🎬Successful Launch of the “Where the Waves Took Her” Theatrical Tour in Leipzig and Vision Kino Film Recommendation

Successful Launch of the Theatrical Tour in Leipzig

The theatrical tour for “Where the Waves Took Her” kicked off on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at Luru Kino in der Spinnerei in Leipzig — to a sold-out audience. Because demand exceeded the seating capacity for the 7:00 p.m. screening, the theater added a second screening at short notice that same evening at 9:15 p.m.

Following the screening, producer Charlotte Peters and protagonist Anne-Katrin Klotzsch, together with Michael Ludwig, operator of Luru Kino, took questions from the audience. The post-screening discussion was deeply moving for everyone in attendance.

Vision Kino Recommends “Where the Waves Took Her” as a Film Pick

Alongside the launch of the theatrical tour, Vision Kino — the network for film and media literacy — has included “Where the Waves Took Her” in its educational program for schools as a Film Pick. The film is recommended for students ages 15 and up, or from 10th grade onward, for use in German, Art, Politics, Social Studies, Ethics, Philosophy, and Religion classes, as well as across subjects in the context of democracy education. The Film Pick highlights topics including migration and displacement, human and women’s rights, women’s health, sea rescue, civil society, and civic courage. The Film Pick was written by Ula Brunner and is available on the Vision Kino website, where it can also be downloaded as a PDF.

UCM.ONE will release director Jana Stallein’s first feature-length documentary in German theaters on Thursday, September 3, 2026, through its documentary label NONFY Documentaries. The film was produced by Wüste Film West in co-production with Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF and Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb).

The theatrical tour with members of the film team, which began in Leipzig on August 27 and will travel to a total of 20 cities through September 13, is presented by the sea rescue organizations Sea-Eye, SOS Humanity, Sea Punks, United 4 Rescue, and Sea Watch. The theatrical release campaign is managed by Jens P. Neumann.

About the Film

Synopsis. For many people, fleeing across the Mediterranean to Europe is often the 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 now become a permanent member of the crew aboard a sea 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 stories of women who have fled their home countries. As we get to know Anne-Katrin and the strong, all-female care team on board and prepare alongside them for a potential emergency, the women who have fled recount the suffering they endured on their way to Europe through a distinctive visual approach using long-exposure photography and a studio filled with water. 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 and powerful way. On board the ship, the worlds of the women and the crew briefly come together before the rescued women arrive in Italy and begin yet another journey into the unknown.

The film celebrated its world premiere at the 59th Hof International Film Festival, where it received an Honorable Mention from the GRANIT Documentary Film Award. This was followed by its international premiere at Hot Docs in the Persister program, its Berlin premiere in the Documentary Film Competition at the 22nd achtung berlin Film Festival, as well as invitations to the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin, DOK.fest München, and the 55th Sehsüchte International Student Film Festival.

Theatrical Tour with the Film Team — Additional Dates: August 29 to September 13

From August 29 through September 13, the film team will be on a theatrical tour. Members of the team will be in attendance at every stop for post-screening discussions.

Theatrical Release on September 3, 2026

The film will open in 22 theaters across 20 cities and nine federal states.

The film is screening in its original-language version with German subtitles (OmU), with English subtitles (OmeU) also available at select theaters. Current showtimes and theater links are available at ucm.one/de/where-the-waves-took-her.

Cast and Crew

Written and Directed by: Jana Stallein

Producers: Charlotte Peters, Levin Hübner

Production Manager: Lena Gill

Cinematography: Sophia Fenn

Production Design: Antonia Nestler

Editing: Amélie Richter

Music and Sound Design: Henric Schleiner, Henning Großmann

Production Sound: Jana Stallein, Henric Schleiner

Vocals: Leen Al-Hassan

Production Company: Wüste Film West

Co-Production: Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg

Commissioning Editor, rbb: Rolf Bergmann

Funded by: Leuchtstoff Initiative of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and rbb

Supported by: SONY Europe B.V., SOS Humanity e. V., Studio Babelsberg AG, TI:ME:CO:DE, Zeigermann_Audio

Country of Production / Year: Germany / 2025

Runtime: 83 min. FSK Rating: Ages 12 and up (approved for holiday screenings) Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Sound: 5.1 Surround

Languages: Arabic, German, English, French, Italian, Somali

Subtitles: German, English

Featuring: Anne-Katrin Klotzsch, Fahma Abdukader Farah, Jeanine Tchokotte, Joseline Cabry Fotsing, Julie Tankeu Yonga, Mariame Diallo, and the crew of SOS Humanity.

About the Director

Jana Stallein studied documentary filmmaking at Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF and works as an editor, including on the Grimme Award-winning web series HAUS KUMMERVELDT. “Where the Waves Took Her” is her first feature-length documentary.

Festival Selections & Awards

• 59th Hof International Film Festival 2025 – Honorable Mention, GRANIT Documentary Film Award
• 22nd achtung berlin Film Festival 2026 – Documentary Competition (Berlin Premiere)
• Human Rights Film Festival Berlin 2026 – Official Selection
• International Women’s Film Festival Dortmund+Cologne 2026 – Female Gaze – CineOne & sPOTTlight, National Award for Cinematographers (Cinematography: Sophia Fenn)
• Hot Docs 2026 – Persister Program (International Premiere)
• 55th Sehsüchte International Student Film Festival 2026 – Documentary Competition
• DOK.fest München 2026 – Official Selection
• SI STAR Emerging Female Director Award 2026 (Director: Jana Stallein)
• German Camera Award 2026 – Nomination in the Theatrical Documentary category (Cinematography: Sophia Fenn)
• DOK.fest München 2026 – Nomination for the VFF Emerging Documentary Producer Award (Producer: Charlotte Peters)

Reactions to the Film

“We are aboard a ship in the Mediterranean, accompanying a young sea rescue crew on an extremely dangerous mission. This film gets under your skin. It grips us from the very first minute to the last — cinematically, emotionally, and through its humanitarian message.”

— Jury Statement, GRANIT — Hof Documentary Film Award (Alexandra Sell, Bartholomew Sammut, Katharina Rinderle)

Theatrical Release Campaign

Contact: Jens P. Neumann

Email: [contact@urbantreemusic.de](mailto:contact@urbantreemusic.de)

Distribution

Verleih: UCM.ONE GmbH
Wrangelstraße 79, 10997 Berlin

E-Mail: dispo@ucm.one

Tone Frede — Theatrical Sales & Acquisitions

E-Mail: tone.frede@ucm.one

More information about the film: Where the Waves Took Her

More information about the film label: NONFY Documentaries