- Unscripted comedic performance by renowned improvisation artists debuts on the big screen.
"Comedy 'Micha's Big Ideas' by veteran improv performers Charly Hübner (51, 'Midday Show') and Jan Georg Schütte (61, 'Detective Dupin') hits theaters on August 22. Just a few short months later, on November 1, the movie based on the fictional East German village of Klein-Schappleben, dealing with a severe water shortage, will air at 8:15 PM on ARD. The unusual release schedule has a straightforward explanation:
"This way, we can meet our audience face-to-face. Something I always miss with television broadcasts only," says Schütte to the press. Director Lars Jessen (55, 'Father, Son, Soldier'), collaborating with Schütte on the script and direction, adds: "We want to travel across the country with the actors and engage with as many people as possible. Theaters are perfect for that. And we're not just focusing on the East. The water crisis affects us all – that's another crucial insight that's slowly dawning on us."
What 'Micha's Big Ideas' is all about
Micha (Charly Hübner) abandoned his rural hometown of Klein-Schappleben in Saxony-Anhalt early to establish a gaming company in Berlin. It was a massive success. But following a second failure in Berlin and a struggle with burnout, the "visionary and founder" decides to give it another try in the countryside. At a town hall meeting in his hometown, Micha presents his plans to transform the old hotel of his late parents into a luxury wellness resort where "work, creativity, pleasure, and happiness converge".
Mayor Moni Hoffmann (Annett Sawallisch, b.1978) and mobile massage therapist Tina Oppermann (Jördis Triebel, 46) support Micha's venture. However, the rest of the village community is not entirely sold on Micha's entrepreneurial spirit and his "it's all a breeze" attitude. Farmers like organic sheep farmer Jonas Oppermann (Ulrich Brandhoff, 38) and large farmer Hermann Köppe (Peter Kurth, 67, "Two to Tango") have more pressing concerns – the existential water crisis their region is facing...
Can a theater comedy effectively address the serious issue of water scarcity?
A theater comedy that aims to address the serious and universal problem of water scarcity is no easy task – a challenge Schütte is well aware of. "That was the primary challenge here: to create a thematic film without moralizing," he admits. "Documentaries may not appeal to everyone. With entertainment, we hope to reach a larger audience," he elaborates further.
Regarding the supposed incongruity of water scarcity, comedy, and improv, Schütte says: "Water scarcity is a bitter truth that many choose to ignore. Humor can help to bridge that fear and make the topic more relatable. Improv is the perfect medium to tell it as personally as possible." Jessen adds: "The best comedy often stems from tragedy. And there's nothing more entertaining than inviting the audience to poke fun at themselves." Humor serves as a relaxant and encourages a hopeful outlook, as Jessen points out.
That hopeful outlook is reinforced by the facts presented in the movie's end credits: "Since 2000, Germany has lost 2.5 trillion liters of water annually. That's equivalent to Lake Constance's volume. With that, Germany ranks among the regions with the highest water loss worldwide."
Experienced and passionate Improvisers with a deep affection for the East
Jan Georg Schütte has directed and written numerous improv TV films, including "Seniors' Speed Dating" (2014), "Wellness for Couples" (2016), "Class Reunion" (2019), "Detective Dupin: The Team" (2020, farewell to beloved Münster actress Nadeshda Krusenstern), "Summer 90 Forever" (2021), "Kranitz" (2021), "The Funeral" (2022), and "The Love Festival" (2023). He is currently working on the sequel to the latter two films under the working title "The Wedding."
In many of his improv projects, former "Police Call 110" star Charly Hübner is involved. Schütte and Hübner share a passion for improvised acting and a genuine love for playfulness, eloquence, and humility in their projects. In the latest film, Schütte, who also directs, plays the eccentric preparedness enthusiast Bernd Schlüter, showcasing this skillfully."**
Jess, known for guiding several "Tatorts" in Münster, shares his sentiment, "I wish I'd shown more curiosity towards Eastern Germany earlier. However, my perspective has shifted significantly within the past decade. I'm immensely grateful for the numerous opportunities I've been given, including 'Wildes Herz', 'Polizeiruf 110: Kindeswohl' from Rostock, 'Das Begräbnis', and 'Für immer Sommer 90'. Eastern Germany has so much insight to offer, and I've enjoyed learning from it all." Following the Wende, according to him, the federal states of Eastern Germany were inundated with an unparalleled surge of capitalist transformation at an unexpected pace.
In discussing the nationwide tour with their movie, director Lars Jessen expresses his desire to visit theaters in various parts of Germany, including cities in the western region like Hamburg and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Micha's gaming company started in bustling Berlin, but his hometown of Klein-Schappleben in Saxony-Anhalt, which is known for its farming community, also experiences the water crisis affecting the entire nation.
