Blickpunkte #1 “Ungeheuerhof”

Anyone who sits in a tractor all day has a lot of time to think. Jürgen gave up fattening bulls when he took over the farm and set up a contracting business - where there used to be animals, there are now machines. The single father continues to work day in, day out, weighed down by economic constraints, social expectations and strokes of fate. He says: “Every dad in agriculture wants his son to carry on at some point.” But what if the son is ill? As in the documentary “Ungeheuerhof” or doesn’t WANT to carry on, as in the current theater production “Land”?

As part of the production “Land”, we invited the HFF directing team Gretel Ribka and Jonas Riedinger with their new documentary “UNGEHEUERHOF” to the Münchner Kammerspiele. Following the screening, there will be time for an open discussion with the filmmakers and those involved in the theater production “Land”. Together we will talk about the stories told by the film and the play. What do they have to do with the current situation in agriculture? How can we deal with the challenges?

The Blickpunkte series enables an exchange between theater and film. The audience is invited - together with students from the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF) and the Kammer Club of the Münchner Kammerspiele - to discuss relevant topics on stage and in film.

Director’s commentary

From the fields to the streets - there is currently a lot of discussion about agriculture in Germany. The planned subsidy cuts by the federal government are the trigger for the protests, but behind this are also cross-generational overwork, dissatisfaction and a lack of appreciation. Across Europe, farmers have an above-average suicide rate, yet for decades there has been more talk about agriculture than about farmers. Our research is based on studies on the increasing psychological stress in agriculture, with the aim of telling the personal story of a farming family in a documentary film. We took time for our protagonists, accompanying them in their everyday lives with a close, open and observant eye. We wanted to get close to the people and let them tell their story openly and honestly. The aim is to create an emotional closeness for the audience that makes it possible to experience what it means to live and work in agriculture.

World premiere at the Hof International Film Festival

Photo: Stella Traub

Still: Philipp Kaiser

Still: Philipp Kaiser

Still: Philipp Kaiser

Still: Philipp Kaiser

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