Good News
Hannes Schilling
"Only bad news is good news." With this editorial motto in mind, journalist Leo searches for a story in Thailand that could help him regain his old reputation. He reports on the militant rebels based there but is unable to gain access to them. He tries to persuade his local Thai contact, Mawar, to meet with him with empty promises, but his reluctance is too great. So Leo prefers to fabricate a news story that is as spectacular as it is fictitious, rather than be left empty-handed by the editorial deadline. But when Julian suddenly turns up to take the photos for Leo's story, his white lie threatens to pull the rug from under his feet. With a cold sweat on his forehead, he stumbles into a desperate flight forward and doesn't shy away from any manipulative tactics - anything for the big break.
19 April 2024
20:00 h, Mal Seh'n Kino
More information
| Direction | Hannes Schilling |
| Country | Germany, Thailand |
| Year | 2024 |
| Duration | 75 min |
| Language | German, English, Thai with German subtitles |
| Production | Jost Hering |
| Cast | Ilja Stahl, Sabree Matming, Dennis Scheuermann |
| Camera | Falco Seliger |
| Script | Ghiath Al Mhitawi, Hannes Schilling |
| Editing | Marie Fontanel, Paul Groebel |
| Sound | Alexander Wolf, Nils Gradlowsky, Anastasiia Nasonkina |
Max Ophüls Preis 2024: Award for the socially relevant film
About the Director
Hannes Schilling studied Audiovisual Media in Berlin from 2009 to 2015. In 2014, he spent a semester abroad at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem before beginning his directing studies at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in 2015. He won the German Short Film Award in 2019 with his bachelor's graduation film DER PROBAND. For the final film of his master's degree programme GOOD NEWS, he visited the Prince of Songkla University in Thailand as a guest student in 2021. This film is his feature film debut and won the prize for socially relevant film at the Max Ophüls Prize 2024.
Press reviews
"Good News is a very relevant drama about the boundary between lies and truth, but above all the grey area in between. Hannes Schilling has created a dramaturgically and dramatically convincing film that makes us think and sheds light on media scandals such as the revelations in the [Claas] Relotius case." (Rouven Linnarz, film-rezensionen.de)
"Hannes Schilling films in black and white, for a stylised distancing. The film music - great: Lena Radivoj - brings dissonant, spherical sounds to this realistic, but in fact tragically condensed story." (Harald Mühlbeyer, Kino-Zeit)
The Director about the film
"Can I use trust in my private relationships for this project? When do I abuse relationships? [...] How far would someone go, especially with more dangerous subjects like a rebel group? "Good News" is my filmic exploration of these questions. The film takes a look at the ethical boundaries of artists who are dependent on their projects. When is trust abused and what level of risk is acceptable?" Hannes Schilling's director's commentary at the Max Ophüls Preis film festival
IN ATTENDANCE OF THE DIRECTOR
HESSIAN PREMIERE
Future German Cinema
