Synopsis
By accompanying 20 very different individuals in today's Berlin, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and filmmaker Ciro Cappellari sketch a portrait of a modern, stimulating metropolis. Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, who transposed the visions of Fassbinder, Scorsese into unforgettable images, returned to Berlin from Hollywood - and didn't recognize his native city. Together with DoP colleague Ciro Cappellari, he rediscovers his hometown, 20 years after the fall of the Wall. The result is a lyrical film essay about the city and the people whose skills, talent and ambition make it such a unique place: less hectic and glamorous than Paris or London, but possibly more stimulating.Among the "Berliners" they portray are Alex Hacke, bass player of the Einstuerzende Neubauten, and his partner Danielle di Picciotto, a performance artist and co-founder of the Love Parade... actresses Angela Winkler and her daughter Nele, who has Down syndrome, yet pursues her career on various Berlin stages... author Peter Schneider, Berlin's mayor Klaus Wowereit, German Foreign Minister Frank- Walter Steinmeier, a Turkish shop owner, a DJ, fashion designers, a rapper, artists, architects… A colorful array of personalities who are realizing their dreams in Berlin and reinventing the city in the process.
