1. Mai (2008)

An eleven-year-old Turkish boy, two young men from a small town, and a cuckolded policeman from the sticks all find their way to Berlin on May Day, where, in the district of Kreuzberg, ... See full summary »

Directors:

Jan-Christoph Glaser, Carsten Ludwig

Writers:

Carsten Ludwig (segment), Michael Proehl (segment)

Stars:

Benjamin Höppner, Leonie Brandis, Randy Herbst

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Benjamin Höppner	...	Uwe
Leonie Brandis	...	Ingrid
Randy Herbst	...	Schinken-Raddatz Jr.
Torsten Michaelis	...	Martin
Hans Löw	...	Schröder
Maja Schöne	...	Elke
Thorsten Förster	...	Policeman #1
Rüdiger Kühmstedt	...	Policeman #2
Bruno F. Apitz	...	Einsatzleiter (as Bruno Apitz)
Jacob Matschenz	...	Jacob
Ludwig Trepte	...	'Pelle' Pelletier
Theo Vadersen	...	Busfahrer (as Teo Vadersen)
Cemal Subasi	...	Yavuz
Godehard Giese	...	Policeman
Oktay Özdemir	...	Nebi

Storyline

An eleven-year-old Turkish boy, two young men from a small town, and a cuckolded policeman from the sticks all find their way to Berlin on May Day, where, in the district of Kreuzberg, emotions come to the boil every year. Little Yavuz is eager to gain recognition and is determined to 'floor a cop' in order to impress his older brother. But then he meets Hary, a onetime member of the student revolts of the late sixties, and things turn out completely differently. Jacob and Pelle from Minden are hell-bent on having a boys' own adventure in the capital. They are a couple of inquisitive tourists cruising for a bruising, drifting aimlessly between sightseeing, their search for the city's best kebab shop and the protest march of the anarchic 'Black Block'. As the ruckus begins, policeman Uwe has problems of quite a different kind. He and his colleague have been assigned to calm the situation in Kreuzberg. But his wife turns unfaithful and he finds himself in the midst of a major personal ...

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Plot Keywords:

kreuzberg berlin | berlin germany | riot | multi plot | first of may | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany]

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

30 April 2008 (Germany)

Also Known As:

1. Mai - Das Ende vom Lied

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jetfilm, Frisbeefilms

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Intense cinematic experience

This movie uses Kreuzberg, a district in the heart of Berlin as plot driver for several little episodes. Since the famous May Day riots in 1987 where Kreuzberg was a marginal district cornered by the Berlin Wall and charged with social conflicts due to Ghetto-politics concerning the Turkish immigrants minority Kreuzberg on 1st of may has been the magnet for politically left sided tourists, cops form abroad etc. In recent years with the crisis of the German political left the events have largely deescalated and 1st of May in Kreuzberg not only became folcloristic but also the riots seem to be part of the past. However 'Berlin 1. Mai' depicts a very realistic image of Kreuzberg today. The different episodes' plots seem a little overdone on some occasions but that doesn't hurt the overall impression of a very intense cinematic experience.