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Geschlossene Gesellschaft

Deutschland 2003-2005 Dokumentarfilm

Jailbirds

The Lifer's Wing and other stories. Day-to-day life in a Romanian high-security prison.

"Outside is whitewashed. Inside is dark and wretched" – song of Rahova. "Jailbirds" is about life and survival behind the walls of Rahova, a "modern" high-security jail on the outskirts of Bucharest.

Rahova mirrors the nearby city of Bucharest: An overcrowded concrete mountain, a Balkan cage behind western-style walls. In order to make it through their prison-term, each inmate tries to be a little faster, louder and more cunning than the others. Running to stand still, paddling to keep afloat, using their wits and humor to survive.

Over the course of six months, the film tracks the stories of the men in the lifer's wing and the women awaiting trial in an extremely overcrowded cell. Two lifers, a female dealer and the vice-director give their views on survival. Life on the outside, life on the inside.

Source: German Films Service & Marketing GmbH

 

Credits

Director

  • Andrei Schwartz

Screenplay

  • Andrei Schwartz

Director of photography

  • Bernd Meiners

Editing

  • Andrei Schwartz
  • Andreas Zitzmann

Music

  • Lura Badea
  • Nadia Tonson

Production company

  • Eikon Südwest GmbH (Stuttgart)

Producer

  • Ernst Ludwig Ganzert

Alle Credits

Director

  • Andrei Schwartz

Screenplay

  • Andrei Schwartz

Inserts

  • Andrei Schwartz (Untertitel)
  • Maike Hausding (Untertitel)

Translation

  • Andrei Schwartz
  • Maike Hausding

Script editor

  • Susanne Schüle (Beratung)

Director of photography

  • Bernd Meiners

Editing

  • Andrei Schwartz
  • Andreas Zitzmann

Sound

  • Pascal Capitolin

Audio mixing

  • Sascha Heiny
  • Andreas Henke

Music

  • Lura Badea
  • Nadia Tonson

Participation

  • Insassen des Gefängnisses Bukarest-Radova
  • Angestelltes des Gefängnisses Bukarest-Radova

Production company

  • Eikon Südwest GmbH (Stuttgart)

in co-production with

  • Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (Mainz)

in association with

  • Arte Deutschland TV GmbH (Baden-Baden)

Producer

  • Ernst Ludwig Ganzert

Producer (TV)

  • Anne Even

Unit production manager

  • Kristin Holst

Production assistant

  • Micheline Rollmann
  • Nina Heyn

Post-production

  • Alistair Owen

Funding

  • MFG Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg mbH (Stuttgart)
  • FilmFörderung Hamburg GmbH (Hamburg)
  • Media Programm der EU (Brüssel)

Shoot

    • Hochsicherheitsgefängnis Bukarest-Radova
Duration:
91 min
Format:
Digi Beta, 16:9
Video/Audio:
Farbe, Dolby SR
Screening:

Uraufführung: August 2005, Locarno, IFF - Semaine de la Critique;
Erstaufführung (DE): Oktober 2005, Leipzig, IFF;
TV-Erstsendung: 20.02.2006 [Arte]

Titles

Additional titles
  • Originaltitel (DE) Geschlossene Gesellschaft
  • TV-Titel (DE) Leben auf 1 m²
  • Arbeitstitel (DE) Meter pro Mann

Versions

Original

Duration:
91 min
Format:
Digi Beta, 16:9
Video/Audio:
Farbe, Dolby SR
Screening:

Uraufführung: August 2005, Locarno, IFF - Semaine de la Critique;
Erstaufführung (DE): Oktober 2005, Leipzig, IFF;
TV-Erstsendung: 20.02.2006 [Arte]

Source-URL: https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/geschlossene-gesellschaft_03838f53ee717475e04053d50b3766d0