For many people, crossing the Mediterranean is their last hope—and at the same time the world’s most dangerous escape route. As more and more women and children undertake this journey, a midwife is now a permanent member of the crew aboard a search-and-rescue vessel. “Where the Waves Took Her” follows midwife Anne-Katrin on her first mission, portrays a strong all-female team on board, and gives refugee women the space to tell their own stories.
For many people, crossing the Mediterranean to Europe is often their last hope of escaping war, persecution, and hunger. As increasing numbers of women and children are forced to undertake one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes, a midwife has become a permanent member of the crew aboard a search-and-rescue vessel. “Where the Waves Took Her” follows Berlin-based midwife Anne-Katrin on her first rescue mission. Her journey unfolds in parallel with the women’s stories of displacement.
As we join Anne-Katrin in meeting the strong, all-female medical team on board and preparing with them for an emergency, the displaced women recount the suffering they endured on their journey to Europe through a distinctive visual approach involving long-exposure photography and a water-filled studio. The long exposures create blurred, poetic images that not only preserve the women’s anonymity and protect their identities, but also convey the emotional intensity of their experiences in a new way. On board the ship, the worlds of the women and the crew briefly come together before the women arrive in Italy and begin another journey into the unknown.
“In 2019, I took part in a search-and-rescue mission at sea for the first time. In the middle of the night, we rescued 32 people, including five women and ten children, the youngest just three months old. Waves more than eleven feet high crashed over our small vessel. Only days later, a heavily pregnant woman admitted that she had not felt her baby move since the rescue. We had no midwife on board. That moment stayed with me and inspired me to explore this subject: a woman who feels guilty because she wants a better life for her children and risks everything to achieve it.
‘I started writing down my story so I could share it with the world,’ one woman said before I had even begun recording. ‘It is social, spiritual, and educational. I believe it will resonate with you as well.’ Every sentence that followed was harrowing, yet her words were chosen with the care of a poem. I want these stories to be heard.”
Title: Where the Waves Took Her
Director: Jana Stallein
Screenplay: Jana Stallein
Protagonists: Fahma Abdukader Farah, Jeanine Tchokotte, Joseline Cabry Fotsing, Julie Tankeu Yonga, Mariame Diallo, Anne-Katrin Klotzsch
Director of Photography: Sophia Fenn
Editor: Amélie Richter
Production Design: Antonia Nestler
Production Sound: Jana Stallein, Henric Schleiner
Original Music and Sound Design: Henric Schleiner
Dialogue Editing and Re-Recording Mix: Henning Großmann
Vocals: Leen Al-Hassan
Producers: Charlotte Peters, Levin Hübner
Production Manager: Lena Gill
Commissioning Editor: Rolf Bergmann (rbb)
Genre: Documentary
Production Company: Wüste Film West
Co-Production: Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf,
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
Country of Production: Germany
Year of Production: 2025
Languages: Arabic, German, English, French, Italian, Somali
Subtitles: German or English
Rating: FSK 12 (approved for public holiday screenings)
Content Advisory: Distressing themes
Runtime: 83 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Screening Formats: DCP (DCI 2K Scope), MP4 (Full HD 1080p)
Resolution: 2048 × 858
Frame Rate: 25 fps
Audio: 5.1 Surround, 2.0 Stereo
Premiere:
October 22, 2025
59th Hof International Film Festival
Distribution and Worldwide Sales: UCM.ONE
Film Label: NONFY Documentaries
Theatrical Release: September 3, 2026
Jana Stallein studied documentary directing at Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. Her film “Where the Waves Took Her” premiered at the Hof International Film Festival, where it received a Special Mention in the GRANIT Documentary Film Competition. Her first VR directing project, the immersive experience AFTER THE GAME (2025), premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2026. In 2026, she received the SI STAR Young Talent Award for her work as a director.
Filmography (Selected Works)
| 2025 | WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Documentary, 83 minutes) |
| 2025 | AFTER THE GAME (VR Experience, 17 minutes) |
| 2022 | HI I’M TOXIC (Experimental Film, 8 minutes) |
| 2022 | SHAPES OF LESBOS (Documentary, 70 minutes) |
Lotte is pursuing a master’s degree in Film and Television Production at Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. She has worked for organizations including Wüste Film, Achtung Panda!, and MOIN Film Fund, and was awarded the VFF Emerging Talent Scholarship for production students. Her first feature-length film, “Where the Waves Took Her,” premiered in Hof in 2025, was subsequently screened at Hot Docs, and will be released theatrically in the second half of 2026. Her work earned her a nomination for the VFF Emerging Producer Award. She is also the impact producer of the documentary INTERSECTION, which premiered at DOK Leipzig in 2025. She is currently producing her first narrative feature, “The Melting Mood of Easy,” which was filmed in early 2026. Lotte makes films with purpose—preferably intimate, queer, and driven by a clear point of view.
