Storm (2009/I)

Director:

Hans-Christian Schmid

Writers:

Hans-Christian Schmid
Bernd Lange

Release Date:

10 September 2009 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Hannah Maynard, a prosecutor of Hague's Tribunal for war crimes in former Yugoslavia, charges a Serbian commander for killing Bosniaks. However, her main witness might be lying, so the court sends a team to Bosnia to investigate. |

Plot Keywords:

War Crime | Witness | Serbian | Police Arrest | War Criminal

Awards:

8 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Kerry Fox	...	Hannah Maynard
Anamaria Marinca	...	Mira Arendt
Stephen Dillane	...	Keith Haywood
Rolf Lassgård	...	Jonas Dahlberg
Alexander Fehling	...	Patrick Färber
Tarik Filipovic	...	Mladen Banovic
Kresimir Mikic	...	Alen Hajdarevic
Steven Scharf	...	Jan Arendt
Joel Eisenblätter	...	Simon Arendt
Wine Dierickx	...	Jule Svensson
Reinout Bussemaker	...	Carl Mathijsen
Bent Mejding	...	Judge Lars Andersen
Alexis Zegerman	...	Daliah Sofer
Arturo Venegas	...	Arnold Michaels
Drazen Kuhn	...	Goran Duric (as Drazen Kühn)
Nadezda Perisic-Nola	...	Biljana Duric
Arijana Cigura	...	Ana Duric
Sara Hadzibajric	...	Sofija Duric
Jadranka Djokic	...	Belma Sulic
Emina Muftic	...	Hotel Employee Vilina Kosa
Izudin Bajrovic	...	Branco Stanic
Leon Lucev	...	Milorad Alic
Marinko Prga	...	Photographer
Monique Wilsterman	...	Debbie Armstrong
Martijn Nieuwerf	...	VWU Agent
Dimme Treurniet	...	Policeman
Jesper Christensen	...	Anthony Weber
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Judith Ackermann	...	Clerk
Victor Agraz	...	Guard Court Room
Samuel Awasum	...	Guard Court Room
Alexandre De Tullie	...	Zoran Petrovic
Lisa Marie Derew	...	Girl at School
Birgit Finck	...	Co Judge
Clara Fischer	...	Translator
Javier Garcia Armas	...	Undecover Men Spain
Udo Hesselmann	...	Guard Court Room
Claudia Jakubczyk	...	Assistan Defender
Richard Kahl	...	Video Director
Morgane Kerbrat	...	Translator
Jonas Kern	...	Boy at School
Scott Kirby	...	Icty Driver 2
Erwin Knelp	...	Assistan Defender
Melka Knelp	...	Registrar
Frank Robert Kornfeld	...	Co Judge
Orlana Kunete	...	Hotel Maid Sarajevo
Jonathan Rafael Melian Hernandez	...	Undecover Men Spain
Konstanza Preshler	...	Secretary Keith
Anna Rodslewicz	...	Translator
Willy Thiessen	...	Clerk
Elfie Thöne	...	Stenographer
Jan Todic	...	Guard Court Room
Robert Wedemeyer	...	Icty Driver 1
Thomas Wissing	...	Clerk

Directed by
Hans-Christian Schmid

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Bernd Lange
Hans-Christian Schmid

Produced by
Amra Baksic Camo	....	line producer: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Jeroen Beker	....	co-producer
Bettina Brokemper	....	co-producer
Ralph Brosche	....	supervising line producer
Marie Cecilie Gade	....	co-producer
Peter Garde	....	co-executive producer
Ulrich Herrmann	....	associate producer
Damir Ibrahimovich	....	line producer: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Peter Aalbæk Jensen	....	co-executive producer
Britta Knöller	....	delegate producer
Maria Köpf	....	executive producer
Hans-Christian Schmid	....	delegate producer
Frans van Gestel	....	co-producer

Original Music by
The Notwist		(score composed by)

Cinematography by
Bogumil Godfrejow

Film Editing by
Hansjörg Weißbrich

Casting by
Shaheen Baig
Orijana Kuncic

Production Design by
Christian M. Goldbeck

Art Direction by
Daniel Chour		(supervising art director)
Ben Zuydwijk

Set Decoration by
Birgit Esser

Costume Design by
Steffi Bruhn

Makeup Department
Heike Merker	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Ralph Brosche	....	post-production supervisor
Jamila Wenske	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sebastian Alten	....	third assistant director
Tobias Asam	....	second assistant director
Marijn Braad	....	third assistant director
Scott Kirby	....	first assistant director
Mirza Pasic	....	third assistant director: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Art Department
Martina Valentina Baumgartner	....	assistant production designer
Marijke Brinkhof	....	assistant stand-by props: Netherlands
Dragan Denda	....	dresser: Bosnia i Herzigowina
Jenny Echelmeyer	....	assistant set decorator
Ulrike Gojowczyk	....	stand-by prop
Cerin Hong	....	art department assistant
Admir Karkelja	....	assistant stand-by props: Bosnia i Herzigowina
Vince Kastner	....	property buyer
Thorsten Klein	....	assistant art director
Tatjana Kovacevic	....	set decoration assistant: Bosnia i Herzigowina
Tina Mursall	....	assistant property master
Frank Neuhaus	....	dresser: Netherlands
Johannes Pfaller	....	property master
Sanda Popovac	....	art director: Bosnia & Herzegovina
Matthias Prange	....	construction foreman
Matthias Prange	....	supervising carpenter
Jasmin Rondic	....	prop assistant: Bosnia i Herzigowina
Goran Sagolj	....	picture car coordinator: Bosnia i Herzigowina
Hedo Saljic	....	dresser: Bosnia i Herzigowina
Bettina Saul	....	set dresser
Frances Soeder	....	set designer
Rosie Stapel	....	set decoration assistant: Netherlands
Katja Trambow	....	carpenter
Dory van Noort	....	carpenter: Netherlands
Anita van Pelt	....	prop assistant: Netherlands (as Anita von Pelt)
Rik van Veldhuizen	....	dresser: Netherlands
Mena Vennen	....	assistant stand-by props
Dagmar Wessel	....	set dresser: NRW
Wolfgang Wrede	....	paint foreman

