International Works in Progress
Superbuhei
A black comedy and psychological thriller about self-perception and the pursuit of individuality.
Based on the book 'Superbuhei' by Sven Amtsberg.
Jesse Bronske, an unsuccessful bar proprietor, is afraid that his malicious twin brother – whom he fled from long ago – has found him and is now trying to take over his life step by step. However, the more Jesse spirals into paranoia while trying to calm himself with alcohol, the more his life actually slips away from him.
Subjects:
mental health, sibling relationships, alcoholism, men, absurd
Josef Brandl was born in Paris and grew up in Bavarian Suburbia in the 80s. Having failed miserably as an architect, he realised he could do less damage in the film industry. So he tried his hand as an art director and production designer. But after more than a decade in the industry, he still couldn't boast any major awards in his profession, despite having worked with highly decorated directors such as Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson and the Wachowski sisters. In order to stop ruining other people's movies, he started making his own short films. Although he has never made it into the final selection of any major festivals, he did win a few prizes like NBC Universal's 'Shocking Shorts Award' and the Short Tiger Award from German Films. Now with "Superbuhei", his feature film debut, he is bracing himself for another major disappointment.
Janina Sara Hennemann, born and raised in Hamburg. Master's degree in Creative Producing from the Hamburg Media School. From 2017 to 2022, she worked as a Creative Producer at Kinescope Film, where she was responsible for developing and realizing debut projects. The films she supervised were presented at festivals including Locarno, the Berlinale, and the Hof International Film Festival. After numerous productions for cinema and television, as well as overseeing the creative development of two TV series for public broadcasters, Janina has recently shifted her focus toward writing. In 2023/2024, she was awarded the Nuremberg Screenwriting Fellowship. Her feature film project "Erosionen" received script development funding from MOIN Filmförderung. Currently, Janina is working as an executive producer on Josef Brandl's northern drama "Superbuhei" and, in parallel, is developing projects as a writer with various production companies. She is represented by Funke & Stertz. Janina lives and works in Hamburg – and keeps a suitcase in London.
While still studying at the Babelsberg Film University "Konrad Wolf," Jan Philip Lange, Anke Hartwig, and Niklas Bäumer founded JUNIFILM GmbH in March 2002, evolving from Daisy Film GbR (est. 2001). Between 2002 and 2012, the company produced nine projects, ranging from commercials to children's series episodes and feature films, many of which won festival awards. Early productions featured renowned actors such as Axel Prahl, Florian Lukas, Dagmar Manzel, and Jörg Schüttauf under directors including Norbert Baumgarten and Franziska Meletzky. In August 2018, Jan Philip Lange became the main shareholder and moved JUNIFILM to Lower Saxony, where the company aims to produce films across genres. Other shareholders include Nils Loof, Cineteam Hannover GmbH, co-founders Anke Hartwig and Niklas Bäumer, and actor Tom Gronau. Supported by regional funding from Nordmedia and NDR, JUNIFILM develops projects with both emerging and established filmmakers from Lower Saxony and beyond, for national and international audiences. A close collaboration exists with Skalar Film in Hamburg and producer Rike Steyer, focusing on cross-border "Northern German Projects" in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, and Lower Saxony. Since relocating to Hanover, JUNIFILM has produced and developed various films while providing executive production and production management services for other companies.
Josef Brandl was born in Paris and grew up in Bavarian Suburbia in the 80s. Having failed miserably as an architect, he realised he could do less damage in the film industry. So he tried his hand as an art director and production designer. But after more than a decade in the industry, he still couldn't boast any major awards in his profession, despite having worked with highly decorated directors such as Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson and the Wachowski sisters. In order to stop ruining other people's movies, he started making his own short films. Although he has never made it into the final selection of any major festivals, he did win a few prizes like NBC Universal's 'Shocking Shorts Award' and the Short Tiger Award from German Films. Now with "Superbuhei", his feature film debut, he is bracing himself for another major disappointment.