TÄTER | DEFENDER

2 0 2 0  |   H A M B U R G M E D I A S C H O O L   |   5   M I N .   |   B & W   |   S H O R T – F I L M

▶︎   STORY · PRODUCTION · TEAM · TRAILER · GALLERY

PRODUCTION
„Täter was created in the winter of 2019 a s a first-semester film at the Hamburg Media School. This seven-and-a-half-minute short, shot in black and white and entirely without dialogue, is based on a true case researched by screenwriter Maja Leuschen. The film explores the complex dynamic between victim and perpetrator, raising questions about guilt, forgiveness, and the social conditions that foster violence –and set in motion a cycle of violence that is hard to escape.

TEAM
Paul Herwig, Juri Winkler, Junis Marlon | Director Max Hegewald | Sound: Michael Kondaurow | Costume: Denise Agyei-Manu | Make-Up: Anja Jegrischnik | Music: Franziska May | Sounddesign, Mixing: Michael Kondaurow | Screenplay: Maja Leuschen | Editing: Sönke Saalfeld | Producer: Thowo Wolkowski | Production Design: Maja Leuschen
Festivals: Florence Film Awards, Filmfestival Zaragoza a.o.

SYNOPSIS
English: Gregor finds his son Julius, brutally beaten and left behind. In desperation, he decides to confront his son’s tormentor – with fatal consequences.

Deutsch: Gregor findet seinen Sohn Julius, brutal zusammengeschlagen und zurückgelassen. Aus Verzweiflung beschließt er, den Peiniger seines Sohnes zu konfrontieren – mit tödlichen Folgen.

Maja Leuschen and I have been reflecting on the spiral of violence – a dynamic deeply ingrained in human nature, unfolding everywhere, at any time. We asked ourselves how acts of harm perpetuate themselves, often unnoticed, until they erupt in brutal escalation. The film seeks to make visible that violence is not an abstract concept, but a harsh reality – and to trace how single decisions within that spiral can carry tragic consequences.

– Max Hegewald, Director