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A film by Irene Langemann, ©Lichtfilm/WDR 2022
Editor: Beate Schlanstein / Nicole Ripperda
Worldsale Newdocs , First broadcast atARD 21.3.2022
We hadn't seen it like this before: The film was being worked on right up to the day of the broadcast and aired in the evening on the German public broadcaster ARD. 1.3 million viewers, 8.8%. It was followed the next day by Tagesschau 24, then twice by Phoenix, 4 days in a row, at good broadcast times. And lots of good feedback from ARD editors and colleagues: Great protagonist:s, clever narration and the emotional force of the constant increase in the description of oppression. At the end also hope. Anthemic mails from the audience, direct mails and joy from the Belarusian community in Germany. The film comes at the right time, so that their revolution is not forgotten in these terrible times of war in Ukraine.
Shooting with the team of rapper Gleb A. in the vicinity of the village Ketowo in the Urals.
With the support of the WDR and MDR as well as the funding of the Film- und Medien Stiftung NRW in preparation and production, Irene Langemann started shooting in March. The film is to be completed in September and broadcast on the 20th anniversary of the Putin era, which began on 31 December 1999. World sales will be handled by New Docs Elina Kewitz, who will present the film at MIP-TV in Cannes in April.
In China, too, there is scope for documentaries in the cinema. The film "A Way Out" by Cherelle Qiong Zheng, co-produced by Lichtfilm, is experiencing an unprecedented career in Chinese cinema. By August of this year, 221 cinema screenings had taken place and the film had raised over 70,000 euros.
We are delighted and proud that the film by Irene Langemann "Pavlensky - Man and Might" was awarded as the best artist portrait at the International Festival of the Film on Art in Montreal.
The jury's reasoning is:
The striking portrait of an artist outside each standard. The life and art of Pyotr Pavlensky are imbued with his social and political commitment. The constraint of any restriction of political art he demonstrates at his own body and this is a vehement accusation against the political power of Russia. Razor sharp the film puts the fingers into open wounds, just and without circumference. The portrait of a man whose outer and inner contours he draws. The director allows us access to an artist without repentance.
The film has been invited to the young and passionate Croatian documentary film festival. The festival opened first time in 2005 and is the biggest documentary festival in East Europe. It’s his aim to promote documentary film with artistic approach to the local population.
The Beijing based festival organizer (iDOCS) film producer and filmmaker has been invited to show her new film A Way Out. She wrote the following comment:
On December 1st, 2016, Irene Langemann's feature documentary PAVLENSKY – Man and Might opened the Moscow Artdocfest, the largest documentary film festival in Russia. The film was screened at the same time in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. The banner image of this year's festival was the picture of Pavlensky's sutured mouth from his art action Stitch.
Great interest at IDFA on the first film of Lola Jia LIU. Three sold out shows and many questions to the director afterwards.
The director and the team have been on stage at 24th of November to celebrate the film's world premiere.
The preparation, financing, filming and editing took a total of 5 years. A big thank you to all the contributors.
The first film in the lineup is the latest documentary by Irene Langemann, PAVLENSKY – Man and the Might. It's celebrating its world premiere on 1 November 2016 at DOK Leipzig, the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film.
With great courage and dedication, Irene Langemann travelled to Russia in 2015 and 2016 to accompany the political artist Petr Pavlensky during his time as a free man as well as while he was in jail. Pavlensky's art actions include sewing his own mouth shut to demonstrate his solidarity with the convicted members of Pussy Riot, and nailing his scrotum to the Red Square as a symbol of the apathy and political indifference of today's Russian society. He was sent to jail after he set the main entrance of the former headquarters of the KGB, Lubyanka Castle, on fire. Irene Langemann's film follows this arch with artistic insight and style, presenting 99 minutes of undisguised, ironic and amusing insights into Putin's realm.
The documentary will reach German cinemas at the beginning of 2017. International distribution: Deckert GmbH. Deckert GmbH
The second feature-length documentary, On the Bridge of Death and Life, is the directorial debut of the Cologne-based filmmaker Lola Jia LIU. It'll celebrate its world premiere in Amsterdam at the IDFA, one of the most important documentary film festivals in the world. The documentary follows Chen Si as he saves lives on the large bridge spanning the Yangtze River in Nanjing. For over 10 years he has patrolled the bridge on weekends trying to prevent the desperate from jumping to their death — migrant workers, students and women, and the socially marginalized who feel pushed aside by the wake of the booming economy and promises of happiness. Chen Si and some of the rescued provide a deep insight into the everyday life of China.
The third documentary, A Way Out, by Cherelle Qiong Zheng of Peking, accompanies three young people as they grow into adulthood over a period of six years. All three want to have a share of the new prosperity of China, and fight for both their apprenticeship positions and good grades. As they come from different social stations, the obstacles they face are not the same. A sensitive, subtle and impartial film, A Way Out richly rewards the patience of audience. The film, which will be screened at the Festival Ecrans de Chine 2016, is having its world premiere on November 4th in Paris at Kino l’Entrepot. The festival will tour various cities across France, and will also visit Saarbrucken, Germany. Further information can be found at the festival's website festival.
Lichtfilm hat den Film koproduziert.
Der dritte Film, A WAY OUT von Cherelle Qiong Zheng aus Peking, begleitet 6 Jahre lang 3 Jugendliche auf ihrem Weg ins erwachsene Leben. Alle 3 wollen am neuen Wohlstand teilhaben und kämpfen um ihre Ausbildungsplätze und gute Noten. Sie entstammen unterschiedlichen sozialen Schichten und haben unterschiedliche Widerstände zu überwinden. Es ist ein feinfühliger, hintergründiger und unabhängiger Film entstanden, der die Geduld des Zuschauers reich belohnt.
