Zone

A girl wanders through the mythical Harz Mountains and explores the landscape beneath Mount Kohnstein. She discovers a disturbing world. War returns to her dreams. She wants to believe, hope, and love, but instead experiences coercion. Guards with dogs, in a hermetically sealed zone, limit her world. The girl grows up in a large family. When her mother becomes mentally ill and has to spend a long time in a clinic, the girl's childhood changes. The social system increasingly intervenes in her life. The quiet rebel sets out in search of a life that feels like her own.

On her journey of initiation, she meets a sad goddess, a priest in a cell, a benevolent angel, vagabonds, love, and new friends. She follows her longing and gets into conflicts. Resistance becomes noticeable in the quiet zone. She rebels. In the midst of the upheaval of 1989, she gives birth to her child. A new era begins.

Based on her novel “Keller,” filmmaker Christina Friedrich creates a free-floating film that begins to flow elliptically, weaving literary allusions, dreams, and fantasies on multiple levels. ZONE is a multi-layered film full of inventions and surprises and a true piece of personal cinema.

The production was supported by Werkleitz as part of its equipment rental service.

Director: Christina Friedrich
Production: Madonnenwerk (Christina Friedrich, Franz Liebig)

Festivals:
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2024 – Harbour
German Film Fest Madrid 2024 – Winner of the Audience Award
New Horizons Film Festival Wroclaw 2024 – International Competition