THERE IS A HAUSEN EVERYWHERE
the new movie of the wtp-kollektiv
Feature film, Comedy, 100 min, Shooting period: 14.6. bis 30.6. 2024
World premiere: 24.10.2024 at 58. Internationale Hofer Filmtage
Featuring: Antje Nikola Mönning, Amelie Köder, Helena Sattler, Lenka Arnold, Ute Meisenheimer, Agnes Thi Mai, Mira Gittner, Frou, Claire Plaut, Martin Bayer, Thomas Bastkowski, Herbert Fischer, Andreas Pegler, Wolfgang Seidenberg
Director: wtp-kollektiv
Screenplay: Mira Gittner, Antje Nikola Mönning
Camera and editing: Mira Gittner
Music: Antje Nikola Mönning
Producer: Patricia Koch, Antje Nikola Mönning
Assistence: Nicki Albrecht, Maria Lüthi
Runner: Florian Kottmair
Production, distribution and sales: wtp international
PRESS QUOTE
“THERE IS A HAUSEN EVERYWHERE is – just like the Hof International Filmfestival – a testament to what can be achieved in film industry when people work together.” (Frankenpost, 26.10.2024)
“Accompanied by the catchy soundtrack STURMFREI, a trip full of wild twists and turns: The wtp-kollektiv – too many cooks don’t spoil the broth here.”
(kinokino extra, 3sat/Television, 27.10.2024)
‘Being free in Hausen’ is the motto of this year’s seminar week, which 7 women want to experience in an idyllic farmhouse. Get out of the daily grind and into life. And it does indeed seem as if the women can rediscover themselves together here. But what happens when different generations and different approaches to life collide unfiltered? THERE IS A HAUSEN EVERYWHERE humorously dissects the excitement madness of a society in which opinions no longer serve the purpose of communication.
At the beginning it seems as if the women could rediscover themselves together. They sing around the campfire, swim in the pond, barbecue and drink wine together, drive tractors, talk about menopause, open relationships and drooping eyelids.
But when the first of them start dreaming of a mysterious singer at night, FRANZI’s brother KARSTEN and her father ERICH turn up and the cake-eating turns into a family argument, the harmonious coexistence begins to fall apart: Out of the bubble, into the middle of the confrontation. The search for culprits for everything that happens in the house begins: Who orchestrated the forest bathing that ended in disaster? Who made the incriminating video of LUISA? What was really in the pills that FRANZI gave out to put her to sleep? And who hired DJ LOL to entertain them all?
THERE IS A HAUSEN EVERYWHERE is a film about encounters and a turbulent exploration of the themes of acceptance, reality and truth.
This film was collectively directed, i.e. all the actors designed their roles, costumes and make-up on set themselves and developed the scenes together. The script served as a framework. On set, we first sat down together and discussed each scene. Some texts were shortened, added to or rewritten because both the story and the characters evolved during filming. In order to authentically reflect the spirit of the seminar, we filmed as chronologically as possible. Many of us didn’t even know each other beforehand, just like the characters who meet in the seminar. Every group has its very own dynamic. Ours was a lively group that was not controlled by just one person, but was allowed to develop freely with the help of the dramaturgy of the story.
