World premiere for FABW graduation film
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is taking place for the 50th time this year. With outstanding contributions to Canadian and international cinema, film talks, special events, and the affiliated TIFF Industry Conference, it is one of the world's most important film festivals. The feature film BABYSTAR will celebrate its world premiere in the Discovery section of the anniversary edition from September 4 to 14, 2025.
BABYSTAR was created as a graduation film at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, directed by Joscha Bongard and produced by FABW graduates Lisa Purtscher and Lotta Schmelzer (LiseLotte Films). The satirical drama centers on 16-year-old Luca. Since birth, she has lived in the spotlight, both online and offline. Together with her parents Stella and Chris, she runs a family influencer business and lives a seemingly flawless Insta-gallery life. However, when her parents plan to have another child, Luca falls into a deep void and begins to realise how little of herself is left.
Director Joscha Bongard: "In BABYSTAR, I want to use psychological and satirical means to shed light on the depths of intra-family dependencies. Following on from my previous work, which also deals with the impact of the internet on young people, I want to use this film to paint a portrait of a protagonist who is in tune with the zeitgeist and takes a critical look at the prevailing attention economy (...) I wanted to tell this story because I believe I know something about close parent-child relationships. Because I believe that, as a teenager and an early adopter of social networks, I was strongly influenced by them and can talk about them in a multifaceted way – and not only because I learned a lot about the dynamics of online platforms and the people who are successful there during my time in the YouTube industry."
Toronto will also see the return of the winner of the Cannes Jury Prize, IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN (SOUND OF FALLING), which also originated at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg and involved several other FABW alumni alongside director Mascha Schilinski. IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN will celebrate its North American premiere in Toronto.
BABYSTAR
Director: Joscha Bongard
Screenplay: Nicole Rüthers, Joscha Bongard
Production company: LiseLotte Films GmbH
Producers: Lisa Purtscher, Lotta Schmelzer
Cinematography: Jakob Sinsel
Editing: Emma Holzapfel, Wolfgang Purkhauser
Music: Jonas Vogler
Production design: Martha Brenner, Felicitas Püls
Make-up: Carlotta Ohloff
Sound: Muhammet Can
Sound supervision: Jan Eric Heitland
Cast: Maja Bons, Bea Brocks, Liliom Lewald, Joy Ewulu, Maximilian Mundt, Verena Altenberger
Photo: LiseLotte Films