Deep Dive Genre

Crazy turn-around times? Not unusual in Filmmaker/Animator/Illustrator Raman Djafari’s working life. We had a very interesting talk with the multi-hyphenate in our latest #DeepDiveGenre episode. About his creative process, how to be resilient against the allure of beautiful opportunities, the joy of writing his own film - and the inherent magic of animation. Enjoy! Find out more about Raman and his latest work: https://www.instagram.com/ramandjafari/ https://www.fabianfred.com/throwing-sticks-at-the-sun/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

We had a wonderful conversation with director, animator and stop-motion artist Mona Keil about her creative process. About how physical sensation is usual the inspiration for her films, the strange addiction of stop-motion and some great insights on her latest film. We had a blast - Enjoy! Find out more about Mona and her latest work: https://animauz.de/de/uber-uns https://www.instagram.com/mon_akeil/  You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

From a childhood production of Snow White to his animated feature Stitch Head – Steve Hudson has covered quite a range of projects. We talked to the director/writer & actor about the importance of emotional moments in films in general but especially in children’s films, how his punk past in Britain had an ever so slight influence on Stitch Head’s visuals and why 90% of being a director is very similar to being a traffic cop. Enjoy! Find out more about Steve and his latest work: https://www.gringo-films.com/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

We talked to sales executive and film expert Klaus Rasmussen about all things animation. Disney classic Snow White makes an appearance as does anime, puppet animation and animated films for adults. We discuss what about the genre works so well, what surprises the genre holds and its timelessness. Enjoy! EFM Animation Days – curated by Klaus Rasmussen https://www.efm-berlinale.de/en/industry-programme/animation-days/animation-days.html You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

It’s been a while… but Reza Memari is back! Four years after our last talk we got to catch up with the director/writer about his newest feature: The Last Whale Singer (arriving in German cinemas 12.02.2026). We talk about the importance of fixing things right away, of letting go, wearing many different creative hats and the joy of creating new, animated worlds and stories. Enjoy! Find out more about Reza and his latest work: https://www.telescopeanimation.com/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

Starting February 10th Season 9 covers singing whales, stop-motion and many other aspects of the animation genre. So join us, won’t you? When we talk to directors Reza Memari, Steve Hudson and Raman Djafari, stop-motion artist Mona Keil and expert Klaus Rasmussen about all things Animation.

Why are there more dystopias than utopias in Sci-Fi an Fantasy films? About this as well as about the enduring legacy of film classic Metropolis or the “women in space”-trope and many other interesting and fun Sci-Fi facts I talked with Dr. Kristina Jaspers of the Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek in this episode. It was a pleasure - Enjoy! Find out more about Kristina and her latest work: https://deutsche-kinemathek.academia.edu/KristinaJaspers/Zukunftsforschung%20%7C%20Scifi You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

Director & Writer Tim Fehlbaum is back. This time our conversation about his films HELL and TIDES had us nerding out over Sci-fi genre films (shout out to #AnotherEarth). Tim reveals that budget limitations can lead to creative ingenuity, what his four sisters have to do with his strong female characters and we also go on a little Steven Spielberg tangent. Enjoy!  Find out more about Tim and his latest work: https://players.de/directors/tim-fehlbaum/ DDG Episode with Tim about September 5: https://pod.link/1654923731/episode/cG9kLWIyMDMxN2ZhOTAxZDI5ZTc5YzBkOWQyZTVi You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

Actor Felix Kramer returns, this time to Deep Dive Genre, to talk about his series Oderbruch – including laying in fake blood for several hours during one particular scene, staying as curious as on day one and the powerful emotions film classic Nosferatu manages to portray. It was a pleasure - Enjoy! Find out more about Felix and his latest work: https://agentur-lambsdorff.de/schauspieler/felix-kramer/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

