Films A to Z
Der Kreis
- Runtime:
- 102' min.
- Year of Production:
- 2014
- Country:
- Switzerland
- Director:
- Cast:
- Marianne Sägebrecht
Anatole Taubman
Matthias Hungerbühler
Sven Schelker
Antoine Monot Jr. - Production Company:
- Contrast Film Zürich
- Berlinale Section:
- Panorama
- Berlinale Category:
- Documentary Film
- Teddy Award:
- Best Documentary/ Essay Film
Founded in the early 1940s, the network around the magazine 'Der Kreis' ('The Circle') was the only gay organisation to survive the Nazi regime. It blossomed during the post-war years into an internationally renowned underground club. Legendary masked balls at the Theater am Neumarkt in Zurich provided 800 visitors from all over Europe with a secret and safe space to act out their 'otherness' in a self-determined way. It is there that timid teacher Ernst Ostertag falls in love with drag star Röbi Rapp. Ernst searches for a way to fight for his gayness to be accepted as normal outside the boundaries of 'The Circle' network without losing his employment as a teacher. Röbi champions the joint fruition of their love. Following a murder in the gay community, violent repression against gay people also endangers 'The Circle' network. Stefan Haupt's new film uncovers the fascinating universe of one of the first gay liberation communities. Enriched by impressive conversational records with Ernst Ostertag and Röbi Rapp, the film depicts a decades-long love story – made taboo by society – and reveals the couple's inspiring self-knowledge and courage.
BIOGRAFIE Stefan Haupt
Born in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1961, he studied at the Schauspielakademie Zürich where he took a degree in theatre and education. A director and freelance filmmaker since 1989, he founded Fontana Film production company in Zurich in 1998. His feature film debut UTOPIA BLUES won awards including the Zurich and the Swiss Film Prizes. His 2003 documentary ELISABETH KÜBLER- ROSS is still today the most successful Swiss documentary. Between 2008 and 2010 he was president of the Swiss Filmmakers’ Association and he has been a member of the board of trustees for the SWISS FILMS Foundation since 2007.
FILMOGRAFIE Stefan Haupt (selection)
2014 Der Kreis
2012 Sagrada
2010 How About Love
2006 Ein Lied für Argyris
2004 Downtown Switzerland
2003 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross – Dem Tod ins Gesicht sehen
2003 Moritz
2001 Utopia Blues
2001 Increschantüm (Heimweh)
1998 I’m Just a Simple Person
Stefan Haupt @IMDb
Trailer
Interview with Stefan Haupt
28. Teddy Award on YouTube