“I think we really succeeded in transferring the basic idea of the ‘Being free’ – seminar – namely to create it together – to the film.” (Antje Nikola Mönning)
“I had the feeling that we as artists and people had very similar or matching approaches to our work. That made collective directing possible.” (Amelie Köder)
“It was wonderful for me. Sitting over the script together over coffee, discussing the actions of characters and the tragic-comedy of situations and always putting the story at the center.” (Helena Sattler)
“I love working in this free way. It also works very well when everyone pulls together and everyone brings enough empathy, joy and love. I think we managed that well.” (Lenka Arnold)
“Some directing tasks can very well be worked on as a team. It’s great to have the opportunity to develop interpretative and creative decisions together. So many different points of view come together.” (Ute Meisenheimer)
“I found the experience of collective directing very exciting because we were all able to contribute our own ideas and really give free rein to our creativity.” (Agnes Thi-Mai)
“It worked for me because the story always prevailed.” (Mira Gittner)
BESETZUNG
JULIA Antje Nikola Mönning
LUISA Amelie Köder
MARIE Helena Sattler
VALENTINA Lenka Arnold
MARION Ute Meisenheimer
ANTONIA Agnes Thi-Mai
FRANZI Mira Gittner
MÄDCHEN Frou
SOPHIE Claire Plaut
DJ LOL Martin Bayer
KARSTEN Thomas Bastkowski
ERICH Herbert Fischer
BARMANN Andreas Pegler
DER WEGGEGANGENE Wolfgang Seidenberg
STAB
Regie wtp-kollektiv
Buch Mira Gittner, Antje Nikola Mönning
Kamera & Schnitt Mira Gittner
Musik Antje Nikola Mönning
Assistenz Nicole Albrecht, Maria Lüthi
Runner Florian Kottmair
Produzentinnen Patricia Koch, Antje Nikola Mönning
Produktion/Verleih/Vertrieb wtp international GmbH
Produktionsjahr 2024
Drehzeit 14. – 30. Juni 2024
Postproduktion Juli – Oktober 2024
Cast & Crew and Photocredits (Teamphoto, vlonru): Antje Nikola Mönning (©: Großstadtgesichter), Ute Meisenheimer (©: Uli Meisenheimer), Lenka Arnold (©: Joachim Gern, Wolfgang Seidenberg (©: Fabian Steppan), Patricia Koch (©: Patricia Koch), Helena Sattler (©: Jakob Fliedner), Amelie Köder (©: Amelie Köder), Claire Plaut (©: Patricia Koch), Agnes Thi Mai (©: Urban Ruths), Martin Bayer, Herbert Fischer (©: Chris Hirschhäuser), Maria Lüthi, Mira Gittner (©: Mira Gittner), Frou (©: Mira Gittner), Thomas Bastkowski (©: Jean Laffitau), Nicki Albrecht, Andreas Pegler (©: Michael Glaesemer), Hausen (©: Mira Gittner), Florian Kottmair (©: Stefan Seefried)
INTERVIEWS
How was the experience of collective directing on set for you? Does it work?
For me, this way of directing was a win. The fact that each actress dealt so intensively with her own role, much more vivid and multi-faceted characters were created than we could ever have brought up on our own. And because everyone always kept the story in mind, there was no posturing. Surprisingly, we always agreed quickly when we sat down together to discuss the scenes, I think that also speaks for the script, because there seemed to be a certain stringency.
Where do you see the connection between the social and the personal in the film?
The personal is always political too. How we see and experience the world depends very much on the society we live in. And at the moment it seems to be very difficult to get into a good communication. Everyone is always looking for scapegoats instead of solutions, and it feels like there is only black and white thinking. Our small seminar community in Hausen was like a microcosmic image of society.
But there is also hope, at least when people start to listen without preconceived answers in their heads.
What is the central theme of the film for you?
Communication. And accepting other people for who they are.
Your thoughts on your role
The character of Julia was a dream for me because this character, with all her fears and desires, is so contradictory that I was able to let off steam as an actor. She is the prototype of those who try to find happiness in weekend workshops – in other words, “salvation to go” – and then want to impose their “wisdom” on as many people as possible, regardless of whether these people want it or not. But somehow, contradictions are what make us humans. Otherwise we would be machines.
Script, production, music and acting. How do you manage to switch between the different tasks, creatively and practically?
It’s only possible with a lot of passion and a slightly masochistic tendency towards self-exploitation. And with a lot of discipline and extremely good preparation. That’s why Mira and I wrote a script that would always serve as a support if it turned out during filming that something didn’t work the way we had imagined. But for me, being involved in the whole process of filmmaking is fulfilling, I wouldn’t even call it work. Doing my tax return is work. Sure, sometimes it’s challenging to switch back and forth between production management and acting during filming, but I also enjoy doing that because this production method allows us to make films independently without the interference of an editorial team.
