Die Welle

The Wave
Director
Dennis Gansel
Country
Germany
Year
2008
Genre
Drama, History, Fiction
Scriptwriters
Dennis Gansel / Peter Thorwarth
Cast
Jürgen Vogel / Christiane Paul / Max Riemelt / Jennifer Ulrich / Frederick Lau
Production
Rat Pack Filmproduktion GmbH / Constantin Film Produktion / B.A. Produktion
http://www.welle.film.de/

Storyline

Based on a real event from a Californian high school in 1967 and transposed to Germany today, The Wave is a cautionary tale about the roots of fascism.

The film opens with charismatic teacher Rainer Wegner beginning a week long class on autocracy. To indifferent students, it’s a hard sell, but Wegner gets an idea for an experiment: as their leader he asks the students to call him Mr. Wegner, chooses the motto, creates a logo, decides that everyone wears a white shirt, and names the group, ‘The Wave’ adding a secret sign reminiscent of a Nazi salute. Much to their surprise the students find that they like the power of unity and soon this new found discipline spills over to other school activities and newcomers join the group. The Wave gives the kids something to believe in for a change, until they go too far and The Wave spins out of control.

Festivals & Academy awards and others

Sundance Film Festival 2008

Deutscher Filmpreis (Lolas) 2008

Releases

United States (27 of May 2012)
United kingdom (26 of June 2008)
Switzerland (1 of May 2008)
Germany (13 of March 2008)
France (4 of March 2008)