ES WAR EINMAL IN DEUTSCHLAND

Frankfurt, 1946. David Bermann and his Jewish friends have escaped the Nazi regime and are now dreaming of leaving for America. But how will they get the money in these tough post-war times? The smooth-talking businessman focuses on what the Germans now need most: fine bed linens nicely wrapped in amusing stories! The six talented entertainers go from home to home, praising housewives with flashy chutzpah until the flattered ladies have no choice but to buy their irresistible items. Business flourishes and a bright new future can be seen on the horizon. But questions about Bermann‘s past catch up with him. Why does he have two passports? What about his visit to Hitler‘s mountain retreat? Could he have collaborated with the Nazis? The smart and attractive but uncompromising US officer Sara Simon refuses to close the inter­rogation. She wants to get to the heart of Bermann‘s wartime memories. Sara matches his quick wit with iron severity, but it becomes increasingly difficult for her to escape his charm...

Trailer

Director

SAM GARBARSKI continues his successful collaboration in BYE BYE GERMANY with actor Moritz Bleibtreu, who also starred in his 2013 English-language film VIJAY AND I. Garbarski’s 2007 feature IRINA PALM was an international hit, distributed in over 40 countries and shown in some 30 festivals after premiering in Berlin in competition. Starring Marianne Faithfull, the crowd-pleaser also won prestigious awards, including Italy’s David di Donatello for Best European Film. Garbarski made his directorial debut with RASHEVSKI’S TANGO, which screened at numerous festivals and won the Jewish Experience Award for Best Feature at the 2004 Jerusalem Film Festival. He also directed the French-language feature A DISTANT NEIGHBORHOOD (QUARTIER LOINTAIN), based on Jiro Tanaguchi’s popular manga. His early shorts (THE TURKEY, LIFE, DEATH, SOCCER and MERRY CHRISTMAS, RACHID) were big hits at festivals and benefited from a wide TV broadcast. Born in Germany in 1948, but based in Belgium since the age of 22, Garbarski started his career as a commercials director, having founded the advertising agency Garbarski Euro RSCG. He directed more than 50 commercials, many of them award-winners in international festivals.

photos © Virginie Saint-Martin, Fabrizio Maltese