Private Project

PAULA'S DAD and the right button in his head

Paula's Dad is a busy man and writes stories for other children. Thats why he doesn’t have time for his own child. They had just moved and tin the new house are lots of children living who are great to play with.
But Paula doesn't want to play with other children she doesn't even know and she’s getting into a big quarrel with her Dad. Offended, she goes out onto the balcony and wants to stay there until Dad plays with her or gives her a talking Ken. Or at least a cell phone. Out of a sudden a storm comes up. It’s called the big, cold wind and it blows Paula up into the mountains to the highest peak, where the wind robber children live.
Sounds crazy? It is. Because Dad just invented the wind robbers and the big cold wind for his new children's story. And so a really weird adventure starts.

  • Thomas Heinemann
    Director
    Lola on the Pea, Perfect Silence, Positive Sinking, On the Road to Somewhere, Ahead is Pretty Damned Far
  • Thomas Heinemann
    Writer
    Lola on the Pea, Perfect Silence, Positive Sinking, Ahead is Pretty Damned Far
  • Thomas Heinemann
    Producer
    Lola on the Pea
  • Lisa Sweeney
    Key Cast
    "Paula"
    none
  • Bodo Koch
    Key Cast
    "Dad"
    none
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Paulas Papa und die richtige Stelle im Kopf
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Feature, Short, Television, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Family Entertainment, childrens film
  • Runtime:
    40 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 6, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    German
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Aryan International Children’s Film Festival Of Jaipur-ICFF 2023
    Jaipur
    India
    September 11, 2023
    Indian Premiere
    Best Short International
  • Global Film Competition Accolade
    San Diego
    United States
    September 14, 2023
    Award of Excellence
  • 16. MFF Juniorfest
    Domaslizce
    Czech Republic
    November 8, 2023
    Czecj Premiere
    Special Screening -out of competion
  • Toronto International Filmmakers Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    Official Selection
  • 8 & Halfilm Awards
    Rome
    Italy
    Best Original Screenplay
  • KidsFIRST! Festival
    Santa Fe
    United States
    Official Selection
  • ArtGiraffe
    Paris
    France
    Official Selection
  • 16. MFF Juniorfest - special screening - out of competition
  • 50. Internationales Filmwochenende Würzburg
    Würzburg
    Germany
    January 26, 2024
    German Premiere
    out of competition
  • The International Children's Film Festival of Wales
    Tredegar
    United Kingdom
    October 18, 2023
    World Premiere
    Nominated Best Young Actress / Best Music & Sounddesign
  • New York INternational Cult Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    Winner
  • Finland International Film Festival

    Finland
    Best Arthouse Film
Distribution Information
  • n.n.
Director Biography - Thomas Heinemann

Thomas Heinemann Karl-Straße 54 80333 München

Film:

Paulas Dad and the Right Button in his Head
Children’s film 41 min TV / Web Featurette
Writer, Director, Scenebuilder, Producer - Produktion
superNeun Filmproduktion, 2023

Perfect Silence
tragic german comedy 98 min Feature Film
Writer, Director, Scenebuilder, Producer
superNeun Filmproduktion, 2018

Positive Sinking
Comedy12 x 4 min Series TV & web
Writer, Director, Scenebuilder, Producer
superNeun Filmproduktion, BR, 2015

Lola on the Pea
Children’s Film92 min Feature Film,
Writer, Director, Scenebuilder, Producer
based on the samenamed novel by Annette Mierswa / Tulipan Verlag
superNeun Filmproduktion, FFF-Bayern, BKM, FFA, 2014
Prädikat Besonders Wertvoll

Invasion
Drama 90 min Feature Film
Script editing / Dialoguedirector on Set
directed by Dito Tsintsadze
Pallas Film / Twenty Twenty Vision / Wild Art / Degeto / MDM / Filmstiftung NRW 2012
World Film Festival in Montréal Special Grand Prix of the Jury

On the Road to Somewhere
45 min TV Satiric Documentation
Showrunner, Director, Producer
Cinenic Filmproduktion, 3sat, 2008

