News  ·  11 | 08 | 2019

Natascha Beller: "I wanted to make a funny movie"

Piazza Grande: Crazy Midnight - Die fruchtbaren Jahre sind vorbei

«I wanted to make a film that was fun, to make and to watch», says Zurich-based director Natascha Beller about her zany and surprising feature debut Die fruchtbaren Jahre sind vorbei, the story of a childless thirtysomething woman who wants to have a baby. The humor is loosely rooted in real events: «When I was 32 years old I went to a club, and while I was waiting for a friend a young guy started talking to me, and I think we were flirting. As soon as I told him my age he just left, he didn’t say anything. I mentioned this to my friend, and she told me she’d had a similar experience. I then started collecting different stories and turning them into a script, because there are so many funny stories after you turn 30, life is not the same anymore». In addition to real life, she drew from a wide range of comedies, including the Swedish hit Jalla! Jalla! (2000), the ‘80s classic Back to the Future (1985) and the filmography of Edgar Wright: «I took inspiration from all the films I like, they can be very different, and I just mix it all together». And now it’s time for the big world premiere, in Piazza Grande’s Crazy Midnight subsection. Is it a good fit? «I think Lili Hinstin wants to reach a younger audience with Crazy Midnight, and that’s totally right for my film. It is quite crazy, but I can’t tell you why because it would be a spoiler».

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