Multi-talented actress Lisa Vicari has a special connection to the HFF Munich. We talk about the big adventure of portraying one character across several timelines in DARK; there’s a shout-out to her HELL-Costar Hannah Herzsprung. And in between Lisa reveals her love of being on a set and her believe that we always need good stories. It was a pleasure – Enjoy! Find out more about Lisa and her latest work: https://www.inka-stelljes.de/index.php/a/a59lisavicari.html  You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

One shouldn’t have favorites – but I have to admit thanks to our interview I’m a little bit of a Mala-Emde-Stan. The talented actress talked about acting as a process, "play" being the most important part and why prep is both horrible, but also very important. And lest I forget: Sheep are also a big part of our wonderful and fun conversation. It was a pleasure - Enjoy! Find out more about Mala and her latest work: https://lilie2a-pr.de/mala-emde/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

“What does it mean to be a human?” For actress Maren Eggert this question is not only the centre of her film I'M YOUR MAN, but of acting in general. She shared with us her decision-making process for her projects, the joy of learning something new for a project and that she would love to do an action or historical film. It was a pleasure - Enjoy! Find out more about Maren and her latest work: https://lilie2a-pr.de/maren-eggert/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

“You discover a film while you’re making it” might be my new favorite quote about movies. A big thank you to cinematographer Markus Förderer for talking to us about the making of dystopian scifi feature HELL, what draws him to the genre and why throwing out the pre-planning is sometimes the boldest move you can make in film making. It was a pleasure - Enjoy! Find out more about Markus and his latest work: https://www.markusforderer.com/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

Welcome back to Deep Dive Genre! Season 8 covers classics like Metropolis and modern films and series such as DARK, SKIN DEEP or HELL. Starting September 16th we’ll be talking about Fantasy and ScyFi. So join us, won’t you? When we talk to actors Mala Emde, Lisa Vicari, Maren Eggert and Felix Kramer and director Tim Fehlbaum and cinematographer Markus Förderer.

Today we talk to film critic and economic researcher Moritz Pfeifer about European films, political drama - and film financing. Our discussion covers a lot of ground: From European arthouse film, to film marketing to the FFG. Join us, won’t you? For the final chapter of season 7. Find out more about Moritz and his latest work: East European Film Bulletin: http://eefb.org/ Research Paper ("The European Film Industry as a Market for Lemons"): https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5042964 (und ein Artikel zur Arbeit für die Öffentlichkeit: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/13/film-europe-berlinale-industry-eu-funds-audiences)  Films mentioned:  “Kontinental '25” by Radu Jude  “The Assistant” by Anna and Wilhelm Sasnal  “Jupiter” by Andrey Zvyagintsev  “Silent Friend” by Ildikó Enyedi  You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de 

We talked to writer and creative powerhouse Anette Hess about her series’ INTERPRETER OF SILENCE and WEISSENSEE, her journey to becoming a writer, why dialogue is like music - think rhythm, temp and melody – the fear of the blank page and her personal connection to the stories she writes. Plus we got a tiny glimpse of the newest installment of the Kudamm series. Enjoy! Find out more about Annette Hess and her latest work: https://www.instagram.com/frau_hess/?hl=de You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

Back for a second stint with us and fresh of the Oscar® -Nomination for September 5 we talk to writer Moritz Binder about his writing process (hint: he’s not a solitary writer), how sometimes getting rid of dialogue can make a scene and the creative through-line of his projects (possibly Munich, just kidding – but also not). It was a pleasure - Enjoy! Find out more about Moritz and his latest work: https://agentur-midpoint.com/moritz-binder/ Find out more about Johanna Thalmann and her work: https://agentur-midpoint.com/johanna-thalmann/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

Çağdaş Eren Yüksel talked to me about his Grimme Preis awarded series, how he became a director and producer despite not having any contacts in the film industry and how he navigates the world of political storytelling. It was a real pleasure to talk to him – enjoy! Find out more about Çağdaş and his latest work: https://caay.de/cagdas-eren-yueksel/ https://www.instagram.com/cagdasyueksel/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