Sound Department
Alex Hudd	....	sound consultant: dolby
Hadon Install	....	boom operator
Patrick Veigel	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Björn Friese	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Stefan Ciupek	....	digital colorist

Stunts
Jürgen Klein	....	stunt coordinator
Michael Mohr	....	stunt coordinator
Rainer Werner	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Johnny Feurer	....	first assistant camera
Kaja Styczynska	....	clapper/loader
Robert Wedemeyer	....	key grip

Casting Department
Burkhard Eick	....	casting: bit parts and extras
Delia Eick	....	casting: bit parts and extras
Gregor J. Weber	....	casting: bit parts and extras

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Daniela Backes	....	set costumer
Stella Belli	....	assistant costume designer
Genoveva Kylburg	....	assistant costume designer
Sanne van Deursen	....	assistant costume design: Netherlands

Editorial Department
Bernd Hantke	....	assistant editor
Steffen Paul	....	on-line editor

Transportation Department
Ilja Kloppenburg	....	production driver: Berlin
Martin Kuschan	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Ermin Bravo	....	dialogue coach
Florentin Camerer	....	trainee production assistant
Ognjen Dizdarevic	....	production manager: Bosnia & Herzegovina
Adis Djapo	....	production coordinator: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Annette Drees	....	script supervisor
Steffi Hiller	....	production accountant
Ernestine Kahn	....	dialogue coach
Norbert Klingner	....	legal counsel
Amira Lekic	....	production coordinator: Bosnia & Herzegovina (as Amira Kresevljakovic)
Gabriele Roß	....	production coordinator
Edin Sarkic	....	location manager: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Eva Visser	....	production manager: Netherlands

Thanks
Jakob Arjouni	....	thanks
Jakob Claussen	....	thanks
Mattias Frik	....	thanks

Production Companies

• 23/5 Filmproduktion GmbH
• Zentropa International (in co-production with)
• Zentropa International Köln (in co-production with)
• Zentropa Entertainments 5 (in co-production with)
• Zentropa International Netherlands (in co-production with)
• IDTV Film (in co-production with)
• Film i Väst (in co-production with)
• Südwestrundfunk (SWR) (in collaboration with)
• ARTE (in collaboration with)
• Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) (in collaboration with)
• Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) (in collaboration with)
• Deblokada Produkcija
• Zoo Pictures
• Zentropa Entertainments (co-production)

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Piffl Medien (2009) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Sunrise Film Distribution (2009) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• TrustNordisk (2009) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Cinemax (2010) (Hungary) (TV)
• EuropaCorp. Distribution (2010) (France) (all media)
• Film Movement (2009) (USA) (all media)
• Film Movement (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Serendip (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• Soda Pictures (2009) (UK) (all media)
• good movies! (2010) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Beauftragter der Bundesregierung für Angelegenheiten der Kultur und der Medien (BKM)  funding
• Det Danske Filminstitut  funding
• Deutsche Filmförderfonds (DFFF)  funding
• Eurimages  funding
• Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA)  funding
• Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen  funding
• Gemeente Den Haag  funding
• Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg  funding
• Nederlands Fonds voor de Film  funding
• Rotterdams Fonds voor de Film en Audiovisuele Media  funding
• SCCA / pro.ba  service production company

Also Known As:

Runtime:

103 min | USA:105 min | Germany:110 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

Germany | Denmark | Netherlands | Sweden | Bosnia and Herzegovina

Language:

English | German | Bosnian | Serbian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

UK:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Det Danske Filmstudie, Lyngby, Sjælland, Denmark

Company:

23/5 Filmproduktion GmbH

Quotes:

[last lines]
Mira Arendt:Thank you.

Worthwhile, if Unspectaculer

STORM works best as a legal thriller (I'm a criminal lawyer). Its depictions of witnesses, evidentiary rules, discussions with opposing counsel, etc., are done very well. STORM's acting, dialog, shooting and direction are done professionally and convincingly; e.g., the film never drags and, until the end, there's nothing that drags or takes one "out of the film". The intertwining of the political influences is also done well. It should be made clear that while the Balkans tragedy serves as the vehicle for STORM, this is not a movie about those horrors in particular; i.e., the same film may have made using a different conflict.

Having said so much, STORM lacks passion. Its as if a talented group of people were tasked with making the movie, put in many hard days, then went back to pursuing what they truly loved. The lack of passion may result from STORM's lack of evil clearly depicted villains; i.e., stuff which arouses viewers. Indeed, hardly any background or time is given the Defendant in the docket for the entire film. The horrific scenes of the crimes involved are not seen but provided via the courtroom testimony. I understand that such may be precisely what the makers of STORM wanted to do; i.e., not be explicit to highlight the routine and tedium of legal work. If so, they succeeded. Maybe too well.