“The Competitors – Russia’s Wonder Children 2″ premieres in Moscow
“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 of the film Kawe Vakil will attend the screening. The Goethe Institut Moscow supports the presence of Irene Langemann.
This is the link for the Festival website: ArtDocFest
Giving and Taking – Development Aid Africa
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 splendor and poverty. The intention of the film is http://lavrdoc.ru/2010/disc/sreda_01.html to present the concept of development aid from the perspective of Africans. With powerful images and provocative statements, the film pursues, documents and inquires why, after 50 years and 600 billion US dollars of aid money, Africa has not only not undergone a surge in development, but the countries receiving the greatest portions of aid are doing worse now than 50 years ago.
The film is produced by Wolfgang Bergmann and will be completed in the summer of 2011. In the fall of 2011, it will be cinematically released by Kölner W-Filmverleih. The film is being made in cooperation with WDR and ARTE (Sabine Rollberg and Jutta Krug) and has received support from MEDIA Development, the NRW Film Foundation, DFFF and the Hamburg Film Fund.
The Magical Journey of the Useless Things
A film by Katja Schupp and Harmut Seifert, 90/60 min., HD
Every time when the annual removal of bulky refuse is ahead, dozens of old Mercedes sprinters with Polish number plates cue in the streets of the villages around Mainz, Germany. Drivers skim through the piles of garbage to find whatever can be used or sold again way back home. Piotr Liszcz and Jan Byczek from Southeastern Poland are two of them.
This documentary accompanies selected items – e.g. a children’s tricycle, a sofa – from the street of a German village via Piotr Liszcz’s Mercedes sprinter to his second hand shop in Poland and to the final new owner in Poland. Through the secret thread built up by these objects, the documentary tells the stories of the people met on the way and thereby shows a facet of a modern Europe between the poor and the rich, where prejudice are still common.
Authors and directors are Katja Schupp and Hartmut Seifert, Co-author is Alicja Schatton. The camerawork and editing has been done by Hartmut Seifert, an awarded cinematographer.
Co-production between VIDIFILM, Alicja Schatton, Poland and Lichtfilm GmbH, Wolfgang Bergmann, Germany.
The film has been funded by the Robert-Bosch Stiftung and commissioned by ZDF/ARTE, Martin Pieper. Copyright 2010
The Competitors – Russias Wonderchildren in Concerts and Cinemas
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.
From left: Irene Langemann, Wolfgang Bergmann (producer), Dmitri Krutogolovy, Nikita Mndoyants, Irina Tschistjakowa, Elena Kolesnitschenko
After long hand clapping the 4 played with 8 hands a variation of a music piece of Robert Schumann “Happy Fellow-conutryman coming back from Work”.
The film started in 7 cinemas in Germany and is still running. More on the German only website
Noble Breed at ARTE and in Warendorf
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-Polish Foundation for Cooperation. The film is co-produced by WDR, commissioned by Dr. Sabine Rollberg from ARTE and by Krzysztof Kopczynski from Eureka Media.
The film relates to the outstanding role of the German breeder Clemens Freiherr von Nagel, here together with his famed Anglo-Arab Ramzes
This time Wolfgang Bergmann (producer, author and director) produces a film linked to the love of his youth: horse riding. In the 50th it was common to use heavy warmblood horses. Today Germany is the most successful nation in breeding high performance “noble” horses. The film tries to disclose this secret and reveals astonishing stories: Equestrians and breeders from National Socialist times built the background for those „revolutionary“ changes. Even „foreign and noble“ horses from Poland and Hungary, from Central Asia, Arabia and Great Britain were to leverage for the German rise in Horse Breeding.
If you want to join the preview of the film, organized by WDR/ARTE, come to the beautiful city Warendorf, the capital of German sport horses.
Monday the 19th of October at 19.30 to Scala & Studio Filmtheatre, Klosterstraße 5, 8231 Warendorf.
After the film a discussion will take place with the horse breeders and riders. Some characters of the film will be present. So far Gabriele Pochhammer, Inge Theodorescu and Margo van den Hoogen.
From Ramstein with Love – World Premiere at the Munich Film Festival
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. Through the perceptive narrative flow and the close observation of the people involved, the question whether or not personnel happiness is possible in the shadow of a war is continually brought up for discussion.
Filmstiftung NRW co-funds „Noble Breed“
In its first meeting of the year, Filmstiftung NRW decided to co-fund our documentary “Noble Breed” with 100,000,- EUR.
