Experiencing Interruptions?

Made in Germany

A nearly finished construction site. The wiring is completed, the walls are painted, the final inspections are being done. The construction manager Thomas Zetzsche is proud of his achievement. The prestigious building he created is a modern dream come true. But suddenly that dream begins to crumble as more and more defects appear. Cables run into dead ends, the fire protection malfunctions and entire rooms go missing. Desperately Thomas is trying to fix the building until he finally accepts that the opening date has to be postponed. Now he must confront his own responsibility in this faulty system and draw the necessary consequences.

  • Simon Schneider
    Director
  • Simon Schneider
    Writer
  • Dario Haramustek
    Writer
  • Franziska Wieden
    Producer
  • Martina Di Lorenzo
    Cinematographer
  • Tim Egner
    Editing
  • Hannes Bieber
    Composer
  • Sophie Molitoris
    Casting Director
  • Jessica Kaczmarek
    Production Designer
  • Clara Wanke
    Production Designer
  • Mara Schönborn
    Costume Designer
  • Judith Grothenrath
    Hair & Makeup Artist
  • Tim Egner
    Sounddesign
  • Hubertus Rath
    Sound Mixing
  • Tim Egner
    Sound Mixing
  • Sebastian Esposito
    Visual Effects
  • Lukas Wieg
    Visual Effects
  • Cornelius Schwalm
    Cast (lead)
    Thomas Zetzsche
  • Annekathrin Bach
    Cast
    Frau Schmidtstädt
  • Theresa Berlage
    Cast
    Frau Majowski
  • Stephan Benson
    Cast
    Herr Lachner
  • Marc Fischer
    Cast
    Herr Kiegelmaier
  • Hanna Werth
    Cast
    Mitarbeiterin
  • Karolina Horster
    Cast
    Sekretärin
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Zeitpunkt X
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Tragicomedy, Satire, Komödie, Tragikomödie
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 16, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    German
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri 2K Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - ifs internationale filmschule köln (Abschlussfilm / graduation film)
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Winner: Audience Award Short Film at 43. Filmfestival Max Ophüls Prize 2022
    Saarbrücken
    Germany
    January 26, 2022
    Audience Award Short Film / Publikumspreis Kurzfilm
  • Winner: Jury Prize at Filmfest Bremen 2023
    Bremen
    Germany
    April 16, 2023
    Jury Prize: Best Medium-Length Film
  • Winner: FEST AWARD des New Directors New Film Festival 2020
    Berlin
    Germany
    February 25, 2020
    Pitching Award / Pitching-Preis
    13. Empfang der deutschen Filmhochschulen
  • Winner: Producers Network Award der Robert Bosch Stiftung 2020
    Berlin
    Germany
    February 25, 2020
    Pitching Award / Pitching-Preis
    13. Empfang der deutschen Filmhochschulen
  • Screening: Bamberger Kurzfilmtage 2023
    Bamberg
    Germany
    January 28, 2023
    Official Selection / Short Film Competition
  • Screening: Biberacher Filmfestspiele 2022
    Biberach
    Germany
    November 5, 2022
    Official Selection / Short Film Competition
  • Screening: 22. Landshuter Kurzfilmfestival 2022
    Landshut
    Germany
    April 29, 2022
    Official Selection: German Competion / D-A-CH Wettbewerb
  • Screening: Hagener Kurzfilmfestival 2022
    Hagen
    Germany
    November 6, 2022
    Official Selection: short film
  • Screening: 43. Filmfestival Max Opühls Prize 2022
    Saarbrücken
    Germany
    January 19, 2022
    National Premiere / Uraufführung, Deutschlandpremiere
    Official Selection: Shortfilm Competition / Wettbewerb: Kurzfilm
  • Pitching: 13. Empfang der deutschen Filmhochschulen 2020
    Berlin
    Germany
    February 25, 2020
    Pitching
    Section: Pitch / Sektion: Pitch
Distribution Information
  • interfilm Berlin Management GmbH
    Distributor
    Country: Germany
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Simon Schneider

Born in 1996 in Bad Neustadt, Germany. Graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor's degree in film directing from ifs international film school Cologne. He worked as a director and writer for German public television. His short film MADE IN GERMANY won the 2022 Audience Award at the Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival and the Fest Award at the FEST New Directors New Films Festival. His work has been screened at film festivals worldwide and broadcast on networks like ARD, ARTE, and Disney+. In 2025, he graduated as a directing fellow from the AFI American Film Institute Conservatory, with his thesis film DEGREE OF CERTAINTY, which was supported by Amazon MGM Studios.

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Director Statement

"For a long time I have been fascinated how we als human are able to come together in a way that we can collectively create things which exceed the contribution of each individual. For me, big construction projects represent this specific process in an archaic way. In those projects people literally build their own world. And yet, prestigious construction projects in Germany fail on a daily basis.
After researching this topic intensively, I realized that these projects fail for exactly the same reasons why we as humanity currently fall short. They don’t go awry because the people involved are all incompetent. The fail because certain few people make self-centered decisions based on motives like maintaining power, status and pride - which prevents the actual project from ever succeeding. Since this phenomenon of people banding together and thereby rendering themselves ineffective, of people wanting to create while failing miserably, is so tragic, the only way to approach this subject is through a humorous lens."