Private Project

CHEERFULNESS

Her life, having once been light-hearted, is completely changed.

  • Janika Heinrich
    Director
  • Janika Heinrich
    Writer
  • Janika Heinrich
    Producer
  • Insa Yip
    Key Cast
    "Nuria"
  • Ann-Kathrin Hinz
    Key Cast
    "Black and White Girl"
  • Walter Renneisen
    Key Cast
    "Man in nightmare/ laughing man"
  • Dimitri Eliseev
    Key Cast
    "Nuria`s friends"
  • Felicitas Higgins
    Key Cast
    "Nuria`s friends"
  • Darya Sotoodeh
    Key Cast
    "Nuria`s friends"
  • Falk Engelhardt
    Key Cast
    "Nuria`s friends"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Frohsinn
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Children, Fantasy
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    35
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Hessischer Hochschulfilmtag Kassel
    Darmstadt
    Germany
    November 15, 2018
  • FilmZ
    Mainz
    Germany
    November 3, 2018
Distribution Information
  • Synesthesia Films
    Country: Iran, Islamic Republic of
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Janika Heinrich

Already at the age of 6, Janika Heinrich discovered her passion for telling stories using film as a
medium. One of her shorts she made as an adolescent (No Interspace / Kein Zwischenraum) was
honored with the second Audience Award at the Hessian Media Festival VISIONALE.
After graduating from high-school she studied Motion Pictures with an emphasis on directing and
editing at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences.
While studying she gained experience at the feature film set of ‘That’s it, Helmut’ as a 2nd AD. She
successfully finished her Bachelor ́s degree in 2017 and immediately after that moved to Mainz to
work as an editor for the film production company Kontrastfilm.
2019 she was a invited to Tehran, Iran, to participate at the Talent Campus of Fajr International
Film Festival.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My encounter with the main actress Insa Yip was essential for the development of this film. Her
natural vibrancy inspired me. Although she is no professional actress and had never made a movie
before, I was absolutely sure hat she was the perfect cast for „Cheerfulness“. I didn‘t regret that
decision for a second!
Before starting to write the script of „Cheerfulness“, I spent quite a lot of time watching old silent
movies. It is clear that emotions don‘t need any dialogues. So I decided to focus on the power of
visuals and sound for this story.
„Cheerfulness“ is about externalized self-doubt. In normal life, the suffering and battles happening
inside the human mind stay hidden, invisible. This movie makes such an inner process visible.
The main character Nuria is the most lighthearted and cheerful person one can imagine. But when
Nuria comes in contact with real misfortune for the first time in her life, she looses herself in it. In
this respect, I liked to play with the german saying of a mood „staining“. The colorlessness of her
body clearly shows the state of her soul‘s devastation.
Although receptions of the ending are quite different, for me it is a really positive one. Nuria
realizes that she has matured by her crisis - only now she is able to feel intense, true happiness.
I liked to keep the story in a way that everybody can see her or his own personal meaning in it.
Through the use of fantastic psychological elements „Cheerfulness“ attracts many different
interpretations. The best thing about it: Every single one is right.