The film, produced in cooperation with Poland (EUREKA) and Hungary (TIVOLI) investigates the secret of Germany's dominant position in breeding high-performance horses, and discloses stunning and curious stories.
The film will be shot in Germany, Poland, Hungary and the Netherlands and Uzbekistan, starting spring 2009.
Rubljovka has been nominated for the Grimme Award
The film directed by Irene Langemann has been nominated actually in the category for information and culture. The Grimme Awards are one of the most distinguished accolades in the German TV business. The final decision about the winners will be published at March 25th.
Irene Langemann and the whole crew is proud on this nomination.
MDM supports a production of Lichtfilm
The Central German Film Fund located at Leipzig supports the film production of “The Breeding of a New Man” with 30.000 Euro. The Russian filmmaker Boris Karadjev´will portray the experiments in the young Soviet Union to create a superhuman. Some scientist even tried to cross man and ape to get a super worrier or slave worker for example.
LIVERPOOL-Beat City & RUBLJOVKA on screen
On 11th of December there are two reasons for us to drink to Irene Langemann. The two films LIVERPOOL – Beat City and RUBLJOVKA – Road to Bliss will be shown this day.
First run has ARTE showing LIVERPOOL – Beat City at 10.35pm .
Liverpool tries to reinvent itself as “European Capital of Culture 2008″. Hosting events like the concert of Paul McCartney, thousands of people came to see the city changing. But Irene Langemann is wandering besides crowded paths. She visits Liverpool based artists, who use the energy and power of the apsiring city. The most renowned band of Liverpool, “The Mersey Beatles”, will guide us through the vibrant and exciting city.
Accordingly follows RUBLJOVKA – Road to Bliss at 11.20pm on RBB. 
Often discussed and awarded, the film is a portrait of the new russian power elite. The film is fascinating and frightening the same time, but up-to-date as never before. A lot of the footage was shot with a hidden camera. After a long struggle the film finally was finished and very successful after theatrical release in 2007.
“fascinating portrait of the present Russian society.” epd Film; “A courageous Cologne director has managed to create a gripping cinema documentary” Spiegel; “Unflattering, unaffected, done with high artistry.“ International Filmfest Munich; “A documentary jewel …The filmmaker has made a road movie of quite a different kind, entertaining and staged with subtle humor.” Viennale
The Breeding of a New Mankind
Documentary by Boris Karadjev & Wolfgang Bergmann
In the early period of the Soviet Union breathtaking experiments have taken place. Crossbreeding between man and ape; blood refreshment by transfer; fixing conditional reflexes to the genes; artificially inseminating women by sperms of genius men, everything seemed to be possible in this short time period, ending 1936 with mass murdering of so called opponents.
The film will lighten this period by archive footage, authentic places and with the words of specialists.
After the victory of Bolshevist revolution breeding of “a new man” (in a broad sense – new mankind) became one of the main goals of grandiose experiment carried out at “one sixth part of the earth”.
The struggle for “a new man” had not only ideological reasons. Strange, as it may appear at the first sight, but its active development was stimulated by disease and death of Bolshevist leader Vladimir Lenin. Lenin’s death became alarming signal for his comrades. Communist elite rushed to doctors’ rooms requiring to prolong their lives due to the newest medical discoveries. Different scientists were involved in the solution of this problem. An old Lenin’s comrade and later his ideological opponent Alexander Bogdanov, physician, philosopher and science fiction writer was among them.
His speculative novel Red Star, , narrates the life of selected inhabitants on Mars. The people there are truly connected by blood: The elder and younger Martians exchange blood regularly and, as a result, becomes “blood brothers.” The Martians have also long recognized that the mixing of one’s own blood with that of other people is rejuvenating for the whole body. In 1924 Bogdanov began to experiment with blood transfusions on real humans. The blood of old and young people was exchanged, just like in his novel. He often experimented on himself, and he kept track in his records of the improvements of his general condition, production capacities and appearance. Following 11 successful experiments, Bogdanov undertook another blood transfusion with a student who was suffering from a form of tuberculosis. Bogdanov hoped to transfer his own immunity onto the student. But, with the 12-th time, the tragedy happened – 54-year scientist died. The supposable reason of his death – it was the so-called rhesus incompatibility. But it had not been known by that time – blood Rhesus – factor would be discovered only in 1940.
