Four Minutes Germany
2006, 112min.
Prod.: Alexandra Kordes, Meike Kordes, Script/Dir./Co-Prod.: Chris Kraus, Dir. of Phot.: Judith Kaufmann, Compos.: Annette Focks, Prod. Design: Silke Buhr, Sound: Andreas Ruft, Sound Edit.: Eckhard Blach, Robin Pohle, Sound Mix: Jörg Höhne, Edit.: Uta Schmidt.
Cast: Monica Bleibtreu (Traude Krüger), Hannah Herzsprung (Jenny von Loeben), Sven Pippig (Mütze), Richy Müller (Kowalski), Jasmin Tabatabai (Ayse).
Pianist Traute Krüger has been giving piano lessons in a women's prison for more than 60 years, almost as if she had to pay for some crime herself. One day she meets Jenny there, an unapproachable, erratic, violent young woman who is imprisoned for murder. Traude at first refuses to take on the fiercely rebellious girl as a pupil – until she hears her play. As a child Jenny was a musical prodigy and now could easily take part in piano competitions outside of the prison if she could only pull herself together. A battle of wills develops between the self-destructive inmate and her strict, conservative teacher – a duel of life and love that rubs salt in the hidden wounds of the two women. In a frenzied finale, Jenny has only four minutes to do something that not even Traute could expect of her.
Awards
Biberach Film Festival, 2006 (Grand Prize, Audience Award), Bavarian Film Awards, 2007 (Best Actress, Best Screenplay, VGF Award), German Film Awards, 2007 (Outstanding Feature Film, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role), Shanghai IFF (Golden Goblet), Sofia IFF (Best Director, FIPRESCI Prize).
| Kraus, Chris Chris Kraus (born,1963, Goettingen)
After employment as a journalist and illustrator he went on to study at the German Film & Television Academy (dffb) in Berlin. As an author, he has written numerous screenplays, e.g. for Rosa von Praunheim's "The Einstein of Sex" ("Der Einstein des Sex"), Detlev Buck's "A Bundle of Joy" ("Liebesluder"), and OSCAR-winner Pepe Danquart’s "C(r)ook" ("Basta. Rotwein oder tot sein"). He also works as a novelist and teaches Dramaturgy at various film academies. "Shattered Glass" ("Scherbentanz", 2002) marked his feature debut, winning ten national and international awards, including two Bavarian Film Awards, the Hypo-Bank Young Director’s Award, the German Camera Award and a Golden Camera Award for lead actor Juergen Vogel. "Four Minutes" ("Vier Minuten", 2006) is his second feature film.
Filmography
Shattered Glass (Scherbentanz, 2002), Four Minutes (Vier Minuten, 2006).
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