Rock ‘n’ Roll Ringo:

“With ‘Rock ’n’ Roll Ringo”, I immerse myself in a milieu that has always fascinated me:Fairground life. The very group that organizes a festival of social gathering is often socially excluded due to its nomadic nature. When the funfair is treated artistically, it is usually accompanied by the stereotypical characterization of a place of longing. The true efforts of the showmen, clowns and mechanics are usually completely overlooked. I think this perspective is valuable because it is a perspective that is underrepresented in cultural exchange. In this world of all places, our hero Ringo, who has just lost his job, is looking for his last chance to do everything right at least once. Instead of spending time with his daughter, he wants to give her a trip on the high seas. In the end, the dream comes true. But Ringo pays a high price.”

“For ‘Rock ’n’ Roll Ringo”, we wanted to create a look that was both unique and timeless, while capturing the unchanged essence of a setting that hasn’t changed much visually in decades. We knew from the beginning that the movie needed a particular aesthetic that would reflect the raw but charming nature of the story. Working on a construction site, building roller coasters and fighting in a boxing ring required an authentic look. That’s why we opted for 35mm Kodak Vision3 500T. Rock ‘n’ Roll Ringo takes narrative and stylistic influences from Italian spaghetti western films. The moment Ringo sets foot in the fairground for the first time, it’s like a cowboy entering a new town.

The dreamy setting, the authentic faces of the carnies and the fairground lights had to feel real. So we decided to tell the story in CinemaScope format and went for 35mm 2-perf. The biggest advantage of the 2-perf process, apart from the gorgeous and incomparable look, was the fact that we could use a 1000ft magazine. We could run the camera for 22 minutes without changing film, as opposed to anamorphic 4-perf shots where you only have 11 minutes of shooting time. This made us much more flexible and faster, especially on shoot days when we were shooting scenes at the open fair with real visitors in an uncontrollable set. We shot the entire movie with unfiltered Kodak Vision3 500T. The footage, is extremely versatile and has just the right amount of character we needed. Looking at the finished film now, we are thrilled with how well the footage works both day and night and brought our vision of rock ‘n’ roll Ringo to life in the most vibrant and dynamic way.”

Martin Rohde is also an integral part of “Nordachse”, an artists’ collective from Berlin. Since 2020, his likeness has adorned the label of the then new beer brand Nordberliner Pils, which was also created in the Nordachse environment. In 2019, Martin Rohde began filming the movie “Heiko’s World” under the direction of Dominik Galizia. The premiere took place in summer 2021 at the Munich Film Festival, where Martin Rohde was awarded the New German Cinema Award for “Best Leading Actor”. At the achtung berlin 2021 festival, “Heiko’s World” won the new berlin film award for “Best Audience Film”. The German theatrical release was in May 2022.

Press reviews of the movie

“On his heroic journey through the Ruhr area, Ringo meets people who are just like the region itself: rough, warm-hearted, direct, loud, and some of them aggressive or criminal. The colourful fairytale-like story of the underdog who keeps getting back up develops into a hard-boiled gangster film.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

“Heiko’s World’ and ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Ringo’ formulate an antithesis to most of the current German cinema: they depict the working class and the economically weak layer of Germany with empathy and grace and tell the stories of the little people with great cinema.” (Achsensprünge)

“The cowboy-boxer-gangster-ballad “Rock’n’Roll Ringo” gives you maximum Ruhr area flair. I love this film!’” (Uwe Mies on WDR5 Filmtip)

“In short: Dominik Galizia’s new film is well worth seeing: this milieu study has cult potential. In addition to the authentic-looking actors, the film also impresses in terms of camera work. Shots that resemble those of an Italian spaghetti western give the authentic look of the roller coasters and boxing booths a special feel. Ruhr area feeling guaranteed.” (T-Online)

“A mixture of classic antihero story and loving milieu study, which focuses on a largely unknown subculture, the life of a fairground: creatively implemented, well acted and surprisingly emotionally convincing, “Rock ”n’ Roll Ringo‘ is an unusual example of what young German film can look like.” (Spielfilm.de)

“Director Dominik Galizia’s “Rock ”n’ Roll Ringo‘ is a fascinating study of the world of boxing. Galizia used a lavish budget to shoot on analogue 35mm film in widescreen instead of with a digital camera. This gives the film its very own aesthetic and a brilliance and depth of colour that makes it look like a classic Spaghetti Western.” (Neues Deutschland)

“Ruhrpott cinema spectacle “Rock’n’Roll Ringo” (Herne-Online)

“With heart and absurd situation comedy, ‘Rock “n” Roll Ringo’ already seems like a German cult film that can be ranked alongside classics like ‘Bang Boom Bang’, ‘Manta Manta’ or ‘Superstau.“ (Indiekino)

“Rock “n” Roll Ringo’ in the area: You can’t get more North Rhine-Westphalia in a film.” (WAZ)

“With charm and disarming humour, “Rock ”n’ Roll Ringo’ tells the story of an unemployed construction worker who wants to make it big as an amateur boxer at the fair. Set almost exclusively in the “microcosm of the fair”, the mix of local milieu study, Ruhr Valley comedy and family drama thrives on its exotic setting and quirky characters. Snotty and crude, with a good Rhineland feel.” (Programmkino.de)

“Visually stunning, Dominik Galizia scores again after ‘Heiko’s World’ with authentic local colour and strong, edgy characters.” (Kinostarts.de)

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