Published: July 04, 2015| 04:00 PM

The punk comedy Heil, which makes fun of neo-Nazis, the police, the media and political activists, has opened the Official Selection competition for the Crystal Globe. Its creator, Dietrich Brüggemann, came to Karlovy Vary from Germany last year to present his acclaimed drama Stations of the Cross. He liked it so much that he wanted to return. “I think that Eastern Europeans have a great sense of humor. Last year I stumbled by chance into a screening of Waiter, Scarper!, and it was one of the best comedies I have ever seen,” stated the young director at a press conference.

He drew inspiration for his new film, Heil, from a real-life tragic case of murder, but also included a farcical critique of neo-Nazism and other societal problems. “There are so many absurd things around us. When reality becomes comedy, why not film it as such? At the same time, we wanted to avoid repeating the usual comedic cliches,” Brüggemann said.

The film, which famous actor Benno Fürmann, also in attendance, described as “holding up an ugly mirror to society”, has already been shown to the public in Germany at the film festival in Munich, where it was warmly received. As late as 2012, Brüggemann didn’t believe that he would ever get the money to make the film. “We Germans don’t think much of our cinema, and we have a tendency to censor ourselves and stay in the middle of the road. A good society makes compromises, but art should not,” the director explained.

Screenings of Heil:
4.7. 17:00 Grand Hall
5.7. 10:00 Pupp
7.7. 9:00 Drahomira Cinema