We talked to the indomitable writer & director Petra Volpe about her new film Heldin/Late Shift, filmmaking as a political act, her favorite quote “fiction is the lie that tells the truth” (by Albert Camus), how camera positions are micro-dramaturgy and we got a glimpse of her newest film, a passion project. Enjoy! Find out more about Petra and her latest work: https://die-agenten.de/profile/petra-volpe/  You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

We.talked to September 5 director & writer Tim Fehlbaum about how he became a director, his beginnings in stop-motion, how choosing a project should feel almost like falling in love and the importance of images and story for a successful film – Enjoy! Find out more about Tim and his latest work: https://players.de/directors/tim-fehlbaum/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

Season 7 is here! Starting May 13th, we’ll be talking about political drama.  So join us, won’t you? When we talk to directors such as Petra Volpe and Tim Fehlbaum, writers Annette Hess and Moritz Binder or producer Cagdas Eren Yüksel about what makes engrossing political drama.    

How did my talk with Film critic Antje Wessels end up a Liam Neeson appreciation? Comedy, that’s how. We talked about respect for films and filmmakers when writing reviews, the comedy genre in general and favorite scenes from films such as Feste & Freunde or Bridesmaids! I loved every minute of our podcast conversation – enjoy! Find out more about Antje and her latest work: https://wessels-filmkritik.com/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

For our latest episode about comedy we had a wide-ranging talk with casting agent Iris Baumüller: About loving the characters and taking them seriously, that special sense of timing, the inclusive casting process for Weil wir Champions sind, AI and her wish to cast a real love story. Enjoy! Find out more about Iris and her latest work: https://www.diebesetzer.de/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

Comedy Queen Diana Amft is back. We talk some more about comedy, laughing during takes, how improv theatre showed her a new level of comedy and we get some inside scoop of those infamous “Doctor’s Diary” game nights. Enjoy! Find out more about Diana Amft and her projects: https://ida-pr.de/schauspieler/diana-amft https://imdahl.com/portfolio/diana-amft/ https://baumhausbande.com/buecher/9783833900594-die-kleine-spinne-widerlich/ Theatrical Release: "Ein Mädchen namens Willow“ on 27.2.2025 „Altweibersommer“ on 04.04.2025 „Die kleine Spinne Widerlich - Mini-Spinni kommt in den Kindergarten“ Publishing Date 25.04.2025 You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

She’s great at goodbyes! But first writer and series-creator Aylin Kockler shared some great insights into her writing process, explains why script writing is like the telephone game and on top revealed her favorite comedic movie scene. We loved every minute of our podcast conversation – enjoy! Find out more about Aylin and her latest work: www.aylinkockler.com You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

In this episode we talk to a true comedy expert – director & writer Alireza Golafshan! He started his career with the hilarious The Goldfish, followed by J.G.A. and then his latest, Fifty Fifty. We discuss the uniqueness and magic of a good comedy script, not taking yourself too seriously and what happens when the director ruins the takes because of laughing – Enjoy! Find out more about Alireza Golafshan and his latest work: https://www.golafshan.de/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

In our first episode of season 6 of #Deep Dive Genre episode we talk to director & writer David Dietl. We talk about finding the right tone between happy and sad in a good comedy script, what to do when weather and location necessitate a new way to shoot the scene with an ensemble cast and when and how to “kill your darlings” – Enjoy! Find out more about David Dietl and his latest work: https://www.agenturhomebase.de/clients/david-dietl/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

The most complicated genre of all? Funny you should ask: Comedy! Welcome to season 6 of Deep Dive Genre! Funny, complicated, but oh so satisfying when done right. So join us, won’t you? When we talk to directors such as Alireza Golafshan and David Dietl or actress and comedy queen Diana Amft about this terrific genre.

