Hysteria
Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay
A burnt Quran, a lost key, stolen film spools. While shooting a film on the arson attack of Solingen, assistant director Elif (superbly played by Shooting Star Devrim Lingnau) gets caught up in a whirl of suspicion and accusations. An anonymous phone call and a burglary in the apartment of the director and his partner (Serkan Kaya and Nicolette Krebitz) initially cast suspicion on the extras from the refugee home - but who is profiting from the impending political scandal? And how far can filmmaking go in the name of art?
Between political dynamite, social study and meta-commentary on the local film industry, Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay stages a thriller that never lets you rest for even a second. The result is one of the best German films (with Hessian participation) of recent years, which also raises an important question: Who do we actually see as German in German films?
22 April 2025
20:30 h, Esplanade im Festivalzentrum
More information
| Direction | Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay |
| Country | Deutschland |
| Year | 2025 |
| Duration | 104 min |
| Language | Deutsch, Türkisch, Englisch, Arabisch, Kurdisch |
| Language version | OmeU |
| Production | Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay, Claus Herzog-Reichel |
| Cast | Devrim Lingnau, Mehdi Meskar, Serkan Kaya, Nicolette Krebitz |
| Camera | Christian Kochmann |
| Script | Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay |
| Editing | Denys Darahan, Andreas Menn |
| Sound | René Nicklaus |
| Music | Marvin Miller |
| Sound Design | Steffen Pfauth |
EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL
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Press reviews
„A serious beginning develops into an exciting cat-and-mouse game, which at the same time formulates a nice meta-commentary on art and sensibilities, narcissism and lip service, white privilege and social classes. The ending escalates into a “Carnage” style debate, when all sides not only accuse each other of the act itself, but also use their prejudices at the table to judge the other regardless of the person.“ (Christian Ihle, taz blogs)
„Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay's ambiguous, provocative conspiracy thriller plays with the film-within-a-film motif and is full of unexpected twists and turns. A precise reflection on the power of imagery and the dynamics of perception, projection and social hysteria.” (radioeins)
Über den Regisseur
Born in Bad Hersfeld in 1987, the filmmaker studied at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. In 2019, his film Oray screened in the “Perspektive Deutsches Kino” section at the Berlinale, where it was awarded as the best debut film and received numerous other international awards. With his production company “filmfaust”, which he co-founded with Claus Herzog-Reichel, he has written and produced international and award-winning feature films and documentaries, including Aşk, Mark ve Ölüm (Love, D-Mark and Death), which screened in the “Panorama” in 2022.
Der Regisseur über den Film
“The main task of cinema and literature is to depict complexity, to give every voice, every face the same right and opportunity to express itself”
IN ATTENDENCE OF DIRECTOR, PRODUCER AND ACTOR SERKAN KAYA
OPENING
Regional Feature Film Program
