THE LAST EXECUTION (NAHSCHUSS)
IN THEATERS

Inspired by the life and death of Werner Teske, the last prisoner executed in the former GDR. This gripping historical drama is directed by Franziska Stünkel stars Lars Eidinger (Never Look Away, Clouds of Sils Maria, Persian Lessons) in the lead role, alongside Devid Striesow (The Counterfeiters) and Luise Heyer (All About Me). Shot at original locations including the former buildings of the State Security Service in Berlin, the film paints an authentic picture of the harsh realities in the GDR system and their destructive impact on the individual.

The film was released in German theaters on August 12, 2021. International theatrical releases followed. Nahschuss (The Last Execution) is represented in competition sections of renowned international film festivals.

PRESS REVIEWS

CAST

Lars Eidinger, Luise Heyer, Devid Striesow, Paula Kalenberg, Victoria Trauttmansdorff, Peter Benedict, Moritz Jahn, Peter Lohmeyer, Kai Wiesinger, Andreas Schröders, Florian Anderer, Dirk Böhling, Hedi Kriegeskotte, Christian Redl, Hendrik Heutmann, Inka Löwendorf, Ada Philine Stappenbeck, Leon Hoge, Daniel Drewes, Thomas Schendel, Hannes Hellmann

TEAM

DIRECTOR & WRITER Franziska Stünkel
DOP Nikolai von Graevenitz
EDITOR Andrea Mertens
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Anke Osterloh
COSTUME DESIGN Ute Paffendorf
PRODUCER Bettina Wente
PRODUCTION COMPANY Network Movie, Franks Filmproduktion, C Films Germany, ZDF, Arte u.a.

->full Cast & Crew on imdb

Film Festivals

NATIONAL PREMIERE: Internationales Filmfest Munich 2021
WORLD PREMIERE: Chicago International Film Festival 2021
Festival of German Films Ludwigshafen, Main Competition 2021
PÖFF Tallinn International Film Festival 2021
EnergaCAMERAIMAGE 2021, Main Competition
Festival of German Films Peking 2021, China
Festival of German Films Moskau 2021, Russia
Festival of German Films Washington DC 2021, USA
Istanbul Crime & Punishment Festival 2021, Turkey
Chennai International Filmfestival 2021, India
Festival of German Films Polen 2022 (Krakau, Wrocław, Warschau, Katowice, Opole, Poznań, Toruń und Kielce)
Pune International Film Festival 2022, India
International Film Festival on Totalitarianisms 2022, Poland
Festival of German Films Kopenhagen 2022, Denmark
Festival of German Films Australia 2022 (Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Byron Bay)
TIFF Transylvania Film Festival, Main Competition, 2022, Romania,
Festival of German Films Lebanon 2022
Festival of German Films Prag 2022
Santiago Int. Filmfestival Sanfic 2022, Chile

THEATRICAL RELEASES

GERMANY: Aug 12, 2022 (D: Alamode)

SPAIN: Jan 5, 2022 (D: Adso Films)

DENMARK: May 12, 2022 (D: Angel Films)

AUSTRALIA: May 28, 2022 (D: Palace Cinemas, German Films)

BELGIUM: July 20, 2022 (D: Cine Arts)

NETHERLANDS: July 20, 2022 (D: Cine Arts)

LUXEMBOURG: July 20, 2022 (D: Cine Arts)

SWEDEN: Sept 23, 2022 (D: Njuta Films)

STREAM, DVD, BLU-RAY

GERMANY: BluRay, DVD and Stream (e.g. AppleTV, ITunes, Amazon)

DENMARK: BluRay, DVD and Stream (e.g. Rakuten TV, Blockbuster, Grand Hjemmebio, Anytime)

BELGIUM & NETHERLANDS: BluRay, DVD and Stream (Sooner.lu)

LUXEMBURG: BluRay, DVD and Stream (Sooner.be)

Awards

Film Fest Munich (Germany) 2021: Best Script Award at “New German Cinema” competition (to Franziska Stuenkel) 
->Info

Film Fest Munich (Germany) 2021: One Future Award (to Franziska Stuenkel) 
-> Info

Press

Stünkel has created a film that is moving, suspenseful, and intense. An intelligent screenplay forms the foundation of a masterful piece of cinematic work.

Glam Adelaide

A dark chapter of German history, oppressively and highly excitingly staged as a mixture of political drama and psychological thriller – far away from any didactic cinema.

Fimstarts

Dialogues and scenes that hit the heart. THE LAST EXECUTION shows the relentless power mechanics of the dictatorship: played believably, humanely and thrillingly.