Producer and film expert Alfred Holighaus curated the 70 years of German Films edition program. We talked to him about the selection, the great eras of the 1960s and 1990s, his favorite Fassbinder Film and the ONE German film he would recommend you to watch if you can only watch one. Enjoy! Disclaimer: At some pint we talk about centuries - but of course that should be decades instead! Find out more about Alfred Holighaus and his latest work: https://www.realfilm-berlin.de/mitarbeiter/alfred-holighaus/ https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Holighaus You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

Director & writer Nora Fingscheidt’s last three films – Systemcrasher, The Unforgivable and The Outrun - have been very different, but what they do share are radical protagonists that live outside the norms of society. She reveals why a director is more like a conductor and what she loves about working with longtime creative collaborators. Enjoy our conversation! Find out more about Nora Fingscheidt and her latest work: https://www.agenturhomebase.de/clients/nora-fingscheidt/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

Director Andreas Dresen and his wonderful films hold a very special place in the German movie canon. He tells stories about regular people, that keep the country – and the world – running. And the price they often pay for it. In our Podcast-interview we talked about his Super 8-Beginnings, Theatre, Opera, Music, the future cinematic generation and lots more - Enjoy! Find out more about Andreas Dresen and his latest work: https://henschel-schauspiel.de/de/person/58 You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

Telling stories full of emotions is director Caroline Links’ special talent. The Writer and director – or as she says in her own words: Life-Observer -  of such terrific films such as Beyond Silence, A Year Ago in Winter, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit makes movies because she wants to tell about life and people that move her.  Enjoy our wonderful conversation with Caroline! Find out more about Caroline Link and her latest work: https://players.de/directors/caroline-link/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

Welcome to Deep Dive Genre Season 5! Starting September 17th we are celebrating 70 years of German Films. And what better way to do that than to highlight German filmmakers and their work in this special edition. So join us, won’t you? See you next week!

We talk to #Heimatfilm expert Dr. Sarah Kordecki - she wrote her thesis on the genre and watched more than 200 Heimatfilme. Our discussion runs the gamut from the importance of (German) music, to happy ends, to societal and political references and self-reflexion. Be it Sisi, Immenhof, The Trapp Family or the Meineidbauer. And on the way we got a few new Heimatfilm film recommendations to boot. Enjoy! Find out more about Dr. Sarah Kordecki and her work: https://www.filmuniversitaet.de/portrait/person/sarah-kordecki https://www.vandenhoeck-ruprecht-verlage.com/themen-entdecken/literatur-sprach-und-kulturwissenschaften/theater-film-medienwissenschaft/55305/und-ewig-ruft-die-heimat You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

In this #Deep Dive Genre episode we talk to a director Daniel Alvarago about his new film HUNDSWUT. Why he initially didn’t have the #Heimatfilm genre on his mind, the hard process of making a truly independent film in Germany – and the great reactions of the audience. Enjoy! Find out more about Daniel and his latest work: https://www.alvarenga.de/ https://www.harpercollins.de/collections/daniel-alvarenga You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

There is a special place in Germany’s collective film-historic memory held by SISI - the films, the person – fictional and real. Naturally when we had the chance to talk to producer, director and showrunner Andreas Gutzeit about his very watchable and very successful TV series SISI we took it. Find out what the series does differently and where it may have some common ground with the classic film trilogy. #Heimatfilm Inspiration, anyone? Enjoy! Find out more about Andreas Gutzeit and his projects: https://www.storyhousepro.com/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/ © Story House / Jennifer Endom  

One particular corner of the Heimatfilm genre is occupied by the intrepid Schlagerfilme. So, of course we had to include IM WEISSEN RÖSSL - WEHE DU SINGST! in our season. And who better to talk to than the terrific queen of comedy and the film's lead actress: Diana Amft! We discussed the singing, dance scenes, the school trip atmosphere of the film shoot and why comedy is still not recognized in Germany as the high art, that it is. Enjoy! Find out more about Diana Amft and her projects: https://ida-pr.de/schauspieler/diana-amft https://imdahl.com/portfolio/diana-amft/ https://baumhausbande.com/buecher/9783833900594-die-kleine-spinne-widerlich/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

