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

copyright Ullstein/dpa

A documentary by Kai Christiansen, 89/45 minutes, HD, stereo
Comm. editors: Christian von Behr, RBB, Uwe Bergmann, RBB, Alexander von Sallwitz, NDR
Funded by Filmstiftung NRW (development) Filmförderung Hamburg/ SHH (Production)

The documentary film “Starfighter – A High-Tech Death” tells the story of the procurement of the most modern combat aircraft of the time and the mysterious crash and death of over 100 pilots.
In the 60s, the West German Air Force had over 900 Starfighter supersonic fighter-bomber aircrafts of the model 104G in service ? to the initial jubilation of the pilots, for the speed and acceleration of the new fighter jets were exceptional. But the new technology proved tricky: one-third of the machines crashed, and every second crash proved fatal for the pilot.
copyright Ullstein/dpa
Kai Christiansen’s film is the first film to deal with the Starfighter scandal, and it does so from a variety of perspectives: the viewpoint of those affected is presented, as is the desire of the politicians for both a new German aviation industry and the access to the atom bomb. Particular attention is given to the widows of the fallen pilots and their desperate struggle for the clarification of the causes behind the accidents and the hope for an end to the series of crashes. The film, however, also lets the pilots speak who enthusiastically continued to get into their machines everyday despite the numerous deaths.
The documentary “Starfighter ? A High-Tech Death” is 88 minutes of highly interesting German post-war history. It is a film about the largest and most expensive armament project in the history of the Federal Republic. The documentary offers insight behind a tangle of military secrets, political intrigue, corruption and deliberate misinformation. It is revealed how the catastrophe came to be and why the series of crashes could continue for almost 30 years.
The film also tells little stories of the purchase of the first car and the first camera as well as of the young army’s recruitment of professional soldiers. On the other side, the film presents the new army’s attempts to position itself with the Warsaw Pact on the one side and the NATO allies on the other ? and the price that was paid for this ambition.
It is a film about the difficult relationship between the German Federal Republic and its army, about the parallel worlds of the German Armed Forces and the civil society.

“Starfighter ? A High-Tech Death” is also a film full of anger, sadness and outrage at a military leadership that demands heavy losses even in times of peace and a political policy in which nobody takes responsibility. It is a film about the difficult new beginning of the Air Force in the shadow of World War II, about the close friendship with the United States, and about the thrill of supersonic flight.

Ms. Lantzberg-Hippel sued Lockheed to force the Bundeswehr to open the files.

Peter Vogler has been attracted by flying the  Starfighter

Hubert Merkel also has been Starfighter pilot and is a consulter for the aircraft industry now. copyright Ullstein/dpa

Starfighter – F 104 – in formation flight. copyright Ullstein/dpa

Leftovers of a  Starfighter                                     copyright Ullstein/dpa

The 131st crashed Starfighter in Germany

The author and director of the documentary, Kai Christiansen

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.

A film by Irene Langemann, 2009, HD, 89 min.
Comm. editors: Gudrun Hanke-El Ghomri, SWR, Jutta Krug, WDR, Frauke Sandig, DW
Since the end of World War II, American armed forces have been stationed in Ramstein in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The fascination for the “American way of life” has not only cast a spell over many Germans there, but it has also left visible traces in the area. On the Ramstein Air Base, the largest US air base found on foreign soil, one even has the impression of being in “Little America”.

The military installation is structured on the principal of self-sufficiency. Although the drama of the Iraqi War has lead to a general disenchantment with the superpower, the people of the area cannot imagine a life without Americans. The cooperation and coexistence of the two nations remains very intensive here, particularly when it comes to German-American marriages. Although a clash of cultures is found in each individual relationship, the German wives and husbands quickly and unconditionally adopt the patriotic attitude of their American partners — even when it comes to the USA’s adventure in Iraq. This is all the more amazing since the service members are regularly deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result, the German spouses also become fatally and closely involved with the events of the war. Their lives are full of worry and anxiety about their loved ones, who could possibly return home from the conflict area injured or even dead.

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.

James Ewing is flight engineer in the Iraq                                                 ©Lichtfilm

The Ewing family enjoys the weeks beeing together in Ramstein      ©Lichtfilm

Blessed soldiers from Iraq brought to the Ramstein hospital.                    ©Lichtfilm

Schläfer family after an avancement ceremony                                       ©Lichtfilm

Cast and crew afther the premiere of the film at the International Munich Film Festival at the July 3rd 2009.

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.

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.

Irene Langemann and the whole crew is proud on this nomination.

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

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.