STYX

a film by Wolfgang Fischer
World Premiere: Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival 2018


Germany/Austria 2018 // color // 90min

Synopsis

The transformation of a strong woman torn from her contented world during a sailing trip.

Rike -40, a doctor from Europe - embodies a typical Western model of happiness and success. She is educated, confident, determined and committed. We see Rike‘s everyday life, as an emergency doctor, before she fulfils a long-held dream and sails out to sea alone in her sailing boat. Her goal: Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean.
But her dream holiday is quickly broken off on the high seas, when, after a storm, she finds herself near a stricken fishing boat. Around a hundred people are about to drown. Rike follows maritime law and radios for help. As her request is going nowhere, she is forced to make a fatal decision.

Directed by

Wolfgang Fischer

Written by

Wolfgang Fischer, Ika Künzel

With

Susanne Wolff, Gedion Oduor Wekesa, Kelvin Mutuku Ndinda

Camera

Benedict Neuenfels, aac/bvk

Editing

Monika Willi, aea

Re-Recording Mixer

Tobias Fleig, bvft

Sound Design

Uwe Dresch, Andre Zimmermann

Sound Recordist

Andreas Turnwald

Hair & Make Up Design

Elke Hahn

Costume Design

Nicole Fischnaller

Casting

Anja Dihrberg

Line Producer

Charles E. Breitkreuz

Commissioning Editors

Andrea Hanke, Georg Steinert

Supported by

Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Eurimages, Austrian Film Institute, Malta Film Commission, German Federal Film Fund, medienboard Berlin Brandenburg, German Federal Film Board, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media

In collaboration with

WDR, Arte

Associate Producers

Kay Niessen, Michael Reuter, Andreas Fröhlich, Robert Gross

Producers

Marcos Kantis, Martin Lehwald, Michal Pokorny

Co-Producers

Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu, Bady Minck

Production

Schiwago Film

Co-Production

AMOUR FOU Vienna

Distribution Germany

Zorro Film

Distribution Austria

Filmladen

Worldsales

Beta Cinema

Awards & Nominations

latest nominations: finalist LUX Prize, European University Film Award
Angela Award @ Subtitle European Film Festival 2018
Creative Energy Award @ Emden Norderney International Film Festival 2018
Fipresci Award @ Ljubljana International Film Festival 2018
Special Award of the Jury @ Batumi International Art-House Film Festival 2018
"Triton Award" Best Cinematographer Benedict Neuenfels @ Valetta Film Festival 2018
"Triton Award" Beste Performance Susanne Wolff @ Valetta Film Festival 2018
Creative Energy Award @ International Filmfest Emden-Norderney 2018
DBP @ International Filmfest Emden-Norderney 2018
Grand Price of the Festival @ Filmkunstfest MV 2018
Audience Award @ Filmkunstfest MV 2018
Best Sounddesign @ Filmkunstfest MV 2018
2nd place at Audience Award @ Berlinale 2018
Heiner-Carow-Award @ Berlinale 2018
Award of the Ecumenical Jury @ Berlinale 2018
Europe Cinemas Label Award @ Berlinale 2018

Festivals

International Film Festival Berlin, Germany - February 2018
Istanbul International Film Festival, Turkey - April 2018
Hong Kong International Film Festival, Hong Kong - April 2018
Ankara International Film Festival, Turkey - April 2018
Filmkunstfest MV Schwerin, Germany - May 2018
Oslo Pix, Norway - June 2018
Valetta Film Festival, Malta - June 2018
Shanghai International Film Festival - June 2018
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Czech Republic - June 2018
Emden Norderney International, Deutschland - June 2018
Odessa International Film Festival, Ukraine - July 2018
New Horizons Film Festival, Germany - July 2018
Palic European Film Festival, Serbia - July 2018
Galway Film Fleadh, Ireland - July 2018
Motovun Film Festival, Croatia - July 2018
Jerusalem International Film Festival, Israel - July 2018
Film By The Sea International Film, Netherlands - September 2018
Fünf Seen Filmfestival, Germany - September 2018
Festival of German Films, New Zealand - September 2018
Cinematik Film Festival Piestany, Slovakia - September 2018
Toronto International Film Festival, Canada - September 2018
Batumi International Art House Film Festival, Georgia - September 2018
Helsinki International Film Festival, Finland - September 2018
Reykjavik International Film Festival, Iceland - September 2018
CPH:PIX Copenhagen, Denmark - September 2018
Festival du Nouveau Cinéma Montreal, Canada - September 2018
Vancouver International Film Festival, Canada - September 2018
BFI London Film Festival, UK - October 2018
RAVAC International Film Festival, Moldova - October 2018
Film Fest Gent, Belgium - October 2018
La Roche sur Yon International Film Festival, France - October 2018
Viennale - Vienna International Film Festival, Austria - October 2018
Philadelphia Film Festival, USA - October 2018
Goethe-Institut Hong Kong KINO!, China - October 2018
Riga International Film Festival, Latvia - October 2018
Vancouver International Film Festival, Canada - October 2018
Film Fest Gent, Belgium - October 2018
German Film Week Goethe Institut, Philippines - November 2018
Seville European Film Festival, Spain - November 2018
Cork Film Festival, Irland - November 2018
Stockholm Film Festival, Sweden - November 2018
Leeds International Film Festival, United Kingdom - November 2018
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, Taiwan - November 2018
Panorama of the European Film, Egypt - November 2018
AFI FEST Los Angeles, USA - November 2018
Subtitle European Film Festival, Irland - November 2018
Ljubljana International Film Festival, Slovenia - November 2018
Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Greece - November 2018
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Estonia - December 2018
Palm Springs International Film Festival, USA - January 2019
Bengaluru International Film Festival, India - February 2019
Hammerfest Filmklubb, Norway - March 2019
German Film Week , Libanon Portugal - March 2019
German Film Week in Bangkok, Thailand - March 2019
Luxembourg City Film Festival, Luxembourg - March 2019
Europe on screen, Jakarta - April 2019
Izmir International Refugee Film Festival, Turkey - April 2019
Fajr International Film Festival, Teheran Iran - April 2019
Diaspora Film Festival, Korea - May 2019
Festival of German Films, Australia - June 2019
Pyeongchang International Peace Film Festival, Korea - August 2019
Two Riversides Film and Art Festival, Poland - August 2019
Ulju Mountain Film Festival, South Korea - September 2019
Goethe Institut in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - September 2019
Festival of German Films (Goethe Institut St. Petersburg), Russia - October 2019
Kolkata International Film Festival, India - November 2019
European Film Festival, South Africa - December 2019
Deutsche Filmwoche Malaga, Spain - February 2020
Goethe-Institut Taschkent, Uzbekistan - February 2020
Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival, Taiwan - September 2020