Country: Germany
Year: 2024
Duration: 21
A young Ukrainian fulfils his dream of working on board a container ship, but the war at home and the dangers on board turn his coming of age into a crucial test.
Biography
film director
Maximilian Villwock
(Germany) graduated in Directing from Film University Babelsberg, focusing on feature and serial storytelling and experimenting with VR. He worked as an operator for a shipping company, then within the production of advertising and film in Paris, Hamburg and Berlin. He has written and directed films for funding and broadcasting institutions, including Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, 3sat, and ARTE. His mid-length feature Penthesilea earned a nomination for the Studio Hamburg Young Talent Award. A Passage was nominated for a student BAFTA and showcased at various festivals (Guanajuato International Film Festival, Aesthetica, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Cinequest). Previous films have been featured at festivals such as Hofer Filmtage, the Film Festival Oberhausen and Camerimage.
FILMOGRAFIA
Panda III (cm, 2016), Penthesilea (mm, 2019), A Passage (cm, 2022), Fire Drill (cm, 2024).
Declaration
film director
“Fire Drill tells a raw story about growing up and finding hope. The film was shot amidst the ongoing operations of a container ship, featuring both real seafarers and a professional cast. During preproduction, I travelled on container ships for several months, engaging with daily routines and interviewing crew members. The aim was to capture the broad experiences of seafarers. Having worked as a shipping operator myself, I was driven to showcase this often-overlooked but vital part of the global supply chain. During my last research trip aboard a ship, the Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred. I was among sailors directly affected by the conflict – a brutal war being waged against people, who just want to live like we do. Their struggles profoundly impacted me and significantly influenced the narrative of this film.”
Cast
& Credits
DIRECTOR, SCREENPLAY: Maximilian Villwock. CINEMATOGRAPHY: Marco Müller. EDITING: Anna-Lena Engelhardt. SOUND: Oscar Valentin Zöllner. CAST: Arthur Aliiev, John Ramon Bayoneta Duropan, Robert Gil Loresto Gemora, Edmark Dela Pena Estuya, Nelson Gonzaga Nayre, John Ezekiel Horneja Tan, Artem Rybkin, Sergei Savchenko, Britan Viacheslav, Sergiy Kuznetsov, Petro Danchuk, Robinson Matias Montes, Ernesto Dimaano Ramirez, Halyna Dzhun. PRODUCER: Cléo Laetitia Campe.
CONTACT: Konrad Wolf Film University m.wilz@filmuniversitaet.de
