Szenario

The Bundeswehr has arrived at a decisive „turning point“ (Zeitenwende): in Schnöggersburg, Europe’s biggest military model city, defending the nation and the alliance isn’t just rehearsed, but also directly taught. Marie Wilke’s sober, focused observational documentary puts together a 360-degree view of its subject, which captures the current state of the German army from different perspectives. Between press appointments, swearing-in ceremonies, visitor tours, roleplays and an artificial Tube tunnel, the process of adapting to the present becomes visible. With a sound grasp of representative situations and communication nodes, Wilke gets close enough to her subject to illustrate its complexity – while retaining exactly the necessary distance for open, critical engagement. The shots are mostly static and impartial, bearing witness to a Bundeswehr looking for its self-image while in the midst of grappling with the past, state-of-the-art war simulations and an uncertain future. Szenario is a portrait of an institution that equally depicts the society and politics that produce it. (Carolin Weidner)

Marie Wilke was born in Berlin, studied at the ZeLIG School for Documentary, Television and New Media in Bolzano (Italy) and completed a degree in experimental media design at the University of the Arts Berlin. Since 2000 she has worked as a writer, director and editor of documentaries. She has screened her films at international film festivals and won prizes including the German Film Critic’s Award and the Carte Blanche prize of North Rhine-Westphalia. She also lectures on directing and content development at various film schools and institutes.

Director Marie Wilke. Screenplay Marie Wilke. Cinematography Alexander Gheorghiu. Editing Jan Soldat. Sound Design Uwe Bossenz. Producer Heino Deckert. Production company Ma.ja.de. Filmproduktions GmbH (Leipzig, Germany).

World sales Film Harbour

Films: 2000: Con anima e corpo / Life and Limb (documentary). 2015: Staatsdiener / Civil Servants (documentary). 2018: Aggregat / Aggregate (documentary, Berlinale Forum 2018). 2021: Höllental (documentary series, 6 episodes). 2026: Szenario / Scenario.