In this #Deep Dive Genre episode we talk to a true and tested Heimatfilm expert – director Hans Steinbichler! He redefined the genre with his debut film HIERANKL and is showing again what the genre can do with his latest feature film, EIN GANZES LEBEN / A WHOLE LIFE. Along the way we talk about the uniqueness and magic of the word Heimat, the compliment of having done an “Alpen-Scorcese” and the delight of musicals – Enjoy! Find out more about Hans Steinbichler and his latest work: https://players.de/directors/hans-steinbichler/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

We’re starting with bit of an #Heimatfilm outlier: Christmas cult classic 3 HASELNÜSSE FÜR ASCHENBRÖDEL. I talked to fellow 3 HFNA enthusiast Barbie Heusinger and our conversation ran the gamut from our favorite scenes, to the question if the film is a “good film” (spoiler alert: it is!) and what Heimat means and the continuing appeal of the genre. What a great way to start our fourth season – Enjoy! Find out more about Barbie: https://ams.focal.ch/barbie-heusinger/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/ © Barbie Heusinger

We are going into season 4! And starting March 5th we'll be talking about all things HEIMATFILM.

For our last episode of season 3 we talked to the wonderful Hannah Schiller. About her series DIE NETTESTEN MENSCHEN DER WELT, her talent for drawing and her fascination with stories that are situated in the horror realm and how they captivate, touch and move us. What a great end to our third season – Enjoy! Find out more about Hannah and her latest work: https://players.de/actresses/hannah-schiller/ https://www.instagram.com/hannah_schiller/ https://www.instagram.com/konvers_ation/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

There are some people who have stories to tell, and then there are people who have STORIES to tell. Tommy Krappweis is the latter. The multi-hyphenate – writer, comedian, musician and all around-creative talent talked to us about his series KOHLRABENSCHWARZ, which was initially an audio play, then became a book series and finally a TV series. As you can imagine we had lots to talk about in regards to genre-mix and folk tales. Enjoy! Find out more about Tommy and his latest work: https://linktr.ee/tommykrappweis You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

Today we're talking to film critic @adriangmelch about horror – why elevated horror is not the best term for what’s happening in the genre. Plus some horror genre and film history and a few great film suggestions, German and otherwise – enjoy! Find out more about Adrian and his latest work: https://adrian-gmelch.com/ https://www.buechner-verlag.de/autor/adrian-gmelch/ https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/M/M.-Night-Shyamalan You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deepdivegenre/

Tim Oliver Schultz has shown his versatility on the screen many times – never more so as villain Theo in #heilstaettenderfilm. We talked to the actor and producer about the found footage film, the horror genre in general and why villains tend to think they’re the heroes. What a great conversation – enjoy! Find out more about Tim and his latest work: https://agenturadam.de/actor/tim-oliver-schultz/ https://caay.de/tim-oliver-schultz/ You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deep_dive_genre/

Talking to a real genre expert und pop-culture geek? Priceless – and a lot of fun. #BloodRedSky and #OldPeople producer Benjamin Munz took time out of his busy X-FAKTOR – DAS UNFASSBARE production schedule and went on a deep dive with us to talk about the two projects. Besides many incredible stories about the long production journey of BLOOD RED SKY – like chasing Nicholas Cage at a film festival or Arnold Schwarzenegger on an airplane – we talked about creative choices, preconceived notions about horror in Germany and also would like to invite a certain SZ film critic to re-watch BLOOD RED SKY, this time to the end… Find out more about Benjamin Munz and his latest work: https://www.instagram.com/munzenheimer/?hl=de You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de

#BloodRedSky director (and writer) Peter Thorwarth joins us as the first guest of season 3 to talk about his film, why it’s maybe not a horror-film per se, the challenges they faced, using the sun (light) as a character and what his one regret regarding the movie is. Enjoy - and welcome to all things film and horror! You can find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/?hl=de © Volker Condarus

Our third season starts next week - We'll be talking about horror! Join us, won't you?!