3 Sat TV, KinoKino

It is exciting to see how the contradicting figure is both perpetrator and victim and has to pay a high price for his initial naivety.
Film-Rezensionen

MORE PRESS REVIEWS

FRANZISKA STÜNKEL
FILMDIRECTOR + SCREENWRITER

SPIEGEL

Vineta shows impressively how the socially demanded greed makes us all hunted.

STERN

A cinematic stroke of luck.

BR

Remarkable debut film that deserves socio-political attention.

TAGESSPIEGEL

In Small World, Fritzi Haberlandt plays one of the most touching figures of the Berlinale.

TAZ

You can clearly see based on the movie, that she is a passionate observer.

DEUTSCHE WELLE TV

A sensual feature film debut about intoxication, addiction and loneliness in a workaholic world.

FÜR SIE

Brillant.

FAZ

No doubt about it, this story is as true as only a few love stories are.

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STUDY

Franziska Stünkel attended the Art College in Kassel and the Academy for Fine Arts in Hanover. She studied filmdirecting and selected photography as her minor. After graduating, she honed her craft as a student of the acclaimed German director and university professor Uwe Schrader. She finished with a diploma and received her Meisterschüler, master of art. Non-university, the Danish Dogma screenwriter Mogans Rukov (Das Fest / Festen) coined the cinematic work of Franziska Stünkel. He was her lecturer on the ‘Talents 2003’ scholarship. As a participant of the ‘Berlinale Talent Campus’ Franziska Stünkel was taught by other international lecturers.

ART

Since ten years Franziska Stünkel has been working on her ongoing photographic series ‘Coexist’. Her photographs are presented in museums and galleries until today. Franziska Stünkel has been travelling with her Leica camera through Asia, Africa, Europe and America in search of natural reflections in windows, which, in their concentration, tell of the coexistence of human life. Charged with the utmost complexity, her photographs are the visualization of the similarities and contrasts that exist in our multifaceted, networked world. The artist completely dispenses with the digital post-processing of her photographs. Franziska Stünkelhas been awarded with the ‘Audi Art Award’ and the ‘Berlin Hyp Art Award’. In 2020 the Kehrer publishing house releases her fine arts book ‘Coexist’. Her photographs are part of private and public collections, including the collection of the German based Sprengel Museum.

FILMDIRECTOR

Franziska Stünkel’s films have been screened in 19 countries and at over 150 international film festivals, where they received numerous awards, e.g. the “Best New Director Award” in New York and the “Otto-Sprenger Award”. Her screenplays were nominated for several prestigious awards, including the “Prix Genève Europe” for best European screenplay. Her current movie The Last Execution (Nahschuss) was released in German Cinemas in August 2021. Starring as the main characters are the acclaimed German actors Lars Eidinger, Devid Striesow and Luise Heyer. The International Premiere of the movie will take place at the Chicago International Film Festival in October 2021. The World Premiere of the movie took place in July 2021 at the Munich Film Festival. Franziska Stünkel was awarded the “The German Cinema New Talent Award” and the “One Future Prize” of the Munich Film Festival. The film is inspired by the last execution of the GDR. The film will be released in German cinemas in August 2021. “Vineta“ is Franziska Stünkel’s first full-length movie and features an impressive cast, including Peter Lohmeyer, Susanne Wolff, Ulrich Matthes, Justus von Dohnanyi and Matthias Brandt. “Vineta“ was released theatrically as well as on DVD. The movie aired on ARD, one of the main German public broadcasters. Furthermore Franziska Stünkel directed the 15-hour documentary “Der Tag der Norddeutschen / The Day of the North Germans”, a film about one day in the lives of 121 Germans. 750 hours of footage were gathered on a single day and edited, under her direction, into a 15-hour documentary. Franziska Stünkel worked with a team of 400 members.  “Der Tag der Norddeutschen“ aired as a special massive televison event in its entirety. For the upcoming US-American / German 90 minutes documentary “Fred Stein – Light of Darkness” Franziska Stünkel worked as dramaturge and second unit camera. The work of Franziska Stünkel is also characterized by her passion for music. She directed a concert film and music videos, i.a. for the bands “Fury In The Slaughterhouse” and “Selig”. Franziska Stünkel is a member of the German Film Academy.