Der Film wird auf dem Festival Ecrans de Chine 2016 gezeigt. Der Film feiert seine Weltpremiere am 4.11. in Paris im Kino l’Entrepot. http://www.lentrepot.fr/ Das Festival tourt durch verschiedene Städte in Frankreich. In Deutschland gastiert es in Saarbrücken. Mehr auf der Webseite des Festivals http://www.ecransdechine.com/actualites/
Lichtfilm hat den Film koproduziert.
A film by Irene Langemann, 43 minutes for Deutsche Welle
The bloody fighting in eastern Ukraine may seem to have subsided, but the conflict continues. This film meets people from the city of Dnipropetrovsk, which is just 200 kilometers from the war zone. Julia Segeda, a successful lawyer, and her husband have turned their office in Dnepropetrovsk into a collection point for relief supplies. Each week, the couple goes to the front line to deliver them directly to army units fighting there. The escalation of fighting in the neighboring Donetsk region and the dire supply situation of the Ukrainian army motivated them to help.
You can view the film here: Between War and Peace
More than 900 mostly young people joined the screening of the film „The Song of Life". The audience accompanied the film attentively and gave applause at several music presentations with unexpected emotionality. There were discussions till late night followed by a Masterclass very early in the next day. There we discussed more the perspective of narration and the "magic moments" of the film. We found a big interest in true documentaries and in further cooperation!
Since 2009 every year the iDOCS International Documentary Forum takes place in the Beijing Film Academy. It is the only Government permitted documentary presentation of independent documentaries.
Our film “The Song of Life”, directed by Irene Langemann will be shown at the 14th of December with Chinese subtitling. Irene Langemann together with Wolfgang Bergmann will present a masterclass about the "perspecitive of narration" and "magic moments" of the film and work.
More about the festival you find here: Website iDOCS
During the stay Wolfgang Bergmann will meet Dali Chen the director of the documentary channel of BTV to sign first contracts to several films. One has been presented by Wolfgang Bergmann about the “Green Revolution” in China. Together with Xifan Yang Wolfgang Bergmann prepared an extended script for a 4 part series.
The feature documentary Sweet Poison – Aid as Business, by Peter Heller, takes a look at the questionable development aid policies practiced in Africa, their grotesque effects and sad legacy. Its screening in cinemas and at special event triggered much debate and discussion. Now it is going to be screened in its full length (89 min.) on ARTE as part of the theme night "Hunger":
Sweet Poison – Aid as Business on 27 March 2014 at 9:30 PM.
For more on the film go here:
Three days later, on 30 March 2014 at 10:50 PM, ARTE is broadcasting Irene Langemann's poignant film The Song of Life. The documentary shows how the magic of music gives the elderly wings, and how "life songs" are created from their life stories. (ARTE version: 56 min.)
For more on the film go here:
Early April ARTE will be repeating the documentary on the so-called "temporary marriages" in Iran: In the Bazaar of Sexes by Sudabeh Mortezai on 11 April 2014 at 10:55 PM. The film offers a fascinating inside view of everyday life in Iran.
For more on the film go here:
Our film has been shortlisted for the nomination of the LOLA 
award of the German Film Academy.
The film will be shown at the Berlinae at the 14th of February
at 1:30 pm at CinemaxX 1
The director Irene Langemann and the producer Wolfgang
Bergmann will be present.
We would like to welcome you at the screening.
While he was studying at the conservatory, German composer Bernhard König became fascinated with the "wrinkled and grumbly voices" of the elderly. From that moment on, he decided to dedicate himself to finding an environment in which those voices could be fully appreciated. The Song of Life follows König during two intriguing projects.
After screenings in 2 Festivals (Filmfest Hamburg and Tage des Ethnologischen Films in Munich) this provocative film will start in more than 20 cinemas in Germany at November 8th. The national premier will be at the Rex Cinema in Bonn at November 7th together with Peter Heller, writer/director, Mohamed Guyé journalist Senegal, Mai Moussa Djoumbaye from Mali/Niger, Rupert Neudeck, Grünhelme, Ex Cap Anamour, Gustav Seitz, Embassador a.D..
Details about the film tour you will find here:
"The Competitors - Russia's Wonder Children 2" premieres in Moscow. The festival ARTDOCFEST screens the film at December 5th, 3 pm at cinema «Khudoshestvenny - Художественный» am Arbat. Irene langemann and the editor
On September 22nd, the 50th anniversary of independence was celebrated in Bamako, the capital of Mali. Peter Heller – writer and director – was there with the Cologne-based cameraman Dieter Stürmer and the Hamburg-based sound engineer Timo Selengia, and they brought back images of...
At April 28, the new film of Irene Langemann opened at the Robert-Schumann-Saal in Düsseldorf. The film continues the path of passion and devotion to music of the 4 film heros from the first film 10 years ago.
ARTE broadcasts "Noble Breed" as part of a topical evening at the 25th of Ocotober at 21.40. 89 minutes, HD. Funded by the Filmstiftung NRW, the Polish Film Insistitute and the German-
FROM RAMSTEIN WITH LOVE the new film by Irene Langemann premiers July 3rd, 8pm at at the International Filmfest München.
The film presents highly personnel German-American family stories from "Little America", Germany, against the backdrop of the Iraqi War. Again and again, the private sphere merges with the world of international events. Throug...