Wetlands
by David F. Wnendt
She likes to experiment with vegetables while masturbating and thinks that body hygiene is greatly overrated. She shocks those around her by speaking her mind in a most unladylike manner on topics that many people would not even dare to think of: meet Helen Memel!
Helen (CARLA JURI) is a handful for her divorced parents (MERET BECKER and AXEL MILBERG) - yet all she longs for is to see her family reunited. She only feels truly at home with her friend and soul mate Corinna (MARLEN KRUSE), who is her partner in crime as she breaks one social taboo after the other.
One day Helen has an intimate shaving accident and ends up in hospital. It is not only the head doctor, Prof Notz (EDGAR SELGE), who considers her an unusual case: she makes waves throughout the hospital with her fierce wit and candid manner. Helen sees a chance to reconcile her parents at her sickbed and finds an ally in her male nurse, Robin (CHRISTOPH LETKOWSKI), who well and truly sweeps her off her feet...
David F. Wnendt, born in 1977 in Gelsenkirchen, grew up as the son of a diplomat in Islamabad, Miami, Brussels and the German town Meckenheim. He made his first forays into the world of theatre and film production working in a variety of jobs, such as lighting technician, editor and production assistant. After graduating in business administration and journalism from Berlin Free University and completing a one-year film course at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, he was accepted at the renowned Film and Television University "Konrad Wolf" in Potsdam-Babelsberg in 2004. While still a student on the university's directing programme, he won an award at the International Short Film Festival interfilm Berlin in 2006 for his short film CALIFORNIA DREAMS. Wnendt‘s first medium-length feature film SMALL LIGHTS starring Rosalie Thomass was broadcast on Arte in 2008.
David F. Wnendt‘s powerful final degree film, COMBAT GIRLS, which he both wrote and directed, was met with great acclaim: the drama, depicting the right-wing scene in eastern Germany, won three German film awards shortly after its cinema release in 2012: the German Film Award in Bronze for Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay and Best Actress for Alina Levshin. Wnendt also received the Bavarian Film Award for Best Young Director, the Young German Cinema Award, the Prix Genève-Europe for Best Screenplay and the First Steps Award for Best Full-Length Feature Film.
FILMOGRAPHY:
2013 FEUCHTGEBIETE (Wetlands)
2012 KRIEGERIN (Combat Girls)
2008 KLEINE LICHTER (Small Lights)
2006 CALIFORNIA DREAMS (short film)
2005 HANNA’S HOBBY (documentary short film)
Carla Juri - Helen
Christoph Letkowski - Robin
Meret Becker - Mutter
Axel Milberg - Vater
Marlen Kruse - Corinna
Peri Baumeister - Schwester Valerie
Edgar Selge - Prof. Notz
Harry Baer - Harry Baer
Directed by David F. Wnendt
Produced by Peter Rommel, Rommel Film
co-produced by ZDF
Script by Claus Falkenberg, David F. Wnendt
based on the novel by Charlotte Roche
Cinematography Jakub Bejnarowicz
Production design Jenny Roesler
Costume design Elke von Sivers
Make-up Monika Münnich, Johanna Hinsch
Sound Paul Rischer
Music Enis Rotthoff
Editing Andreas Wodraschke
Casting Ulrike Müller
Editorial staff Doris Schrenner, Lucas Schmidt
Format 35 mm / 1:2.39 / color / Dolby Digital
Length: 109 min.
Language German
ORIGINAL TITLE: Feuchtgebiete