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English Titles T

Tom Sawyer

Original title: Tom Sawyer
German title: Tom Sawyer
Germany, 2011

Director: Huntgeburth, Hermine
Production company: Neue Schönhauser Film, Filmaufbau Leipzig, Majestic Filmproduction
Co-producers: Degeto, NDR-TV, ARTE, BR-TV
Age recommendation: 8 years and up

Synopsis:
Tom Sawyer has nothing but pranks and mischief on his mind – much to the distress of his aunt Polly, with whom he and his step-brother Sid live in the little town of St. Petersburg on the Mississippi. Although he's a tough nut to crack, Polly has taken it upon herself to raise Tom to be a responsible, decent person. Luckily for Tom, he has a friend who loves adventures as much as he does, Huck Finn. Tom and the orphan boy, who lives in a barrel at the edge of town, spend every free minute together. Only one very exceptional girl manages to take Tom's mind off of his gallivanting around with Huck: Becky Thatcher, the daughter of the new judge of St. Petersburg, who has just moved into town. Tom does everything possible to impress her with his “heroic deeds.”
One day, one of their missions takes Tom and Huck to the town's cemetery at midnight. Lo and behold, they aren't the only ones haunting the cemetery in the dead of night: they unwittingly see Injun Joe, a fear-inspiring fellow who's long been up to no good in St. Petersburg, commit a brutal murder and then frame the slightly daft, drunken but innocent casket-maker Muff Potter. What are they to do? Their courage is put to a demanding and dangerous test...

Comments:
“Tom Sawyer is a story not bound to a certain period in the USA, but is timeless and applicable the world over: it’s good for young and old,” says director Hermine Huntgeburth, who is no stranger to fans of contemporary German cinema, with her award-winning credits including Bibi Blocksberg, Die Weisse Massai and Effi Briest.

“Many aspects are already modern,” Huntgeburth continues, “such as the problem of being an outsider, as experienced by Huck Finn and Indian Joe, or that Aunt Polly is a single parent. But much more is that Tom Sawyer is the timeless story of wishes and ideals, which are important for adults as well as children.”

Festivals:
Lucas Frankfurt 2011, Michel Hamburg 2011, Münster 2011, Cinepänz Cologne 2011, Buster Copenhagen 2012, Ale Kino Poznan 2012, Kinderfilmtage im Ruhrgebiet 2013

Website: www.tomsawyer-film.de

World sales address/es:
Beta Film (DE)

Sold to:
Majestic (DE)