About the music
Some of the music was written while I was writing the script, such as the title song “Pause for thought”. As it’s an important part of the movie, I recorded it with Claire Plaut at Groundlift Studio before we started shooting. So we were actually able to have it pressed onto a record, which is then played in the movie. Apart from that, I had a very clear vision for THERE IS A HAUSEN EVERYWHERE: as simple and as unplugged as possible. The music should not evoke any emotions, as is often the case in films, but at most support the emotions conveyed by the acting. That’s why I mainly used my acoustic guitar and a bit of banjo and percussion – and Julius Drescher’s wonderful accordion. Only the dream sequences should differ musically, and VST instruments are also used there in some cases.
How was the experience of collective directing like for you? Does it work?
My experience was a good one. It felt like freedom and opportunity. I really liked the fact that we were an all-female team.
I had the feeling that as artists and people we had very similar or matching approaches to work. That made collective directing easier and possible. I wouldn’t know how it would work if there were too many people in the team with a great thirst for recognition and huge egos. Then it could become difficult.
It certainly depends on the team and the characters. In our case, I think it worked very well. It allowed the movie to grow. Our fantasies and ideas inspired each other and allowed us to create more. It was really nice that this great script became even more vivid and rounded.
Where do you see the connection between the social and the personal in the movie?
As in real life, it’s about people coming together in groups. Different world views. Clashes and enrichment through togetherness. We experience this all the time in our everyday lives. How do I treat my fellow human beings? Do I listen? Do I want to listen? What do I gain from the opinion, the advice, the words of my counterpart? Do I let them change me? How important do I want to be in the group?
These are all topics that play a role in the movie and are commonplace in real life.
What is the central theme of the film for you?
Communication and world view are the central themes for me.
Your thoughts on your role
Luisa!!! =) She is a little starlet. At least she wants to be. With her 25,000 followers. Her appearance might make you think she’s superficial and naive. But in the end, she just wants to be seen. Between the care work of her mother-in-law and her son and instant fame, she doesn’t really know where she is, who she is and what she wants to be seen as. Luisa likes to get involved with new people very quickly. She likes being influenced in all sorts of different ways. Whether through opinions or actions. She definitely hasn’t found herself yet and is slowly beginning to sense that a long-suppressed pain is flashing up from underneath her well-placed façade.
How was the experience of collective directing for you? Did it work?
It was wonderful for me. Sitting over the script together while drinking coffee, discussing the actions of characters and the tragic-comedy of situations and always putting the story at the center. I never had the feeling that I had to “deliver”, but rather that I could contribute creatively to the project, exchange ideas and put all my love into the movie.
Where do you see the connection between the social and the personal in the film?
Every character in the film has their own personal problems, all of which are born out of the system
– be it dissatisfaction with their appearance, fear of the climate crisis or dependence on social media. In our film, these different people come together, they are a co-existence, a small society. How can they live together, let the others live? When do you have to accept other people for who they are and when do they endanger social cohesion? When is the private political? There is a beautiful sentence by Bell Hooks: “Healing is an act of community”, which I often had to think about during filming.
What is the central theme of the film for you?
Community – but perhaps also because that is a central theme in my life right now.
Who do we become when we are no longer alone or just in our “bubble” and our fears are given space (or even a whole house:)?
Your thoughts on your role
I have grown very fond of Marie because she has a great sense of responsibility and desire for love. During the seminar, she learns to be more true to herself and becomes braver without changing her values. I would love to see what she does with her life.
How was the experience of collective directing for you? Does it work?
I love working in this free way. It also works very well when everyone pulls together
pull together and everyone brings enough empathy, joy and love. I think we’ve managed that well
succeeded.
Where do you see the connection between the social and the personal in the film?
Our characters reflect society on a small scale. This means that if someone is empathetic, for example, it is more pleasant for everyone than if empathy is lacking. It’s the same with love and/or understanding.
What is the central theme of the movie for you?
Everyone has/holds their own truth. But this truth does not apply to everyone, just as there is
there is no one way for everyone, everyone has their own perception and their own path in life. If you treat each other with respect, acceptance and tolerance, that’s great. Slipping into the other person’s shoes also brings understanding for the other person. Unfortunately, our characters don’t take this to heart as they are all too preoccupied with themselves.
Your thoughts on your role
Valentina always wants the best for herself and those around her. In her drive for freedom
she often overlooks/overrides the needs of others because she feels that her views are exactly
right and appropriate. This is sometimes unpleasant for others, which is why
Valentina often causes offense and is met with a lack of understanding.
