Paula
by Christian Schwochow
Painting is an unacceptable vocation for a woman in provincial Germany in the year 1900, but budding artist Paula Becker is determined to make her own rules. The exuberant 24-year-old woman rejects the conventional and explores her unique style. She flourishes in the countryside art community of Worpswede, where she develops friendships with artist Clara Westhoff and poet Rainer Maria Rilke. By marrying painter Otto Modersohn, she hopes to find a creative soulmate. He allows her to continue painting while assuming her duties as a good wife. Five years of domesticity take its toll on Paula's spirit, and she travels alone to modern Paris, where she studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and soon begins a romantic affair. Headstrong Paula is unstoppable: she embarks on a period that will become her most compelling; a long-awaited period of creative fulfilment and self-realization...
Christian Schwochow studied at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Film Academy. He garnered attention in 2008 with his debut feature film, NOVEMBER CHILD, whose cast featured several well-known actors and won the Audience Award at the Max Ophüls Festival. Schwochow's two-part TV film THE TOWER (2012) won the prestigious Grimme Award. His second feature film, CRACKS IN THE SHELL (2011), received several accolades, including the German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. His most recent feature film, WEST (2013), also won the German Film Award, this time for Best Actress. Later, Schwochow made his debut as a theatre director with POISON at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. The production was awarded with the Deutscher Theaterpreis ("German Theatre Prize") for Best Actress.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY:
2016 PAULA
2016 NSU GERMAN HISTORY X - The Perpetrators (TV Mini-series)
2014 BORNHOLMER STRASSE (TV)
2013 WEST
2012 THE TOWER (TV mini-series)
2011 CRACKS IN THE SHELL
2008 NOVEMBER CHILD
Paula Modersohn-Becker – Carla Juri
Otto Modersohn – Arbrecht Abraham Schuch
Clara Rilke-Westhoff – Roxane Duran
Rainer Maria Rilke – Joel Basman
George – Stanley Weber
Fritz Mackensen – Nicki von Tempelhoff
Director Christian Schwochow
Screenwriters Stefan Kolditz & Stephan Suschke
Director of Photography Frank Lamm
Editor Jens Klüber
Music Jean Rondeau
Sounddesign Rainer Heesch, Bruno Tarriere & Jean-Paul Bernard
Productiondesign Tim Pannen
Costumes Frauke Firl
Casting Anja Dihrberg
Make-Up & Hair Astrid Weber & Hannah Fischleder
Production Manager Katja Christochowitz
Comissioning Editors Barbara Buhl (WDR), Carolin Haasis (Degeto), Annette Strelow (Radio Bremen), Andreas Schreitmüller (Arte)
Co-Producers Laurence Clerc & Oliver Thery Lapiney
Producers Christoph Friedel, Claudia Steffen & Ingelore König
Format DCP / colour / 2.39:1 / 5.1
Length 123 min.
Original Language German & French