German director Bernd Sahling is one of those directors who, in the world of children’s cinema, guarantees the pursuit of quality in film production and quality of life for the young people whose stories he tells. Sahling does not produce on the assembly line, but chooses his projects – such as THE BLINDFLYERS (2004) and UPSIDE DOWN (2012) – with care. In between, he engages in workshops for young people, podcasts and training on methodologies on children’s film. No wonder his latest feature TOMORROW I’LL BE BRAVE grew within the framework of a workshop.
“In my workshops, children decide themselves about the topic for their film. Years ago a group of 12-year-old kids wanted to tell a story about falling in love for the first time. They interviewed themselves on camera and I was stunned how much they were willing to tell. Out of this experience I developed the script for TOMORROW I’LL BE BRAVE, a film about the uncertainties coming over us with the coming of first love,” says Bernd Sahling.
Falling in love with Lea was not the wisest option for 12-year-old Karl. Not only is she much taller than him, but also the fact that Lea is about to change schools doesn’t make things any easier. ‘Different school, different boys!’ says Karl’s older brother, who advises him to be brave, for once! Photography has been Karl’s favourite pastime for years, and when he invites Lea into his improvised ‘bathroom laboratory’, she is impressed by his ‘light magic’. But time is running out, and Karl only has one last chance to convince Lea during the upcoming school trip. Then suddenly it becomes clear that Karl is not alone with this problem.
Written and directed by Bernd Sahling and produced by Zeitgeist Filmproduktion, TOMORROW I’LL BE BRAVE will have its German cinema release in October 2025. Now, the film will start touring the festivals, with screenings planned at BUFF (Malmö) and the Kristiansand Children’s Film Festival. In the German press, the romantic coming-of-age story for children was described as ‘an empathetic and highly entertaining story, captivating due to the charmingly acting kids, whom the film meets respectfully at eye level.’
Festival contact: Zeitgeist Filmproduktion; Markus Kaatsch; m.kaatsch@zeitgeist-film.de; www.zeitgeist-film.de.