Ahead is Pretty Damned Far
Comedy 90 min Feature Film
Writer, Director, Producer
Cinenic Filmproduktion, BR, FFF-Bayern, MDM, DFFF 2007
Prädikat Besonders Wertvoll

Zeit nach der Trauer
Drama 90 min, TV feature
Dramaturgical consulting
directed by Beate F. Neumann
Tatfilm / MDR / MDM, 2004

Gunshy
Thriller, 90 min Feature Film
Co-Writer / Dialoguedirector on Set
directed by Dito Tsintsadze
Tatfilm, FFF-Bayern, MDM, Arte
Concha d’Oro Bester Film, Festival Internacional de Cine San Sebastian 2003

100 Pro
Comedy, 90 min Feature Film
Scriptdevelopment / Coordination of production
directed by Simon Verhoeven
Tatfilm / Pro7, 2001

Scripts:
„Bingo!“ FFF-Bavaria 2022
„Paula im Papiergebirge“ FFF-Bavaria 2015
„Positive Sinking“ BR - 2012
„Lola auf der Erbse“ Drehbuchförderung FFF-Bavaria 2011
„Vorne ist verdammt weit weg“ FFF-Bavaria 2005
„Papa Siegfried“ - MDM 2003
„Stille Wasser“ with Magnus Vattrodt - 2002
„Helfers Helfer“ with Dimitri Tsintsadze - Filmfond NRW 2002
„Schussangst“ with Dirk Kurbjuweit und Dimtri Tsintsadze (n.c.) Filmfond NRW 2000

Awards:
Best European Film ECFA- Award 2014
Grand Prix Best Film International Film Festival Okinawa, Japan 2015
Grand Award Best Film Filmfestival Ae Kino! Poznan, Poland 2015
Best Feature Film Director Olympia Filmfestival, Greece 2014
Bester Film ASPI Award Castellinaria Film Fest Bellinzona, Switzerland 2014
Best Film 10th Children’s Film Festival Seattle USA 2015
Best International Film International Filmfestival Dhaka, Bangladesh 2015
Best Young Actress (Tabea Hanstein) Greek Actors Guild, Greece 2014
Publikumspreis Kinderfilm Festival Wien, Austria 2014
Audience Award Children’s Film Festival Seattle, USA 2015
Special Mention International Children’s Film Fest, Mexico 2015
Special Mention Dreamfest, Bukarest, Romania 2015

Festival Award Web Fest Berlin, Germany 2015
Best Actor Comedy (MM. Eschenbach) Web Mag Paris, France 2016

Nominated Adolf Grimme-Preis 2009

Cultural Support Award of the City of Würzburg 1997
————————————————————————————————————————-

Jury:

Jurymember 15th Juniorfest, Czech Republic 2022
Jurymember 36th Listapad, Minsk, Belarus 2019
Jurymember 1st Dreamfest, Bukarest , Romania 2018
President of the International Jury 25th Kineko Film Festival Tokio, Japan 2017
President of the International Jury 19th Olympia Filmfestival Pyrgos, Greece 2016
President of the International Jury 56. Zlin Film Festival, Czech Republic 2016
Jurymitglied Perspektive Neues Kino 9.FünfSeenFilmFestival, Deutschland 2015

Expert / Speaker 6th Digital Production Challenge Lissabon, Portugal 2016

thomasheinemann.com
+49 151 5877 5881

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Come on, dear parents, waste enough time with your children.

No elves, no dwarves, no monsters, wizards and not a single unicorn. Only a pink pony makes a very brief appearance in a song. The film is a unique and funny work of art that doesn't fit into any genre, and uses handmade special effects to counter the taken-for-grantedness of dinosaurs and three-headed dogs in today's multi-million dollar cinema. The title of the film comes from the daughter of a friend who tried to convince her that he couldn't play with dolls. She replied that he certainly could and that it was very simple, he just had to find the right button in his head. So dear parents, no more excuses. Make sure you waste enough time with your children!