„My Happy Family“ in competition at the 33rd Sundance Film Festival

• International co-production of Cologne’s augenschein Filmproduktion
• Film- und Medienstiftung NRW supported film with 250,000 Euros
• Festival from 19 – 29 January in Park City/Utah

The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW will be represented at the 33rd Sundance Film Festival by its funded co-production „My Happy Family“. The drama by the directorial duo Nana & Simon is taking part in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Nana & Simon had already received several international awards for their film „In Bloom“ .

About the film
On the evening of her 52nd birthday, the literature professor Manana announces to her completely astonished family that she is going to move out after having been married for 30 years and living with her husband, her parents and her two grownup children plus son-in-law in a three-room flat in Tbilisi. But when she actually packs her suitcase and leaves, they are all shocked and speechless. After all, she is long past 'divorce age' and has a perfect husband who doesn’t drink, take drugs or beat her. But Manana remains resolute and does something that is unthinkable in patriarchal Georgian society – she moves into a small flat to live on her own. The drama is a production of augenschein Filmproduktion with Polare Film (GE) and Arizona Productions (FR) and was made in association with ZDF – Das kleine Fernsehspiel. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW supported the film with 250,000 Euros, other backers were Eurimages, BKM, DFFF, GNFC Georgian National Film Center, CNC and Media Development.

Sundance Film Festival
The 33rd Sundance Film Festival is being held in Park City, Utah, from 19 to 29 January, 2017. The North American festival is one of the most important in the independent sphere and is organised by the Sundance Institute which was co-founded by Robert Redford in 1981. It serves as a springboard, in particular, for up-and-coming filmakers in the field of independent film. Filmstiftung-backed films are regularly invited to the Sundance Film Festival. For example, last year saw „Wild“ by Nicolette Krebitz also celebrating its world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. In 2016, the documentary „Sonita“ by the Iranian filmmaker Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami received the Audience Award as well as the Grand Jury Prize in the „World Cinema Documentary Competition“.

All information about the Sundance Film Festival can be found at www.sundance.org