Filmography (Selected Works)
| 2026 | THE MELTING MOOD OF ECSTASY (Director: Julian Dieterich, 90 min., in post-production, feature film funded by Leuchtstoff) – Producer |
| 2025 | WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Director: Jana Stallein, 83 min., feature-length documentary funded by Leuchtstoff) – Producer |
| 2025 | INTERSECTION – Alles ist politisch (Director: Karoline Rößler, 87 min., feature-length documentary and mobile game, funded by MBB) – Impact Producer |
Sophia Fenn earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Cinematography from Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. In 2025, she completed her studies with the documentary “Where the Waves Took Her,” which was nominated for the 36th German Camera Award and won the FEMALE GAZE Cinematography Award at the IFFF. She has also worked on international productions in Brazil, Ukraine, and the United States.
Filmography (Selected Works)
| 2026 | TABIR, Director: Natalija Yefimkina (Documentary, 35 min.) |
| 2025 | WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER, Director: Jana Stallein (Documentary, 82 min.) |
| 2024 | WUNSCHKINDER, Director: Hannah Wolny (Short Film, 7 min.) |
| 2024 | NIMICA FRUMOS, Director: Vanessa Gunesch (Documentary Short, 13 min.) |
| 2023 | I KNEW YOU WERE MY KIND, Director: Vanessa Gunesch (Short Film, 18 min.) |
| 2023 | FESTGEFAHREN, Director: Lina Drevs (Short Film, 14 min.) |
Amélie Richter developed a strong interest in cinema while studying Media and Cultural Studies in Germany and France. She subsequently studied Film Editing at Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF and worked on documentaries including Spaltung (CPH 2025) and “Where the Waves Took Her” (Hof International Film Festival 2025 / Hot Docs 2026). She currently divides her time between Montreal and Berlin, working as both a film editor and a festival curator. Her work across different cultural and cinematic contexts informs her transdisciplinary and transnational approach to cinema.
Filmography (Selected Works)
| 2025 | WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Documentary, 83 minutes) |
| 2024 | SPALTUNG (Documentary, 75 minutes) |
| 2025 | FEMME SULFUREUSE (Short Film, 10 minutes) |
| 2024 | DEAD PERIOD (Short Film, 10 minutes) |
| 2024 | TRACES OF LIFE – HOW TO KILL (Installation, 5 minutes) |
| 2023 | LABSAL (Short Film, 26 minutes) |
| 2023 | STICKY (Short Film, 24 minutes) |
Lena Gill (born 1997) earned her bachelor’s degree in Media Management from Stuttgart Media University. After graduating, she moved to Berlin and worked as a production assistant on various theatrical and television productions. In 2022, she began a master’s degree in Film and Television Production at Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. At the same time, she worked for X Filme Creative Pool as an assistant to the head of production. She currently works as a producer for the Berlin-based company Seven Elephants.
Filmography (Selected Works)
| 2026 | ARCHITECTURES OF MEMORY (Documentary Hybrid Project, in post-production) – Producer |
| 2026 | MAXIMINI (Short Film, in post-production) – Producer |
| 2025 | WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Documentary) – Production Manager |
| 2023 | ZEIT VERBRECHEN (Miniseries) – Assistant to the Head of Production |
| 2022 | SLEEPING DOGS (Netflix Miniseries) – Assistant Production Manager |
| 2021 | WANN WIRD ES ENDLICH WIEDER SO, WIE ES NIE WAR (Feature Film) – Assistant Production Manager |
Antonia is a Berlin-based production designer and mixed-media artist. Her work explores socially relevant issues through innovative and immersive approaches. Her creative focus lies in developing new spaces for storytelling by combining analog techniques such as model making and drawing with digital media including projection mapping and augmented reality.
Filmography (Selected Works)
| 2025 | ARCHITECTURES OF MEMORY AT (Documentary, 90 minutes) – Production Design: Studio Set and Model Making |
| 2025 | WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Documentary, 83 minutes) – Production Design: Studio Set and Title Design |
| 2024 | RECONSTRUCTION HOME (Interactive Documentary Installation) – Production Design |
Levin Hübner, born in Hamburg in 1988, has served as a producer at Cologne-based Wüste Film West GmbH since 2022 and as co-managing director since 2025. He is a graduate of the ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln and has been, among other things, a fellow of the Mediengründerzentrum NRW and a participant in the Rotterdam Lab. His work has screened at festivals including the Berlinale and the Max Ophüls Prize and has received international awards. His productions at Wüste Film include the bestselling novel adaptation DER BUCHSPAZIERER (Studiocanal), starring Christoph Maria Herbst and Yuna Bennett; the artistic documentary “Where the Waves Took Her”; and the ARD co-productions EIN SOMMER IN SOMMERBY and WEIHNACHTEN IN SOMMERBY, based on Kirsten Boie’s successful children’s book series.
