Film production from 1993: Ulf and Rudi in action

In 1993 there was a co-production between the Studio Babelsberg GmbH and Von Vietinghoff Filmproduktion GmbH with the title ‘Fernes Land Pa-Isch’, with the rights held by the DEFA Foundation. It is a coming-of-age story and a road movie and it also serves as a social study in the period up to the reunification of Germany.

The film includes a scene with the Leverkusen club legends: The team back then take – initially unwittingly in the film – the two main actors to Berlin on the team bus headed for 1993 DFB Cup final. Ulf Kirsten is seen in conversation with the main character Umberto (played by Jens Schumann). But other club legends like Rüdiger Vollborn, Heiko Scholz or the captain of the time Franco Foda also have speaking roles.

Issue of social isolation

The 90-minute film directed by Ralf Simon takes up the issue of social isolation. The 16-year-old Umberto lives with his younger half-sister Bianca (Macca Malik) and his mother Ilona (Renate Krößner), who has alcohol problems, in a small town in Saxony called Walda before the family move on to Hamburg. Umberto finds it hard to settle in the Hanseatic city – the social isolation is unbearable by now. This impossible circumstances lead Umberto and his little sister to dream of a better life in Africa, the home of Macca’s natural father.

With very negligible means and staying in several places en route the two main characters try to make their way to the African continent. However, the journey comes to an abrupt end in Berlin. On this journey, Umberto and Macca manage to get onto the Bayer 04 team bus unnoticed after having seen it at a service station. After the bus has set off again, the scenes with the Leverkusen club legends previously described take place.

Team bus as film location

According to information from the film museum in Potsdam, the filming with the former Bayer 04 team takes place on 25 July 1993. The scene on the bus on the motorway was filmed on a return journey from Wolfsburg to Leverkusen. The reason for the Werkself being in Lower Saxony was a friendly against the then second division team VfL Wolfsburg in the 1993/94 pre-season.

“Both before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, we discussed the division of Germany again and again. And with this film production in 1993, we said we were prepared to involve the club in the film to raise the awareness of issues like social isolation,” said the former Bayer 04 CEO Reiner Calmund recalling the co-operation with the production company. “Bayer 04 developed an affinity with Eastern Germany early on. The fact we signed two GDR players of the season in Andreas Thom and Ulf Kirsten at the start of the 90s obviously contributed to the formation of an increasing number of fan clubs in Eastern Germany. We really valued that and showed our gratitude with trips to the fan clubs in the east. That all started with our first away game in Europe against Dukla Prague in the UEFA Cup in 1986/1987. It all began with the support of East German fans. The contact was easier and stronger after reunification,” added Calmund.

First broadcast on VOX

Due to financing problems, the associated screenplay adaptation and sale to a Hamburg film distributor meant the film was not broadcast for many years – neither in cinemas or on television. At the request of the director, Progress film distributors finally purchased the rights to the film in 2000. That led to a short run in art house cinemas and a first TV broadcast on VOX.

Click here for the clip!