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THE MAKING OF BERLIN – 2022

After a performance of Zvizdal during the Berliner Festspiele, the makers of BERLIN, meet a spirited, elderly German. They get talking and are immediately fascinated by his improbable life. Several discussions and weeks later, they decide to dedicate the final part of their Holocene Cycle, in which they have created a series of city portraits, to him - with Wagner's Götterdämmerung in a crucial role.

The making of Berlin is a portrait of a city, constructed around the story of a Berliner who worked as an orchestral conductor at the Berlin Philharmonic. A man with an exceptional story who would like nothing more than to complete an unfinished chapter of this life. The makers want to help the man realise his dream, with the aid of amongst other the orchestra of Opera Ballet Flanders and radio station Klara. But all too soon they uncover cracks in his story.

photo © Gordon Schirmer

 

★★★★★ 'The brilliant theatre film The making of Berlin is overwhelming from start to finish.' – Gilles Michiels in De Standaard

[critic's choice]  'Wonderful how beauty can turn everything upside down.' – Tuur Devens for Theaterkrant

'The making of Berlin is an overwhelming and poignant ode to the power of stories and how they can lift people above themselves and bring them together - in a theatre, for example. It is an ode to the multilayered, multiform, and true stories that we tell ourselves to stay afloat, justify our choices, and survive.' – Natalie Gielen for Etcetera

★★★★★ 'A feast of confusion.' – Jowi Schmitz in Trouw

★★★★★ 'One of the most important productions of this year.' – Hein Janssen in De Volkskrant

★★★★☆ 'Ingeniously layered.' - Ron Rijghard in NRC

Photo

Video and audio

Credits

direction Yves Degryse with Friedrich Mohr,
Martin Wuttke,
Stefan Lennert,
Werner Buchholz,
Alisa Tomina,
Krijn Thijs,
Chantal Pattyn,
Symphonic Orchestra Opera Ballet Vlaanderen,
Alejo Pérez,
Yves Degryse,
Caroline Große,
Michael Becker,
Claire Hoofwijk,
Alejandro Urrutia,
Marek Burák,
Marvyn Pettina,
Farnaz Emamverdi,
team BERLIN: Jane Seynaeve,
Eveline Martens,
Jessica Ridderhof,
Geert De Vleesschauwer,
Sam Loncke,
Manu Siebens,
Kurt Lannoye,
team Opera Ballet Vlaanderen: Jan Vandenhouwe,
Lise Thomas,
Eva Knapen,
Christophe De Tremerie
video and video editing Geert De Vleesschauwer,
Fien Leysen,
Yves Degryse		 internship video editing Maria Feenstra
drone shots Yorick Leusink,
Solon Lutz		 behind the scenes footage Fien Leysen
scenography Manu Siebens construction set Manu Siebens,
Ina Peeters,
Rex Tee,
Joris Festjens
set design and construction film Jessica Ridderhof,
Klaartje Vermeulen,
Ruth Lodder,
Ina Peeters		 musical composition and mixing Peter Van Laerhoven
live music Rozanne Descheemaeker or Matea Majic/Diechje Minne music film Peter Van Laerhoven,
Tim Coenen,
Symphonic Orchestra Opera Ballet Vlaanderen conducted by Alejo Pérez
mixing orchestra Maarten Buyl sound design and mixing Arnold Bastiaanse
sound recordings Bas De Caluwé,
Maarten Moesen,
Bart Vandebril		 translation and subtitling Dorien Beckers,
Maria Feenstra,
Annika Serong,
Nadine Malfait,
Isabelle Grynberg
technical coordination Manu Siebens,
Geert De Vleesschauwer,
Marjolein Demey		 technicians Bregt Janssens,
Jurgen Fonteijn
production management Jessica Ridderhof production assistance germany Daniela Schwabe,
Gordon Schirmer
research wagner Clem Robyns,
Piet De Volder		 internship research Annika Serong
photography Koen Broos,
Gordon Schirmer		 business management [from 2022 on] Tine Verhaert
business management [until 2021] Kurt Lannoye day-to-day coordination and production Jane Seynaeve
distribution Eveline Martens communications Sam Loncke
production BERLIN
Coproductions
DE SINGEL [Antwerp, BE], le CENTQUATRE-PARIS [FR], Opera Ballet Vlaanderen [BE], C-TAKT [Limburg, BE], VIERNULVIER [Ghent, BE], Theaterfestival Boulevard [Den Bosch, NL], Berliner Festspiele [DE] with the support of the Flemish Government, Sabam for Culture, Tax Shelter of the Belgian federal government via Flanders Tax Shelter BERLIN is associated artist at DE SINGEL [Antwerp, BE] and artiste associé at le CENTQUATRE-PARIS [FR]
Thanks to
Linnen Berlin, Xaveriuscollege, Zaal Billy, corso, Klara, Oderberger Hotel, Het nieuwstedelijk, De Munt - La Monnaie, Cornelius Puschke, Lisa Homburger, Jill Barnes, Aino El Sohl, Natasha Padabed, Max-Philip Aschenbrenner, Carena Schlewitt, Myriam De Clopper, Barbara Raes, Dirk Rochtus, Anneleen Hermans, Mark Reybrouck, Karen Vermeiren, Guido Spruyt, Hannes D'Hoine, Niels Kloet, Roel Gelderland, Mark Dedecker, Eric Mostert/VMOO, Cees Vossen