Undine*
Synopsis:
Barely a month after Undine’s* 24th birthday, she is dragged into a car at night, violently drugged and raped for several hours. In interplay of melancholy and hope the main character and choreographer finds her voice in dance to express her longing for a better future. Together with her boyfriend Thiago and Mandinga, a black labrador, they share a two-room apartment on the 21st floor in East Berlin. Undine’s* unexpected pregnancy feels like a miraculous occurrence, symbolizing a significant turning point in her story. In addition to various dance improvisations Undine* shares her progress and setbacks in selfrecorded video diaries, providing an intimate glimpse into her journey.
Producers: Martin Rattini, Petra Forer
Director: Felix Rier
Nation: Italy
Estimated length: 90 minutes
Screenplay: Felix Rier
Editing: Angela Di Santo
Photography: Felix Rier
Sound: Anna Schweitzer
Production: Helios Sustainable Films
Budget forecast: 287.380 €
Funding confirmed: 130.940 €
Missing resources: 156.440 €
Objective: PRE-SALES, ACQUISITION, DISTRIBUTION
Shooting start: March, 2023
Planned end of shooting: February, 2023
Direction’s notes:
Undine* no longer calls herself a victim, but a survivor of a group rape. And as such, she doesn’t want to keep what happened for herself any more. Undine* and I have known each other since childhood. She was my first great love and I was her first kiss. Finding the appropriate form, narrative and duration for this documentary was a long process of more than two years. While my previous film was about shame, grief and a moral sense of guilt, UNDINE* is about perspective, confidence and dreams.
Production notes:
By producing UNDINE* we would like to raise awareness for sexual violence against women, to encourage people to sue their aggressors and to give a perspective of a hope for the victims. In UNDINE* Felix explores a fascinating human and artistic dimension of the protagonist and combines it with touching moments. We are sure about the international appeal of the project and that Felix with his talent and fine sense of cinematography will create a stunning project.
DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY
Felix Rier was born and raised in the Italian Alps. After graduating from business school with a focus on finance and marketing, he moved to Berlin in 2016 and began a three-year apprenticeship as a media designer. Therefore he mainly works in the camera department, as first and second camera assistant, as junior DOP and sound technician. From 2019 to 2022 he studied camera and light at ZeLIG – School for Documentary Film in Bolzano, Italy. As part of his film studies he produced the short film ein mann zu sein (to be a man), which premiered at the Trento Film Festival 2021.
PRODUCTION Helios Sustainable Films | PRODUCERS Martin Rattini, Petra Forer | CONTACTS mrattini@helios.bz
Helios Sustainable Films Srl is an independent film production company based in Bolzano, Italy. The company is the exclusive film branch of HELIOS, a visual communication and marketing agency with over 20 years of experience founded in 2001. Helios places a strong emphasis on cinema sustainable. It produces and co-produces films ranging from creative documentaries to feature films with a focus on humanistic, social and ecological issues. The company collaborates with a extensive network of freelance professionals in the industry. www.heliosfilms.bz