– The feature, based on Paula Irmschler’s acclaimed debut novel, follows a group of young women forming a band while searching for meaning and belonging in eastern Germany
Director Constanze Klaue (left) and lead actress Finna (© BetaBerlin Productions/ROW Pictures/WÜSTE Film/WÜSTE Film West/Peter Hartwig/Weiterer)
Principal photography is under way in Saxony for Superbusen (working title), the feature-length adaptation of Dresden-based author Paula Irmschler’s widely discussed debut novel, directed by Constanze Klaue. The film brings to the screen the coming-of-age story that has resonated strongly with young readers in Germany since the book’s publication.
The story centres on Gisela, a woman in her early twenties who moves to Chemnitz to begin her university studies. There, she befriends Fred, Jana and Meryam, and together, they plunge into the city’s nightlife before eventually forming the band Superbusen. Touring across Germany with their music, the group navigates the uncertainties of early adulthood, searching for answers to questions about identity, friendship and the direction of their lives.
The cast is led by rapper Finna as Gisela. She is joined by Fritzi Haberlandt (Divided We Stand, Babylon Berlin) as Gisela’s mother and Emma Bading (Dear Thomas [+see also:
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Klaue directs from her own screenplay, adapting Irmschler’s novel. The filmmaker previously made her feature debut with Punching the World [+see also:
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Filming for her new effort is scheduled to continue until the end of March, with a total of 22 shooting days in Saxony. Locations include Chemnitz, Leipzig and Dresden, with additional scenes set to be shot in Cologne and Berlin. The director of photography is Florian Brückner, while the editing is handled by Emma Alice Gräf and the music by Jens Quandt.
Superbusen is being produced by Laura von Portatius and Jan Wünschmann for BetaBerlin Productions, alongside Karsten Stöter for Leipzig-based ROW Pictures. Co-producers include Björn Vosgerau for Hamburg-based Wüste Film and Levin Hübner for Cologne-based Wüste Film West. The project is led by broadcaster MDR, with editorial responsibility entrusted to Manuela Stacke and Adrian Paul. It is being made with the participation of WDR, RBB and SR, in collaboration with ARTE. Production is supported by Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM), Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) and the German Federal Film Fund (FFA). German distributor Alamode Filmverleih is planning a theatrical release in 2027.
