Rotterdam: Jan Schomburg’s „Vergiss mein Ich“ in competition

Jan Schomburg’s second feature film „Vergiss mein Ich“, which was shot completely in North Rhine-Westphalia over 33 days, will celebrate its world premiere at the 43rd International Film Festival Rotterdam. The renowned competition for the sought-after Tiger Award concentrates on the first and second films by international directors.

„After ‚Above Us Only Sky’/Über uns das All‘, Jan Schomburg is now presenting his second work as a director – ‚Vergiss mein Ich’ . The invitation from Rotterdam is a nice acknowledgement for the director as well as for the support of young talents at the Filmstiftung NRW“, says Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. „We warmly congratulate Jan Schomburg, his team and Cologne’s Pandora Film!“

„Vergiss mein Ich“ tells the story of a couple who is suddenly confronted with the situation where falling ill with meningitis results in the wife losing her memory and consequently her identity. After making his debut with ¨Above Us Only Sky¨, which was presented at the Berlinale in 2011, KHM graduate Jan Schomburg has now completed his second film „Vergiss mein Ich“.

The leads in the Cologne-based co-production between Pandora Film and WDR are played by Maria Schrader, Johannes Krisch, Ronald Zehrfeld and Sandra Hüller. The film was made completely in Cologne, at the main location in Cologne-Müngersdorf, as well as at the Cologne Cathedral, in the Agnesviertel or in the city’s Südstadt. Cologne-based companies are also handling the world sales (The Match Factory) and the German distribution (Real Fiction Filmverleih). The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW funded the production of „Vergiss mein Ich“ with 670,000 Euros, and additional backing came from the German Federal Film Board (FFA), the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) and BKM.

The International Film Festival Rotterdam is taking place for the 43rd time from 22 January to 2 February 2014. The largest film festival in the Netherlands is one of the most important European film events of its kind. The Tiger Award for first or second films by international directors has a particular significance among the prizes for up-and-coming film-makers.