A day in the life of Germany
What is Germany really like? Filmmaker Sönke Wortmann called on the public to submit their own video clips. With the 10,000 he received, he made the film "Deutschland. Made by Germany," which opens in cinemas on July 14.
Youthful blaze of color
German director Sönke Wortmann attempted to present a cross-section of society in his film and did his best to motivate people of all age groups, but those who could be persuaded to participate in his project "Deutschland. Made by Germany" were predominantly young people. The outcome is clearly a product of the selfie-era - albeit a very colorful one.
Germany from above
Many films before "Deutschland. Made by Germany" have featured a bird's eye view of the country. Sönke Wortmann threw in many scenes that were shot, for example, by hobby pilots and parachutists.
Heads up
Needless to say, most of the participants in the project remained on the ground, even though they did point their cameras into the sky now and then. The film tells many little stories about people's daily lives, their worries and concerns, but most of all about their joy and courage. "Deutschland. Made by Germany" presents a particularly optimistic image of the country.
Town and country
The film seems to give the impression that most Germans enjoy the outdoors more than anything else. The focus seems to be less on urban life - even though that's the reality most residents deal with. A majority of the city views in the film were aerial shots, give present a rather glorifying perspective.
Animal tales
Before sifting through the submitted video clips, director Sönke Wortmann worried that he'd have to deal with countless cat and dog videos. And he was right. Fortunately, though, only a few of them made the final cut.
Highlights of the day
Many people sent in clips of them doing sports. Apparently they thought filming themselves in the office or vacuuming at home just wouldn't be that exciting. And they were probably right - though the choice is also an indication of how people define themselves.
Germany is beautiful
"Deutschland. Ein Sommermärchen" (Germany. A summer's tale) was a film Sönke Wortmann made during the Soccer World Cup held in Germany in 2006. A decade later, the same director has widened his perspective, coming up with a more diversified image of Germany and its landscapes.
An ambitious project
The US-British film "Life in a Day" (2011) served as a model for Wortmann. Back then, producer Ridley Scott and director Kevin Macdonald had called on people worldwide to send in self-made films which had all been shot on the very same day. Wortmann transferred to Germany, and "Deutschland. Made in Germany," now hitting the movie theaters, is the result.