GERMANY, FRANCE

DEAD GIRLS DANCING

2023 – DCP – colore – 98’

Direction: Anna Roller

Screenplay: Anna Roller

Cinematography: Felix Pflieger

Editing: Mila Zhluktenko

Set design: Lena Müller, Luisa Rauschert

Music: Giovanni Berg

Costumes: Miriam Waldenspuhl

Cast: Luna Jordan (Ira), Noemi Liv Nicolaisen (Ka), Katharina Stark (Malin), Sara Giannelli (Zoe)

Producers: Katharina Kolleczek, Lea Neu

Production: Kalekone Film (Ger) in coproduzione con in coproduction with Totem Films (Fr), Rat Pack Filmproduktion (Ger), Claussen+Putz Filmproduktion (Ger), Bayerischer Rundfunk (Ger)

World Sales: Totem Films

synopsis

On a road trip across Italy, recent high school graduates Ira, Malin and Ka pick up the intriguing backpacker Zoe. As the four girls stumble across an abandoned village, they start to experiment with the limits of their newly found freedom, away from the expectations of their parents and teachers.

the director: Anna Roller

Anna Roller was born in Germany in 1993. In 2014 she started to study directing at the University of Television and Film in Munich. Her short films Pan and The Last Children in Paradise were screened at more than 60 international festivals such as Palm Springs, Leuven or Camerimage and won multiple awards. In 2022 her short Brat won the German Short Film Award. During the lockdown in 2020 she created the IGTV Series Curfew Calls together with Kalekone film. Anna Roller was part of the Future Frames program at the Karlovy Vary Festival, the Talent Village at Les Arcs Festival and the Cutting Edge Talent Camp in Mannheim. Dead Girls Dancing is her feature debut.

director’s statement

“During my school days, my friends often talked about eagerly awaiting the moment when they would finally be “free” and have control over their own lives. I always found these discussions unsettling. After we graduated from high school, our paths diverged significantly. Some pursued their goals with determination, while others were overwhelmed by the task of navigating their lives and seeking a sense of direction. For Dead Girls Dancing, I wanted to capture that particular moment in life. I interviewed young girls who were about to turn 18, asking them about their fears and hopes. It struck me how much pressure they felt, despite being part of a generation that is encouraged to believe in limitless possibilities. They are facing an increasingly uncertain future. From these interviews, I developed characters and with the film I sent them on a journey.”

filmography

2013 Kuntergraudunkelbunt (short)

2015 Es ist still in deinen Augen (short)

2017 Pan (short)

2019 The Last Children In Paradise (short)

2021 Brat (short)

2023 Dead Girls Dancing

awards and festivals

2023 Tribeca FF – International Narrative Competition

2023 München FF –New German Cinema