How was the experience of collective directing for you? Does it work?
Some directing tasks can be developed very well in a team. It’s great to have the opportunity to develop interpretative and creative decisions together. So many different points of view come together. It’s very exciting and always surprising and inspiring. But then there is always the moment when one person has to decide how best to implement the proposals. At this point, the collective direction stops and that’s a good thing.
What is the central theme of the film for you?
What is reality in a social, interpersonal context? Is there one reality, one truth? Of course not. But how many exist? How does personal perception change? Which realities I accept has more to do with faith than initially assumed. Actual 😉 (A fact, also fact or factum (from Latin factum, “made”, res facti; ancient Greek πράγματα), is a real, verifiable, existing, true or recognized fact, depending on the opinion. Source: Wikipedia)
Your thoughts on your role
Marion is a rather down-to-earth woman. She therefore formulates her longing simply – but not without reflection: … simply to experience something beautiful. How complicated that can be,
when you get together with people who function so differently, she doesn’t give up – on the contrary.
How was the experience of collective directing for you? Does it work?
I found the experience of collective directing very exciting because we were all able to contribute our own ideas and really give free rein to our creativity. It’s definitely a very exciting experiment and I’m curious to see if it works in the movie.
Where do you see the connection between the social and the personal in the film?
I can well imagine that female viewers in particular will be able to identify with the characters, their conflicts and fears, even if some of the characters, such as my “Antonia”, are a little surreal. I believe that the story reflects a part of society with our hopes and aspirations well.
What is the central theme of the film for you?
For me, the central themes of the film are female self-empowerment, friendship and self-discovery.
Your thoughts on your role
Antonia may seem like a stoner at first glance, but as the story progresses she develops more and more peculiarities that make me suspect that she could be the ghost of the house. Who she really is remains to be seen.
How was the experience of collective directing for you? Does it work?
It worked for me because the story always prevailed. According to BVR, the definition of directing involves “bringing a film or series ‘into the world’, turning a pre-existing work into a living whole of its own.” But does this still require strictly hierarchical structures or departments that are strongly separated from one another? For me, this is no longer in keeping with the times. Isn’t artistic creation more of a process, a merging of all those involved? Ideally, a film should create a connection, but if filmmaking itself is not connected, how can a connection to the audience be established? For me, starting a project together with like-minded people is the artistic process. Actors are not playback devices that only reproduce what someone has written, actors are the ones who bring the written word to life. And you shouldn’t constantly regulate this process, you should first let it run free and then mold it together.
Where do you see the connection between the social and the personal in the film?
What happens when 7 women are among themselves? For me, this seminar week is a training camp for democracy. A seminar is about relaxation, contemplation, we have taken up this myth. The house is a peaceful place, frogs dabble in the pond in peaceful coexistence with their environment, just as the seminar participants had imagined. But soon the first conflicts appear as if out of nowhere – and, as is often prejudicedly assumed, this does not even require excessive testosterone. Because even same-sex seminar participants can clash when different values and morals clash in a confined space. And that’s social and personal at the same time.
What is the central theme of the film for you?
Life has many facets and harmony becomes fragile when cheerfulness turns into ecstasy, insecurity into fear and irritation into anger. A feature film is not a reflection of reality, but rather a possible extension. One of many possible ones.
Your thoughts on your role
Franzi is a dramaturgical character for me. We wanted the imagined harmony to be put to the test. Harmony away from everyday life – away from situations that you get into involuntarily, such as the group in the family dispute – is easy. And real community only becomes apparent when it holds together in difficult situations. And in Hausen, after the first provocations, be it the family quarrel or Franzi’s teasing of Valentina, it immediately begins to falter. And then a dynamic develops from which the character of Franzi could be increasingly removed.
Thoughts on image design
During the shoot, the focus was on the acting, not the camera. The camera was intended to accompany the action, as a documentary, hence the 16:9 format and not a widescreen format. I used the camera to capture the action, it was a camera that followed the actors and not the other way around. That’s why we mainly shot with a handheld camera and available light; everyone involved in the scene had to be constantly aware that I was panning the camera in their direction. I found it exciting to reverse the look: to capture the play scenes as a documentary with the Canon C300 and stage the interviews with the Arri Alexa. One is photographing the environment, the other is creating an environment. And the boundaries between the two worlds are blurred, because we all live in our own perception.
