Sebastian Thaler │ Cinematographer │ Kameramann

FALLING

FALLING Falling is the story of two young people in post-revolutionary Ukraine. The country has been in an unspoken state of war ever since the protests. Anton, a former musical prodigywho could not handle his own talent, comes back to his grandfather after a long time in rehab for drug abuse. Katya, who lives on […]

FALLING

Falling is the story of two young people in post-revolutionary Ukraine. The country has been in an unspoken state of war ever since the protests. Anton, a former musical prodigywho could not handle his own talent, comes back to his grandfather after a long time in rehab for drug abuse. Katya, who lives on the outskirts of Kiev, on the other hand, is about to leave Ukraine with her boyfriend, a German photographer. As Anton and Katya meet by chance, their instant spark gives birth to something which both of them have been missing: for a short time, they feel warm and at home. Director Marina Stephanska explained that the actual plot is not as important as the feelings of her whole generation, which she tried to convey in her cinematographic debut: they – as well as the filmmaker herself – had been deeply unhinged by the events at Euromaidan in 2013, as well as by the changes in politics and in the Ukrainian society that followed. Suddenly, not only the future, but also the present were uncertain. It’s this feeling of uncertainty and sudden homelessness that makes this sensible and smart film so remarkable. (Michael Oleszczyck)

DIRECTOR: Marina Stepanska
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Sebastian Thaler
PRODUCER: Olena Yershova, Volodymyr Filippov
LENGTH: 105min
YEAR: 2017
COUNTRY: UKRAINE
FORMAT: 2,40:1
SHOT ON: ARRI Alexa Mini (RAW)
PRODUCTION: InsightMedia │ Tato Film

Variety

“Lenser Sebastian Thaler, son of Ulrich Seidl’s regular cinematographer Wolfgang Thaler, lights and shoots with a crisp, limpid immediacy that makes him a talent to watch. His work gives even the simplest shot a vivid yet pensive effect, whether he’s filming a nightclub scene, a yoga routine, a wide shot of salmon-colored tower blocks in Kiev, or resting on one of the principals’ faces to catch their quicksilver expressions.” by Jessica Kiang (view orginal critic)

AWARDS

● AUDIENCE AWARD (FR)/ Angers European First Film Festival 2018

● NOMINEE: BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY DEBUT (PL) / Camerimage 2017

● NOMINEE: EAST OF WEST (CZ)/ Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2017

● NOMINEE Bronze Horse: BEST FILM (SW) / Stockholm Film Festival 2017