“Der Sandmann” takes audiences in Germany and Austria by storm

The distributor in Germany, Thorsten Frehse (Neue Visionen, Berlin), looks back on a successful film release: despite the fact that “Der Sandmann” is being marketed with neither a star director nor a well-known name in its cast, it has still found its audience. The film, which won the Audience Award at the Max Ophuels Prize Film Festival in Saarbrücken, was launched with 47 prints throughout all of Germany. Film director Peter Luisi made a nine-day promotional tour across Germany, which has substantially contributed to the excellent word-of-mouth propaganda. “Der Sandmann” has also been well received in the press, for example, the “Süddeutsche Zeitung,” which praised Peter Luisi's work on July 22 as follows: “Luisi's ‘Sandmann' is not merely a witty idea; his realisation of it is also nearly effortless and amusing throughout.” Hans König, from the Austrian distribution firm Polyfilm, hopes to attain sales of 15,000 tickets, with the screen presence of Fabian Krüger, who performs at the Burgtheater in Vienna, facilitating excellent attention in the media.

The distribution of “Der Sandmann” in Germany and Austria was supported by SWISS FILMS, in collaboration with the Federal Office of Culture, with subsidies of EUR 25,000 and EUR 10,000, respectively. The film will be released in German-speaking Switzerland on (distributor: Cineworx) on August 25 and will be screened in Locarno in the “Appellations Suisse” section on August 5 and 6.

Zurich, August 3, 2011