Filmography (Selected Works)
| 2027 | SUPERBUSEN – Director: Constanze Klaue. Screenplay: Constanze Klaue, Anna Brüggemann, and Paula Irmschler (Feature Film) |
| 2027 | SCHATTEN – Director: Ben Teske. Screenplay: Julia C. Kaiser (Feature Film) |
| 2026 | SOMMER AUF ASPHALT – Director: Simon Ostermann. Screenplay: Brix Vinzent Koethe (Feature Film) |
| 2026 | WEIHNACHTEN IN SOMMERBY – Director: Mia Spengler. Screenplay: Catharina Junk (TV Movie) |
| 2025 | WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER – Written and directed by Jana Stallein (Documentary) |
| 2025 | EIN SOMMER IN SOMMERBY – Director: Mara Eibl-Eibesfeldt. Screenplay: Catharina Junk (TV Movie) |
| 2024 | DER BUCHSPAZIERER – Director: Ngo The Chau. Screenplay: Andi Rogenhagen and Carsten Henn (Feature Film) |
| 2022 | LOUIS I. KING OF THE SHEEP – Written and directed by Markus Wulf (Stop-Motion Animated Film) |
Henric Schleiner and Henning Großmann founded the sound design studio ti:me:co:de in 2019 and have since worked on around 300 projects spanning commercials and film. For “Where the Waves Took Her”, they were responsible for the sound design, original music, and re-recording mix. Their other credits include the documentary GLEIS 11 and the series UNCIVILIZED, which received both the Grimme Award and the German Television Award. They are currently working on the WDR series ONKEL RUBEN UND DAS LOCH IM GARTEN.
Filmography (Selected Works)
| 2026 | ONKEL RUBEN UND DAS LOCH IM GARTEN (Drama Series, 6 episodes) – Production Sound, Sound Design, Re-Recording Mix |
| 2025 | WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Documentary, 83 minutes) – Sound Design, Original Music, Re-Recording Mix |
| 2024 | UNCIVILIZED (Drama Series, 6 episodes) – Production Sound, Dialogue Editing, Re-Recording Mix |
| 2023 | TENEZ (Short Film, 22 minutes) – Production Sound, Sound Design, Original Music, Re-Recording Mix |
| 2022 | REBELS (Documentary Series, 3 × 30 minutes) – Sound Design, Re-Recording Mix |
| 2021 | GLEIS 11 (Documentary, 61 minutes) – Production Sound, Sound Design, Re-Recording Mix |
From left to right: Julie Tankeu Yonga, Lena Gill, Mariame Diallo with her son, Antonia Nestler, Sophia Fenn, Joseline Cabry Fotsing, Anne-Katrin Klotzsch, Henric Schleiner, Jeanine Tchokotte, Jana Stallein, Charlotte PetersFrom left to right: Julie Tankeu Yonga, Lena Gill, Mariame Diallo with her son, Antonia Nestler, Sophia Fenn, Joseline Cabry Fotsing, Anne-Katrin Klotzsch, Henric Schleiner, Jeanine Tchokotte, Jana Stallein, Charlotte Peters
Group photo of the crew and protagonists from the studio shoot at Studio Babelsberg. Protagonists pictured: Fahma Abdukader Farah, Jeanine Tchokotte, Joseline Cabry Fotsing, Julie Tankeu Yonga, and Mariame Diallo.
In the height of summer – August 2026 – our digital distribution lineup offers a wide variety of releases even during the hottest months of the year. The lineup combines gripping adventure, thriller, and horror films with animated movies and timeless film classics. A special highlight in the series category this month is top-notch British…
UCM.ONE will release the award-winning feature film “Flieg Steil” (international title: Ascend), directed by Martina Schöne-Radunski and Lana Cooper, in theaters across Germany on Thursday, August 6, 2026, through its distribution label Darling Berlin. The film marks the label’s 51st release. Booking and billing will be handled by CAMINO Filmverleih (Stuttgart). This is the second…
In the second quarter of 2026, the film – also known by its English title “The Witch: Revenge” by Andriy Kolesnyk – was the clear frontrunner. As early as the fourth quarter of 2025, the Ukrainian film had already made it into the top 10 in its English-language version. In the second quarter of 2026,…
July 2026 once again offers a wide variety of releases in the field of digital film distribution (aggregation). The programme brings together exciting adventure, thriller, science fiction and horror productions alongside arthouse films and film classics, as well as a thought-provoking documentary. The selection is complemented by numerous series, which usefully expand the portfolio and…
Following the successful launch of the “Metal.Rocks” channel last year, the channel – operated by UCM.ONE in partnership with PLAION PICTURES – is expanding into 16 European countries, as well as Egypt, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. The channel, which provides a TV home for all rock and metal fans, is now available…
UCM.ONE is bringing the award-winning feature film “Slackers” (German title: Nulpen) to German theaters nationwide on Thursday, June 18, 2026 via its distribution label Darling Berlin. Distribution is handled by CAMINO Filmverleih (Stuttgart). This marks the first collaboration between UCM.ONE / Darling Berlin and Camino. FELIX NEUNZERLING PR (Berlin) is handling national press relations. Theatrical…
