29th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival

24. 10.–2. 11. 2025
Log inČeštinaEnglish
The Escape Agents
The Escape Agents

The Escape Agents

Scott Calonico / United Kingdom, German Democratic Republic, Germany / 2018 / World Premiere / 5 min.


synopsis

A re-construction of the illegal smuggling of a family across the border from East to West Berlin in 1988. Told in photographs, the film shows a chilling story of escape in the trunk of a car and an encounter with agents of the East German secret police. The images’ unknown origin adds a sense of the universal and calls into question the course of events. 

"While researching my first feature, I stumbled across these photos in the Stasi archives and decided to try to make a story around them. I was shocked when I found out the true identity of the people " S. Calonico

 

biography

Scott Calonico (1968) focuses on the history of mediocrity. In addition to documentaries, he makes promotional films that present new challenges to him. As a freelance journalist, he writes articles about technology and culture, for example, for Vice. In 2016, he spent his free time reviewing Mexican nachos in European restaurants. The Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival presented his Final Draft (2014).

more about film

director: Scott Calonico
producer: Jeff Radice
script: Scott Calonico
photography: Ministry of State Security, German Democratic Republic
editing: Nathan Calonico, Nathan McGinty
sound: Ricardo Fratelli

contact

AD&D PRODUCTIONS / Scott Calonico / 92 Swinemunder Strasse / 13355 / Berlin / Germany / +44 0 797 580 7926 / scott@scottcalonico.com / www.scottcalonico.com

Film at festival

premiere type:World Premiere
festival edition:2018
section:Fascinations
format:DCP
language:German
subtitles:English
colour:Black and white

Info

director:Scott Calonico
original title:The Escape Agents
country:United Kingdom, German Democratic Republic, Germany
year:2018
running time:5 min.

Festival partners

Ministerstvo kultury
Fond kinematografie
Město Jihlava
Kraj Vysočina
Creative Europe Media
GEMO
Česká televize
Český rozhlas
Aktuálně.cz
Respekt
Dafilms

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