LIVERPOOL – BEAT CITY successfully completed
Irene Langemann’s documentary “Liverpool – Beat City” (60 min), which Lichtfilm produced in collaboration with ARTE was finished in September 2008.
As the title implies the main topic of the film is Liverpool, the 2008 European Capital of Culture, who is celebrating its cultural heritage and its modern artistic diversity. The metropolis has indeed spawned numerous influential artists that have gone on to international fame in the spheres 
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THE MEN/APE EXPERIMENT
Lichtfilm proposed to MDR (Heribert Schneiders/Katja Wildermuth) a historical documentary about the men/ape breeding experiment in the Sovietunion of the 30th. They failed at that time. Today hybrid breeding is possible and done and seems to be ethicly accepted by the western societies.
The 52 minute film will be produced in HD and released in December 2008 and be broadcasted at first on ARTE.
EATING OF THE FUTURE funded by MEDIA
The development of the documentary project EATING OF THE FUTURE proposed by Wolfgang Bergmann has been funded by MEDIA, Brussels. The film or series will give an insight into the impass of the protein-rich nourishing of more and more people in the world. There will not enough ressources for daily meat for all of the planet’s inhabitants. What can everybody do himself? What can politics and industry do?
We are looking for partner for international co-production.
Liverpool – Beat City by Irene Langemann
As an order from ZDF/ARTE, Hans-Robert Eisenhauer, Irene Langemann will realize a 52-60 minute documentary about Liverpool as a city in transition from downwards poor industrial to a cultural capital second after London. Of course the Beatles will play…
The film will produced in HD, 52-60 minutes and released in December 2008
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RUBLJOVKA on ARTE
Tuesday, the 10th of June the film RUBLJOVKA – ROAD TO BLISS will be aired at 23 pm. The film is still running in German and Austrian cinemas and will be after the braoadcasting.
At the 5th Planete Doc Review Festival at Warscaw the screenings of the film beginning from the 14th of May have been a great success. Tickets sold out and a lot of young enthusiastic documentary hungry viewers welcomed Irene Langemann. The festival staff too was extremely polite and hosted the international filmmakers at their best. Thank you Artur.
LICHFILM moves
Our office moves to a new address on Friday 29th:
Vogteistr. 16
D 50670 Köln
We stay the same but have new nice rooms with 3 editing rooms and a view on the Klingelpütz park. The former main prison area in Cologne. We would be very astonished if we will have a telephone and internet access funtioning on Monday. If not use our mobile: 0049-172-2553665.
THE COMPETITORS funded
We are happy to have received 2 fundings for the continuation of the documentary about 4 Russian/Ucrainian wonder children. The Filmstiftung NRW and the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg decided to support the work of Irene Langemann. Furthermore we accomplished 4 more presales from WDR, ERR Estonia, NPS The Netherlands and CT from Czech Television. Together with a co-production with Exit film from Estonia we are optimistic to achieve the MEDIA TV Distribution funding to close the financing.
RUBLYOVKA – ROAD TO BLISS awarded
At the VIENNALE once again the theaters were sold out. We were very happy to received the STANDARD VIENNALE READERS’ JURY AWARD.
Excerpt from the jury decision:
“Among twenty contributions to choose from, one documentary jewel stood out, which the Readers’ Jury soon agreed on as the worthy prizewinner. The filmmaker has made a road movie of quite a different kind, entertaining and staged with subtle humor.”
Here you can find the complete version of the jury’s decision.
Also in Bulgaria the film was successful.The GOLDEN CHEST INTERNATIONAL TV FESTIVAL awarded the film with THE PRIZE FOR DIRECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY for the work of Maxim Tarasjugin.
More information about the film you can find here.
RUBLYOVKA – ROAD TO BLISS in the cinemas and at festivals…
Before the film opens in the cinemas at 13. December
it is screened by following festivals:
Austria, VIENNALE (19.-31. October)
21. October at 11:00 am at ‘Künstlerhaus’
22. Oktober at 6:30 pm at ‘Metro’
More information about the festival, tickets and venue you find here.
Bulgaria, Plovdiv, GOLDEN CHEST INTERNATIONAL TV FESTIVAL (29. Oct. to 3. November)
2. November at 4:44 pm
More information about the festival, tickets and venue you find here.
Germany, KASSELER DOKUMNTARFILM- UND VIDEOFESTIVAL (13. to 18. November)
11. November at 11:00 am
More information about the festival, tickets and venue you find here.
Information and downloads concerning the film you find here www.rubljovka.de