Director Sarah Neumann Screenplay Sarah Neumann, Based on the novel "Jenseits der blauen Grenze" by Dorit Linke Director of Photography Nikolaus Schreiber, Felix Gänsicke (Underwater Camera) Cast Lena Urzendowsky, Willi Geitmann, Jannis Veihelmann, Winnie Böwe, Ronny Miersch,
Stefan Mocker Producers Nicola Pantzke, Jasper Philipp Mielke, Karoline Henkel, Felix Schreiber, Arto Sebastian Buhmann Co-producers Delphine Schmit, Guillaume Dreyfus, Anna Maria Aslanoğlu, Julia Irene Peters, Jutta Feit Production Company Wood Water Films Co-production Company Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH (Ludwigsburg),
Südwestrundfunk (SWR), Arte Deutschland TV GmbH
August 1989, East Germany. Hanna (Urzendowsky) is a talented swimmer who dreams of becoming an Olympic champion. When not training, she’s with her best friends Andreas (Geitmann) and Jens (Veihelmann). Andreas comes from an abusive home and has never fit into the rigid GDR system. When Hanna and Jens learn that Andreas is to be “socialistically re-educated” in a youth work camp, they know they must help him. Andreas sees only one way out: to swim 50 km west, across the Baltic Sea to freedom. But in a society that demands conformity, Hannah’s friendship with Andreas threatens her Olympic dreams. Suddenly, she is faced with the decision of her life: does she leave her secure place in socialist society, or let Andreas swim alone, knowing that he will never make it without her help? Neumann’s multi-award-winning debut feature, based on Dorit Linke’s novel, "Jenseits der blauen Grenze," looks to Germany’s recent past to explore timeless themes of self-sacrifice, friendship, and the search for freedom.
AWARDS Filmfest Bremen 2024 Audience Award, Best Regional Film Max Ophüls Preis 2024 Best Young Actor, Audience Award - Feature Film, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
Sarah Neumann was born in Görlitz in 1988. After studying film and theater studies at the Free University of Berlin, she worked as a production coordinator at UFA Fiction in Potsdam. She has been studying directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg since 2015. BEYOND THE BLUE BORDER is her feature length film debut.
