Far, far away and out of sight, that’s where April, Dave, Cindy, Rick and the Godfather are creating life on their own terms. From the depths of the flood channels under Sin City, to a reclaimed military bunker in the middle of the dusty, heated Californian nowhere land, to beyond the stratosphere where Mars now lives on earth. Each individual has been flung into periling circumstances on this rollercoaster ride called life. Through the hustle, pain, and laughter, we are whisked away to an unfamiliar world where we discover its inhabitants to be souls not unlike our very own.

Direction: Nicolas Steiner

Script: Nicolas Steiner

Production: Brigitte Hofer, Cornelia Seitler, Helge Albers, Maya Galluzzi

Cinematography: Markus Nestroy

Editing: Kaya Inan

Sound: Tobias Koch

Original Score: Lars Voges, Jan Miserre, John Gürtler

Original Title: ABOVE AND BELOW

Original Language: English

Film Production Countries: Switzerland, Germany

Website: www.aboveandbelowfilm.com

Social Media: www.facebook.com/aboveandbelowfilm

Biography of the Director/s
Nicolas Steiner was born in 1984 in Switzerland and grew up in a small village in Valais, the Southern Mountain part of Switzerland. During his time at high school he worked as a gravedigger, played drums in various bands and did his military service as an army percussionist. In 2005/06 he attended the European Film College in Denmark before studying Ethnology and Film Studies for a year at the University of Zurich.
As of 2007 he learnt a director‘s handicraft at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg. His successful short, “It’s me. Helmut” was shown at over 240 festivals in all five continents and received 42 prizes and honorary mentions, including a nomination for the 2010 German Short Film Prize. “It’s me. Helmut” was screened at museum and gallery exhibitions of his photography. In 2010 he received a Fulbright scholarship to San Francisco Art Institute, where he dedicated most of his time to analogue photography and developing board games. He spent 2014 as Valais Canton’s Artist in Residence in Brooklyn, NYC. “Above and Below” is his Film Academy graduation piece and also his feature-length directorial debut.

FILMOGRAPHY (selection)

2015 ABOVE AND BELOW, 118 mins, documentary, Arri Alexa, DCP, maximage GmbH Switzerland, Flying Moon Germany
Festivals: world premiere Rotterdam International Film Festival, Tiger Awards Competition, Film Festival Max-Ophüls Prize, Documentary Competition

2011 BATTLE OF THE QUEENS, 72 mins, documentary, Red One & Phantom HD,
Producer: Nicolas Steiner, Film Academy Baden-Württemberg
Festivals (selection): world premiere Berlinale Film Festival 2011, Bradford int. Film Festival,
Cinequest San Jose, Duisburger Film Week, Locarno International Film Festival, Flahertiana Film Festival, etc.

2010 IT’S ME. HELMUT, 11 mins, short, 16mm, blow-up 35mm,
Producer: Nicolas Steiner, Film Academy Baden-Württemberg
Festivals (selection): Was screened at over 240 festivals, won 42 prizes, including Best Swiss Short Award (International Swiss Shortfilmdays), Grand Prix Short Shorts Asia Tokyo, Filmförderpreis Ministry for Culture (22nd Filmfest Dresden), Museum of Modern Arts New York

2009 THUNDERBOLT AND WIND DEBAUCH, 34 mins, documentary, S16mm-HDCam,
Producer: Nicolas Steiner, Film Academy Baden-Württemberg
Festivals: Filmschau Baden-Württemberg, Solothurn Film Festival

Awards Won
Millennium Award, Docs Against Gravity, Warsaw 2015
Dok Fest München, Deutscher Dokumentarfilm Filmmusik Preis 2015

World Sales:
maximage
Neugasse 6
Zürich, 8005, Switzerland
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +41442748866

Press:
maximage
Neugasse 6
Zürich, 8005, Switzerland
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +41442748866
Website: http://www.maximage.ch/