Forest For the Trees

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

A recent college graduate on her first teaching assignment finds her initial optimism quickly dashed due to the indifference of her students and the bitter cynicism of her fellow educators. Melanie (Eva Löbau) is a fresh-faced teacher who's eager to get in the classroom and share her enthusiasm for learning, but in order to get her career off the ground she'll first have to leave all of her loved ones in the country and establish herself in the city. Despite being exceptionally well-read on all the latest educational theory, however, Melanie quickly finds herself caught up in a hopeless wave of loneliness after arriving at the high school and getting a harsh dose of reality; not only are her students more unruly than she could have ever imagined, but the worn-down staffers seem intent on ensuring that she is dragged directly down to their level of misery and general malaise. Later, Melanie attempts to strike up a relationship with her neighbor Tina (Daniela Holtz), only to find herself unable to abide by the strict social codes of her strange new surroundings. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Encoding: NTSC
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English
• Features:
  • This Month's Short Film: Estes Avenue, dir. Paul Cotter

AWARDS

• Sundance Film Festival

•     Won Special Jury Prize - 2005
•     In Competition - 2005

• Toronto International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2004

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Eva Löbau - Melanie Pröschle
       Daniela Holtz - Tina Schaffner
       Jan Neumann - Thorsten Rehm
       Ilona Schulz
       Robert Schupp - Tobias

• Director:

  Maren Ade

• Producer:

  Janine Jackowski Dop, Janine Jackowski, Nikolai Von Graevenitz

• Screenwriter:

  Maren Ade

• Cinematographer:

  Nikolai Von Graevenitz

• Composer (Music Score):

  Nellis Du Biel, Ina Siefert

• Editor:

  Sabine Holtgreve, Heike Parplies

• Production Designer:

  Claudia Schoelzel, Claudia Schölzel

• Art Director:

  Eric Ségol

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