Film Archive

Four Minutes (Vier Minuten)

Schubert, Mozart, Chopin and a bunch of killers. That’s life for 80-year-old piano teacher Traude Krueger. The old lady has been teaching music at the women’s prison for ages. But she has never met an inmate like Jenny: a killer who beats everything around her to a pulp just to amuse herself. However, she used to be a great talent. A piano prodigy even. And beneath her fierce façade, she still is. With Traude’s help, she could manage to win a prestigious piano contest. But a contest is no challenge to those who want their lives to stand still.

Chris Kraus was born in 1963 in Goettingen. After employment as a journalist and illustrator he went on to study at the German Film & Television Academy (dffb) in Berlin. As an author, he has written numerous screenplays, e.g. for Rosa von Praunheim's The Einstein of Sex (Der Einstein des Sex), Detlev Buck's A Bundle of Joy (Liebesluder), and OSCAR-winner Pepe Danquart’s C(r)ook (Basta. Rotwein oder tot sein). He also works as a novelist and teaches Dramaturgy at various film academies. Shattered Glass (Scherbentanz, 2002) marked his feature debut, winning ten national and international awards, including two Bavarian Film Awards, the Hypo-Bank Young Director’s Award, the German Camera Award and a Golden Camera Award for lead actor Juergen Vogel. Four Minutes (Vier Minuten, 2006) is his second feature film.
 

Genre Drama, Music
Category Feature Film Cinema
Year of Production 2006
Director Chris Kraus
Screenplay Chris Kraus
Director of Photography Judith Kaufmann
Editor Uta Schmidt
Music by Annette Focks
Production Design Silke Buhr
Producers Meike Kordes, Alexandra Kordes
Production Company Kordes & Kordes Film/Berlin, in co-production with Journal Film Klaus Volkenborn /Berlin
Principal Cast Monica Bleibtreu, Hannah Herzsprung, Sven Pippig, Richy Mueller, Jasmin Tabatabai, Stefan Kurt, Vadim Glowna, Nadja Uhl, Peter Davor, Dietrich Hollinderbaeumer
Casting Nina Haun
Length 112 min, 3,065 m
Format 35 mm, color, 1:1.85
Original Version German
Subtitled Versions English
Sound Technology DTS, Stereo
Festival Screenings Shanghai 2006 (In Competition), Toronto 2006, Rio 2006, Reykjavik 2006, Hof 2006, Biberach 2006 (In Comeptition), AFI Fest Los Angeles 2006, Seville 2006, Camerimage 2006, Tallinn Black Nights 2006, Braunschweig 2006, Luenen 2006, Goa 2006, FILMZ Mainz 2006, Goeteborg 2007, Berlin 2007 (German Cinema), Sofia 2007 (In Competition), Istanbul 2007 (In Competition), Seattle 2007, Giffoni 2007, Hamptons 2007, Ghent 2007, Havana 2007
Awards Best Film Shanghai 2006, Best Film Reykjavik 2006, Golden Beaver & Audience Award Biberach 2006, Bavarian Film Awards 2006 (Best Up-and Coming Actress Hannah Herzsprung, Best Actress Monica Bleibtreu, Best Screenplay, VGF Producers' Prize), Best Direction, FIPRESCI Award for Best Film Sofia 2007, German Film Award 2007 (Best Film, Best Leading Actress Monica Bleibtreu), Audience Award Hamptons 2007
With backing from German Federal Film Board (FFA), BKM, MFG Baden-Wuerttemberg, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
German Distributor Piffl Medien/Berlin

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