Private Project

Lord of the Toys

Max „Adlersson“ Herzberg, 20 years of age, from Dresden decided not to spend his life working. Instead he reviews knives and other products, unboxes limited fan editions of mainly gangsta rap albums, gives talks about himself, drinks, swears and bawls in town, humiliates others, cracks borderline jokes and crosses every boundary he sees. Max is a YouTube creator and makes a decent living off of it.
Most of Max’s friends have their own channels on YouTube and Instagram, some are even quite successful. Max and his gang are dubious role models, but without a doubt, they are celebrities of their generation having more than 300,000 active fans.
Is Max a violence-glorifying influencer with far-right tendencies or a usual adolescent, just trying to find himself, who happens to be born into a time where the lines between private life and public self-display are blurred? He might be both, possibly without being overly aware of it.
LORD OF THE TOYS follows him and his gang over the course of one summer and leaves a dystopian impression of the first generation of young adults, who never knew the world without the web, YouTube and Instagram. The film portrays them and studies the milieu in which their life style is thriving: the West in general and East Germany in particular.

  • Pablo Ben Yakov
    Director
    Reception Center II, Herzlich Willkommen
  • André Krummel
    DoP
    After the Future, Berlin Excelsior
  • Roland Scheliga
    Creative Assistance
    Good Soil
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Lord of the Toys
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 35 minutes 35 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2018
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    German
  • Shooting Format:
    Full HD
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • 61st International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film
    Leipzig
    Germany
    October 31, 2018
    World Premiere
    Golden Dove, German Competition
Director Biography - Pablo Ben Yakov

Born 1986 in Saarbrücken, Germany. Started filmmaking as a child actor for movies and German television. Worked as graphic designer, editing assistant and production assistant from 2008 – 2011. Freelancing editor since 2011. Studies Directing / Documentary Films at Filmakademie Baden- Württemberg since 2013. Lives in Leipzig.

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