The last scene of the historical drama The Last Execution [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Franziska Stünkel
fiche film] by author and director Franziska Stünkel was shot last week. Stünkel is a German photographer, screenwriter and film director with a considerable amount of experience in documentary filmmaking.

The story is set in 1981 and is inspired by a certain period in recent German history – namely, the GDR years. The Last Execution, the title of the film, means “potshot” in English and refers to the real-life character of Dr Werner Teske, on whom the story is based. Teske was assassinated in East Germany for political reasons, and it is said that he was killed by a close-range gunshot.

Inspired by his story, the protagonist of the film is engineer Franz Walter, who is recruited by the Stasi, the State Security Service of the GDR, as an undercover informant. He rapidly gets into trouble because of his increasingly critical attitude towards the system and is accused of espionage. Starring as the main character is acclaimed German enfant terrible Lars Eidinger (All My Loving [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film], Proxima [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Alice Winocour
fiche film]), supported by Devid Striesow (My Brother Simple [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film], A Decent Man [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film]), who plays one of his colleagues, and Luise Heyer (The Most Beautiful Couple [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Sven Taddicken
fiche film]) as his wife.

In order to render the historical atmosphere as realistically as possible, the film has been shot in several original locations, such as the former ministry building of the State Security Service in Berlin-Lichtenberg and the prison of Hohenschönhausen, used during the GDR years. Besides Berlin, the total of 25 shooting days also took place in Hamburg, Wuppertal and Lünen. In Lünen, where the last scene was shot early last week, the hall at the local council, built in 1960, was used as the courtroom.

The Last Execution is being produced by Network Movie Film- und Fernsehproduktion Köln, Franks Filmproduktion and C-Films, in co-production with ZDF and Arte. Funding was granted by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Nordmedia Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) and the German Film Fund (DFFF). Alamode Film will distribute the movie in Germany, while Global Screen is in charge of the world sales. The film is slated to be released in cinemas in 2020.