricians   Edgar Jesús Martínez Chávez, Tobias Sodeikat, Anna Avetyan, Floris Bronkhorst, Philipp Förster, Florian Goeroes, Johann Oeding, Nadja Mild, Jiyan Alkan 
DIT   Jan Riebe,  Andreas Schumacher
Colorgrading   Andreas “Andi” Lautil
Costume design   Theresa Raab
Production design   Anka Eberhard
Make-up artist   Lea Potthoff, Laura Weber
Vfx artists   Deni Oktofianto, Michel Klares, Andreas Engelhardt, Korbinian Weber, Joachim Simon
BR   Natalie Lambsdorff
Editing   Andreas Schumacher 

A production by Schmidbauer-Film GmbH Production together with Bayerischer Rundfunk and HFF München.

Full Crew and Cast @ Crew United




  • Press

  • Filmmakers Europe, "Prädikat besonders wertvoll" der Deutschen Film- und Medienbewertung für STURM UND DRANG
  • SWR aktuell, 46. Biberacher Filmfestspiele beendet
  • Schwäbische, Diese Filme erhalten die begehrten Biber