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  • 2023 | Fiction | 118' | Germany, Austria, Switzerland

The Universal Theory

1962. Johannes Leinert (Jan Bülow), together with his doctoral advisor (Hanns Zischler), travels to a physics congress in the Swiss Alps, where an Iranian scientist is set to reveal a "groundbreaking theory of quantum mechanics". But when the physicists arrive at the five star hotel, the Iranian guest is nowhere to be found. In the absence of a new theory to be discussed, the physics community patiently turns to skiing. Johannes, however, remains at the hotel to work on his doctor’s thesis, but soon finds himself distracted, developing a special fascination with Karin, a young jazz pianist (Olivia Ross). Something about her seems strange, elusive. She seems to know things about him - things that he thought only he knew about. When one of the German physicists is found dead one morning, two inspectors arrive on the scene, investigating a homicide case. As increasingly bizarre cloud formations appear in the sky, the pianist disappears without a trace - and Johannes finds himself dragged into a sinister story of false memories, real nightmares, impossible love and a dark, roaring mystery hidden beneath the mountain.
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Director
Timm Kröger
Production
Ma.ja.de. Fiction in co-production with The Barricades, Panama Film, Catpics, and ZDF, SRF, in association with ARTE, ORF
Funding
Die Beauftrage der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien, Österreichisches Filminstitut, FISA-Filmstandort Austria, Deutscher Filmförderfonds, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Bundesamt für Kultur BAK, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Zürcher Filmstiftung, Filmfonds Wien, Land Niederösterreich, Cine Tirol Film Commission, FFA, Comeback Zuschuss für Film und TV-Dreharbeiten, Neustart Kultur, Kanton Zürich Fachstelle Kultur, Focal, development supported by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
Distribution
World Sales
Festivals
Venice International Film Festival 2023 (Main Competition, BISATO D'ORO for BEST FILM awarded by the Jury of Independent Critics), Filmfest Hamburg 2023 (German Premiere), L'étrange festival Paris 2023, Sitges IFF 2023 (José Luis Guarner Critics' Award for best film in the SOFC), Festival Européen du Film Fantastique de Strasbourg 2023, Chicago IFF 2023, AFI Fest 2023, Augenblick FF 2023, Athens IFF 2023, Viennale 2023, Gent FF 2023, Mostra Internacional de Cinema de Sao Paulo 2023, Imagine FF 2023, Tallinn Black Nights FF 2023, Red Sea IFF 2023, Festival de Film Européen de Puerto Rico 2023, Europa! Europa! 2024, Göteborg FF 2024, Dublin IFF 2024, Solothurn FF 2024, Fantasporto 2024, Cleveland IFF 2024, Glasgow FF 2024, Shanghai IFF 2024, New Zealand IFF 2024
 
Gilde Filmpreis 2023 / Bester Film/ Best Film (national)
Preis der deutschen Filmkritik 2023 / Beste Musik/ Best Music
Deutscher Filmpreis 2024 / nominiert in 9 Kategorien: Bester Spielfilm, Beste Regie (Timm Kröger), Beste Kamera/Bildgestaltung (Roland Stuprich), Beste Filmmusik (Diego Ramos Rodríguez), Beste visuelle Effekte (Kariem Saleh, Adrian Meyer), Bestes Szenebild (Cosima Vellenzer, Anika Klatt)
3 LOLAs: Beste Kamera/Bildgestaltung (Roland Stuprich), Beste visuelle Effekte (Kariem Saleh, Adrian Meyer), Bestes Szenebild (Cosima Vellenzer, Anika Klatt)

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