Interview with EFA Discovery Nominee Jan Speckenbach on his film REPORTED MISSING


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Can you tell us in a few words what your film DIE VERMISSTEN / REPORTED MISSING is about and what makes it unique?
Jan Speckenbach: To become a person you need a history. My protagonist has to remember, i.e. to accept his history, to be able to let go of the past. It is the disappearance of his daughter that initiates this process. At the same time, the children’s collective disappearance menaces another history: that of the society they run away from. A society without kids has no future. But can a new society be built upon oblivion? The subject of memory and amnesia runs through the entire film.

How difficult was it to get your film financed and produced?
We were very lucky with the funding, I must say. Since very early we had the TV station ZDF on board (department Das kleine Fernsehspiel), which brought great enthusiasm to the script. It allowed us to move ahead rather quickly to find the other partners to make it a cinema production.

After this first feature film experience: What do you most love / most hate about filmmaking?
I most hate the slowness of all processes except the shooting period – which is the very contrary all of a sudden. At the same time I paradoxically love most the richness of the succession of the energetically totally different states of writing, preparing, shooting and editing. Film definitely is a modern palimpsest. It is an incredible and fantastic experience!

How did you hear about the nomination for the Discovery Award and what was your initial reaction?
I heard it from my producer Anke Hartwig, who got the information from your Academy. My first reaction? I jumped at the ceiling and they took three hours to get me down again…

How important is the Discovery Award for you as a young filmmaker and what do you expect from the nomination?
It is of great importance, no doubt. Since it is a nomination on a European level, the honour is huge. I very much hope that this nomination paves the way for my film which I have to let go as my protagonist does with his daughter. And I hope that the nomination will speed up a little the funding processes of the next film to come … I would consider myself a lucky man, then!