Neukölln Unlimited
Encyclopedia
Neukölln Unlimited is a 2010 German documentary
. The film follows three Lebanese siblings - Hassan, Lial and Maradona - through their daily lives in Berlin
's district of Neukölln
.
The film was co-produced by the German broadcaster RBB
in collaboration with the Franco-German cultural channel Arte
. Financial support for the documentary came from the German Federal Film Board, DFFF, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, as well as from MFG Baden-Württemberg and the MEDIA Programme of the European Union
.
The children of the Akkouch family Hassan (18), Lial (19) and Maradona (14) are successful musicians and breakdancers who live in Berlin. They grew up with Hip Hop and streetdance, that is their language and their passion. But the pressure has put a strain on the two teenagers and a rivalry arises about who should be the family's main breadwinner.
In the meantime, Maradona gets himself into more and more trouble, and is suspended from school. He is at the crossroads between his siblings’ ambitious lifestyle and the street life of his mates. However, a surprising qualification for a TV-casting show could prove to be his turning point. If he wins the 100,000 euro prize money, he might be the one who saves the family.
Neukölln Unlimited can best be described as a musical film that deals with the topic of integration
of immigrant youth living in neglected urban areas.
was produced by the German composers Eike Hosenfeld, Moritz Denis and Tim Stanzel. The musicians took their inspirations from the urban music played by the film's protagonists Hassan and Lial, breakdance type music heard during battles, as well as traditional middle-eastern melodies. This mixture of different sounds emphasizes the "living-in-two cultures" of the film's protagonists and their peers in Neukölln.
Other songs heard in the film were performed by Hassan and Lial's band NoIBN, and were produced by the independent music label Foreign Flavour.
A lot of emphasis is also put on dance. Beside the various sub-genres of street dancing, other forms like contemporary
and expressionist dance
are used as filmic metaphors for the protagonists' coming of age.
The Soundtrack of the film is released exclusively for download by the German record label Salon Mondial. The album includes the complete music from the documentary, as well as some bonus tracks inspired by the film.
. Some famous Berlin locations seen in the film are the East Side Gallery
, the Soviet War Memorial
, and the former techno club E-Werk
.
Parts of the film were also shot in Cologne
, Reggio Emilia
, and at the Théâtre national de Chaillot
in Paris
.
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
. The film follows three Lebanese siblings - Hassan, Lial and Maradona - through their daily lives in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
's district of Neukölln
Neukölln (locality)
Neukölln is an inner-city locality of Berlin in the homonymous borough of Neukölln, including the historic village of Rixdorf and numerous Gründerzeit apartment blocks. The Ortsteil is densely settled a with a population of 154,127 inhabitants and is the most populated one of Berlin...
.
The film was co-produced by the German broadcaster RBB
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg is an institution under public law for the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, situated in Berlin and Potsdam...
in collaboration with the Franco-German cultural channel Arte
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
. Financial support for the documentary came from the German Federal Film Board, DFFF, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, as well as from MFG Baden-Württemberg and the MEDIA Programme of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
The children of the Akkouch family Hassan (18), Lial (19) and Maradona (14) are successful musicians and breakdancers who live in Berlin. They grew up with Hip Hop and streetdance, that is their language and their passion. But the pressure has put a strain on the two teenagers and a rivalry arises about who should be the family's main breadwinner.
In the meantime, Maradona gets himself into more and more trouble, and is suspended from school. He is at the crossroads between his siblings’ ambitious lifestyle and the street life of his mates. However, a surprising qualification for a TV-casting show could prove to be his turning point. If he wins the 100,000 euro prize money, he might be the one who saves the family.
Neukölln Unlimited can best be described as a musical film that deals with the topic of integration
Social integration
Social integration, in sociology and other social sciences, is the movement of minority groups such as ethnic minorities, refugees and underprivileged sections of a society into the mainstream of societies...
of immigrant youth living in neglected urban areas.
Music and dance
The film scoreFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
was produced by the German composers Eike Hosenfeld, Moritz Denis and Tim Stanzel. The musicians took their inspirations from the urban music played by the film's protagonists Hassan and Lial, breakdance type music heard during battles, as well as traditional middle-eastern melodies. This mixture of different sounds emphasizes the "living-in-two cultures" of the film's protagonists and their peers in Neukölln.
Other songs heard in the film were performed by Hassan and Lial's band NoIBN, and were produced by the independent music label Foreign Flavour.
A lot of emphasis is also put on dance. Beside the various sub-genres of street dancing, other forms like contemporary
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
and expressionist dance
Expressionist dance
Expressionist dance is a European dance form that is part of the German Expressionist movement. Although considered a part of the modern dance movement, it is separate from modern dance per se. Other names for it that have fallen out of use include Moderner Tanz, Absoluter Tanz, Freier Tanz,...
are used as filmic metaphors for the protagonists' coming of age.
The Soundtrack of the film is released exclusively for download by the German record label Salon Mondial. The album includes the complete music from the documentary, as well as some bonus tracks inspired by the film.
