‘Notes of Berlin’ by director Mariejosephin Schneider can be viewed today in the rbb TV programme. The film is also currently available to interested viewers in the ARD Mediathek. The stories were inspired by real note messages found in the streets of the city and published by Joab Nist on his cult blog www.notesofberlin.com. They are typical of the Berlin cityscape, tell of the worries and thoughts of its inhabitants and reflect pure everyday Berlin culture.
The episodic film tells fourteen funny, sad and bizarre stories from 24 hours in the life of the capital. The episodes are linked by the notices so typical of the Berlin cityscape, which reflect the pure everyday culture of the city. Joab Nist has been collecting these notices on his blog notesofberlin.com since 2010, making them famous far beyond the city limits.
Synopsis
A day and a night in Berlin: Karma drives an electric wheelchair, a flat-sharing casting ends with a squat, a cook and an escaped dog become kings, everyone is looking for an expectant father and a rabbit finally gets a nerd to meet his neighbours. Do Berlin taxis actually go as far as the Eiffel Tower? And who is the Queen of Berlin? All these stories and more are toldin ‘Notes of Berlin’. They are inspired by real notices that were hung in the streets of the city – on lampposts, in stairwells, in backyards – where they were found by attentive Berliners and published on Joab Nists cult blog notesofberlin.com.
The film strolls with us through the city and takes an amused, sensitive look at people and situations that might otherwise be overlooked. It is a declaration of love to Berlin, shows the everyday madness and chance encounters and makes the city the protagonist, because: ‘The heart of the city beats on the street’.
‘Notes of Berlin’ celebrated its world premiere at the International Film Festival in Warsaw in October 2020 and was awarded three “Beavers” at its German premiere at the 42nd Biberach Film Festival, namely the ‘Best Debut Film’, the ‘Audience Award ’ and the ‘Student Jury Award’.
Comments on the film
‘’Notes of Berlin‘ tells of important, very important, impossible, unbelievable and trivial things.’(TAZ)
‘A very happy film about searching, finding and losing and the never-ending hope for great happiness.’ (Radioeins Films of the Week (Der schöne Morgen)
‘Just as weird, funny and abysmal as Berlin.’ (rbb Fritz, Die Spoilsusen)
“The fourteen different episodes from the capital, some closely and some only loosely connected, which (…) are all based on authentic Berlin note messages, form a multi-layered, sometimes wonderfully funny, sometimes moving mosaic of Berlin. This makes ‘Notes of Berlin’ a must-see for everyone who loves Berlin!” (Berliner-Filmfestivals.de)
“A magical box of notes: a German episodic film that tells 14 stories from the capital, sometimes tragically, but mostly comically. (…) The director and screenwriter Mariejosephin Schneider tells sometimes tragic, but mostly very funny stories about small and big everyday worries and takes a close look at Berliners.” (Spielfilm.de)
More information about the movie: Notes of Berlin
