Abschied von den Fröschen

In March 1998 director and producer Ulrich Schamoni – who was dying of leukaemia at the time – documented life in his house in Berlin’s Grunewald district. Schamoni kept on filming until just a few days before his death. The result was a moving and colourful chronicle amounting to a total of 170 hours of tape. Interspersing a selection of these images with excerpts from Schamoni’s films such as "Es" and "Chapeau Claque", Schamoni’s photographer daughter Ulrike Schamoni and editor Grete Jentzen have created a loving tribute to a generous and multifaceted man. Equipped with his own brand of creativity and joie de vivre, but also blessed with laconic, often self-parodying wit, Ulrich Schamoni managed to defy his tragic illness and live an inspired life – as long as he could.

Source: 62. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)