Animation
To convey the protagonists' experience made during a past deportation, and to take the audience along on this emotional journey, the directors decided it was important not to show the historical context by using the classical documentary style of so-called “talking heads” giving interviews. They wanted to find a way to convey the experience of being deported and of feeling like a stranger in one’s homeland, in this case Lebanon. They needed something that would remain in the audiences’ memories long after having seen the film. Because graffiti is a major artistic method of expression in the hip-hop and breaker scene, the directors decided to portray past events in the style of comic strips. Comic strip artist Benjamin Kniebe developed the drawings. Animation specialist Julia Dufek made the individual drawings come to life. The challenge of the animated sequences lay in portraying the drama without appearing unintentionally funny. Since “Neukölln Unlimited” is a low-budget production, complicated animation scenes were avoided and drama was created with the help of music, sound design, and, especially, Hassan’s anecdotes.Filming locations
A breakdance battle was filmed in the gym hall of the Rütli highschoolRütli School
The Rütli School was a Hauptschule in Neukölln, one of Berlin's poorest neighbourhoods. The school made news in 2006 when teachers wrote a letter to the senate office demanding the school be closed down, as they were no longer able to deal with violent youngsters.The letter was made public and...
. Some famous Berlin locations seen in the film are the East Side Gallery
East Side Gallery
The East Side Gallery is an international memorial for freedom. It is a 1.3 km long section of the Berlin Wall located near the centre of Berlin on Mühlenstraße in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.-Description:...
, the Soviet War Memorial
Soviet War Memorial (Treptower Park)
The Soviet War Memorial, is a vast war memorial and military cemetery in Berlin's Treptower Park. It was built to the design of the Soviet architect Yakov Belopolsky to commemorate 5,000 of the 80,000 Soviet soldiers who fell in the Battle of Berlin in April–May 1945...
, and the former techno club E-Werk
E-Werk
The E-Werk was a techno music club in Berlin, which was previously an electrical substation. Located near Checkpoint Charlie, it was for many years one of Berlin's most well known techno clubs. It closed on 24 July 1997....
.
Parts of the film were also shot in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia....
, and at the Théâtre national de Chaillot
Théâtre national de Chaillot
The Théâtre national de Chaillot is a theatre located in the Palais de Chaillot at 1, place du Trocadero, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Close by the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro Gardens—the Théâtre de Chaillot is among the largest concert halls in Paris. It has long been synonymous with...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Festivals
- 60th Berlin International Film Festival60th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 11 to February 21, 2010, with Werner Herzog as President of the Jury. The opening film of the festival was Chinese director Wang Quan'an's romantic drama Apart Together, in competition, while the closing film is Japanese...
- 12th Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema
- 23rd Singapore International Film FestivalSingapore International Film FestivalThe Singapore International Film Festival was launched in 1987. The festival is an annual film event, held around April/May each year, and screens about 300 films from over 45 countries...
- Sarajevo Film FestivalSarajevo Film FestivalThe Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in the Balkans, and is one of the largest in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo, and brings international and local celebrities to Sarajevo every year. It is held in August and showcases an...
2010 - CineSparks Film Festival for Young People, Brisbane 2010
- 12th Taipei Golden Horse Film FestivalGolden Horse Film Festival and AwardsThe Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962, by Government Information Office, Republic of China...
, Section "Next Generation" - 11th Seoul International Youth Film FestivalSeoul International Youth Film FestivalBeing the biggest youth film festival in Korea, the SIYFF has provided a venue for youths to share their culture via films and media education since 1999. It aims to promote broader international exchanges among talented cine kids and establish network to improve their competitiveness in the film...
, Section "It's ok to be different" - 6th Tel Aviv International Children Film Festival
- Chicago International Children's Film FestivalChicago International Children's Film FestivalFounded in 1975, Facets Multi-Media, located at 1517 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, 60614 Facets Multi-Media is the largest conservator dedicated to the exhibition, distribution & education of foreign, independent & classic cinema...
- "Movies That Matter" Film Festival, Den Haag
- "Moscow, Achtung Berlin!" Film Festival
- Monterrey International Film Festival
- São Paulo International Film FestivalSão Paulo International Film FestivalThe São Paulo International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in São Paulo, Brazil since 1976. In 2004 Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was a member of the jury.-International Jury Award:*2001: The New Country ...
- German Film Days, HanoiHanoiHanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –... - European Film Festival, YangonYangonYangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
, MyanmarMyanmarBurma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
Awards
- Crystal Bear for best Feature Film, 60th Berlin International Film Festival
- Film Workers Union Award, Buster Film Festival 2010, CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
- 1st Prize for Feature Documentary, Chicago International Children's Film FestivalChicago International Children's Film FestivalFounded in 1975, Facets Multi-Media, located at 1517 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, 60614 Facets Multi-Media is the largest conservator dedicated to the exhibition, distribution & education of foreign, independent & classic cinema...
- MovieSquad All Rights Award, Movies That Matter Film Festival, The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, won
Nominations
- Peace Film Award 2010
- German Film Critics Award 2011
- German Documentary Film Award 2011
External links
- Neukölln Unlimited at filmstarts.de