How did the idea for the script come about?
The question should rather be: How did the story find us? It’s like the crossroads in dreams. For me, the paths don’t lead away, but different paths/ideas/events lead to an intersection where they cross and at this point the movie emerges, which contains all these paths. Take the title, for example. It came from Roland Reber during an audience discussion for the film ANGELS WITH DIRTY WINGS, which was in 2010. The fact that we are making a film this year and the theme of different concepts of life and perceptions came about two years ago in Hof, when we showed six of the films we produced together at the Hof Film Festival 2022 in homage to the recently deceased director Roland Reber & wtp-kollektiv. And we wanted to quote from all the previous films, so Roland was somehow still involved. That’s how the character of Marion came about, for example, a quote from our first feature film THE ROOM. A postwoman appears in it who attends the seminar 25 years later in THERE IS A HAUSEN EVERYWHERE. The character is played by the same actress in both films. As is Sophie, DJ LoL, the barman from the delivery service and the man who left. And I had wanted to tell a movie from the interview perspective for a long time, and this idea finally fitted in here. Then came the question: how do we bring a group of people together in this place? The seminar came to us via an acquaintance whose dog I looked after for a few days every now and then. When we first met, she told us about a women’s seminar that she had attended and chatted away diligently. And Antje and I simply wrote along in our thoughts. And so it goes on and on, so many roads lead to Hausen: There is a Hausen everywhere.
How was the experience of collective directing and the special way of working on this film for you?
Thanks to the small team and the collective direction, the filming was very personal, very emotional and intense. From the outside, it was super exciting to observe how something very special developed in this group dynamic, not only in relation to the film, but also to the team. And even though it wasn’t always easy to reconcile all the ideas, I think it was a unique experience from which we can all benefit personally.
Where do you see the connection between the personal and the social in the film?
Because of the coming together of different perspectives and attitudes to life outside of the everyday environment, each character was able to reflect on themselves and grow. I think that’s hugely important in a world where you’re constantly confronted with different truths and beliefs. That you can find peace and find yourself, but that you are also open and tolerant of other influences.
How was the experience of collective directing and the special way of working on this film for you?
The slightly different way of working that I was able to experience on überall gibt es ein Hausen was, to put it bluntly and directly, very enriching.
Enriching in really every direction. I came out of the project very full, on the one hand because I was able to experience amazing developments in the characters, and on the other because it really made me think.
It made me think about concepts. Concepts of a collective, concepts of dealing with each other and concepts of directing together.
What would I do differently? What do I think is great? What would I not have expected? Because I was often able to take a look at the work from the outside, I was able to take away a lot for myself and I noticed a lot of little things that stuck with me.
I believe that co-directing can be a huge enrichment, especially for the actresses. I have never experienced so much freedom in the development of the characters and the ability to feel your way into the role, to let yourself grow into it, in any other film project. And that is a real gift for every actor. As a result, the characters developed an incredible depth, even with each other. I sometimes wondered what it would have been like with a different ensemble and I can’t quite answer that question, but I did realize that there is a certain danger that, depending on the players, overlaps or inconsistencies can naturally arise. For example, if you’re too focused on your own character and lose sight of the development of the movie.
Because you insist on what you’ve set out to do.
You definitely have to have a certain flexibility and good communication, but then something amazing can happen.
Sometimes I would have liked to be able to get more involved, as it’s a very tight-knit circle and the freedom to play means that everything else requires very precise ideas and a very clear framework.
Where do you see the connection between the personal and the social in the film?
For me, the focus is clearly on people, and in this sense, of course, the connection between everyone. The characters, who are allowed to be unique and peculiar in their uniqueness. Something that I constantly question, both personally and socially. Because when do I (we) really show our peculiarities in society? When is this even desired, or rather allowed, in society? And where are the places or people where you (I) can be unique in exactly our own perfection? For this reason and because of this topic, the movie is a piece of gold for everyone, I think, and truly unique.