AWARDS (SELECTION)

Berlin Hyp Art Award
Audi Art Award
German Cinema New Talent Award, Filmfest Munich
One Future Award, Filmfest Munich
Otto-Sprenger Filmdirector Award
Nominated Prix Geneve Europe, Best European Screenplay
Nominated Förderpreis German Film
Berlinale Talent Scholarship
Best New Director Award New York
Nominated Boje Buck Screenplay Award
Best short movie national, Int. Filmfestival Dresden
Audience Award des Cine Mexiko
Award Sehsüchte, Babelsberg Studios
Best screenplay Up & Coming European Cinema
vgf scholarship
Scholarship Film of the State of Lower Saxony

Honoured in 2015 with the official award of her hometown Hannover

MEMBER OF JURYS & BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Member of jury, Filmfest München (2022)
Member of jury, Filmfest Braunschweig (2022)
Hannah-Arendt-Days, member bord of trustees  (since 2008)
TUI Stiftung, member bord of trustees (since 2014)
Spreewald-Literature-Scolarship, curator (since 2008)
Spreewald-Literature-Scolarship, chair awarding committee (since 2008)
Art commission of State Representative of Lower Saxony to the Federal Government in Berlin, member (2014-2018)
Kunstverein Hannover, member advisory council (2015-2018)
Cast & Cut film scholarship, member awarding committee (since 2004)
Niedersachsen packt an, Integrationspreis, member of jury (2020)
Kulturkometen, member awarding committee (since 2013)
Award Social Youth Projects TUI Foundation, member jury (since 2012)
Filmfestival Nordische Filmtage, member awarding committee (2010)
Juliane Bartel Women Media Award, member awarding committee (2009)

GUEST LECTURER & TALKS

AFTRS Sydney Filmschool Australia, Leica Academy Germany, Sommerfrischekunst Akademie Austria, Dachmarkenforum Munich, Niedersächsischer Landtag, Berlin Photo Week, Photopia a.o.

PRESS

CNN / Spiegel / Stern / NTV / FAZ / FOCUS / TAZ / Süddeutsche Zeitung / Art Magazin / Monopol / LFI Leica Fotografie International Magazin / Vogue / MAX Magazin / Hamburger Abendblatt / Profi Photo Magazin / Fotohits Magazin / DigitalPhoto Magazin / Westdeutsche Allgemeine / Münchener Abendzeitung / Berliner Zeitung / Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung / Badische Zeitung / Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung / Neue Presse / Nordwest Zeitung / Rhein Main Press / Main Post / Westfalenpost / Gala / Bunte / Coeur et Art Kunstmagazin /Für Sie / Filmecho / TV Digital / TV Spielfilm / Kino Zeit / Cinema / Prinz / Schädelspalter / Nobilis / Stadtkind / Tip Berlin / Zitty Berlin / Deutsche Welle TV / ARD / ZDF / Rtl / BR / NDR / MDR / Deutschlandradio Kultur / Kulturradio / Fritz / NDR Kultur / NDR Info / NDR 2 / N Joy / Hr 2 / Hr Info / ffn / Radio Antenne / Rbb Fritz / Rbb Kultur / Swr 2 / Wdr 3 / Star Fm / Kiss Fm / etc.

honorary position

Supporter Be an Angel e.V. – Refugees Aid (since 2022)
Supporter Niedersachsen packt an – Alliance for the Integration of Refugees (since 2015)
Ambassador of North German bone marrow donation registry NKR (since 2010)
Ambassador of the Lower Saxony Foundation for families in need (2010-2014)
Ambassador of the Volunteer Center Hannover  (since 2011)
Profugos Initiative for refugees, member of (2016-2017)

ASSOCIATIONS

Member of the German Film Academy
Member of the BVR Federation of German Directors
Member of Pro Quote Film
Member of the film and media office Lower Saxony

ALL PRESS REVIEWS
CV DOWNLOAD

CONTACT

FRANZISKA STÜNKEL
Postbox 5847
D 30058 Hannover, Germany
post@franziskastuenkel.de
www.franziskastuenkel.de

ASSISTENT
Theresa Charif
office@franziskastuenkel.com

REPRESENTATIONS AS FILMDIRECTOR AND SCREENWIRTER
Int Agency TV & Film Heppeler, Munich, Germany

GALLERY REPRESENTATIONS AS PHOTOGRAPHER
Gallery Jarmuschek + Partner, Berlin, Germany
Gallery Robert Drees, Hanover, Germany
Gallery Art 7, Cologne, Germany
Gallery Jenny Falckenberg, Hamburg, Germany
Gallery Breckner, Dusseldorf, Germany
Art Agency Int. Art Bridge Petra Becker, Switzerland

PR PRESS REPRESENTATIVE AS PHOTOGRAPHER
Nadine Dinter PR, Berlin, Germany

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