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With his fantastic cinema debut WHOLETRAIN Florian Gaag tells the story of a crew of four “writers” – David, Tino, Elyas und Achim – who observe the hierarchies, the values, the rules and the codes of the graffiti scene. Night after night they make off for the subway stations of the city, intent on leaving opulent images behind. But as another crew appears on the scene, and the four feel challenged, a creative battle ensues, one that will change the lives of these young people for ever. We are confronted with life taken to the limit. Constantly on the edge of legality. Always on the run from the law. Urban space must be reclaimed. Friends are made and lost. Unbridled creativity and doing things for the sheer love of it are watchwords too.
Florian Gaag also collaborated with internationally renowned graffiti artists. Writers such as Neon, Won, Cemnoz, Pure and Ciel, who were responsible for the artwork. For more information check www.wholetrain.com and www.myspace.com/wholetrain
AWARDS
Kiev International Film Festival Molodist – Best Feature Film & Audience Award Cologne Conference – Best Feature Film Starter Film Award – City of Munich Sarajevo International Film Festival – Best Youth Film Exground International Film Festival – Best Youth Film Boston International Film Festival – Best Narrative Feature Film HipHop Odyssey International Film Festival New York – Best Narrative Feature Film Berlin International Film Festival – Special Mention “Dialogue En Perspective” 3 Grimme Awards: (Screenplay / Direction: Florian Gaag), Camera (Christian Rein), Editing: Kai Schröter) Prenominations for the German Fim Awards in six categories (Best Film, Best Editing, Best Set Design, Best Score, Best Sound Design, Best Costume)
PRESS “This film simply hits you in the face, and you can’t get it out of your eyes, your ears, and your senses.” ULYSSES “A gripping drama with an outstanding cast. The most authentic German movie in a long time.“ ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE “Florian Gaag's debut feature film offers a fascinating insider view of a subculture that operates deliberately in the dark. Gaag displays a remarkable talent as a director with an excellent feeling for tempo and atmosphere.” “A febrile movie. A moving drama and homage to youth.” “Even the minor roles were well cast in a film that managed to convince in every detail, great fun indeed.” TAZ “Florian Gaag has shot a small film about sprayers and made a huge portrait on the Ninjas of this subculture. An excellent cinematic debut.” “A grandiloquent love affair with the graffiti scene.” “A wild and uncompromising film.” “These characters are so real, real like we hardly ever see them in the cinema.” “A phenomenal debut.” EPD FILM “The film is as fast as a speeding subway train.” DIE WELT “Fast moving, believable, great sense of humour and still with a sense of emotional depth. And it is mainly the music by Florian Gaag that makes for cohesive edition and makes the film into a captivating and exciting story.” DE:BUG “Exact, sensitive and without cliches.” BERLINER ZEITUNG “Florian Gaag manages with his directorial debut a rough and ready drama about rebellion, self-fulfilment and respect.” FOCUS “A strong film, strong in expression and a symphony of individuality, the full spectrum of life in the city in all its colours.” DIE PRESSE “A furious debut film, one that adapts the aesthetic of graffiti in a clever way and knows just how to capture it in cinematic terms.” “ Wholetrain, with its exact symbiosis of staccato editing, hiphop sound design and racy plot, remains one of the best films of the year.”
QUOTES KRS-ONE : „Florian Gaag has an excellent movie out. I am really proud to be part of that project. „Wholetrain“ is the dopest graffiti movie ever. I would put „Wholetrain“ next to the great movies, right up next to „Style Wars“. I thought that „Wholetrain“ really captured Hip Hop’s culture.“ CHARLIE AHEARN (director of „WILD STYLE“) „I saw „Wholetrain“ at S.O.B.’s in New York, It was a great experience watching it. There was a tremendous amount of character development, interesting dialogue and a lot of story in it. It took real vision to make that world come alive like that. „Wholetrain" is an impressive piece of work . It´s the only Graffiti-Movie that can follow in the footsteps of „Wild Style.“ HENRY CHALFANT (author and photographer of „SUBWAY ART“, co-producer of the documentary „STYLE WARS“) „Wholetrain“ exhibits the human dimensions of Graffiti-Writing. The social conflict between the protagonists is fascinating and allows one to take a look at the writers´real lives, their real characters, and real problems. „Wholetrain“ is a great film that not only reflects writing culture but also leaves room to portray authentically the writers´ social reality.“ KET (graffiti-writer, New York City): „I loved the movie. I thought that „Wholetrain“ represented the scene the best - ever. It really captured what writers go through and their struggles; they were humanized, they weren’t caricatures. I appreciate that. I remember that it made me feel that I was there with those guys, living with those guys. It took me back to a time when I was living the way those kids were living. I thought it was very authentic in that sense.“ FILM FESTIVALS BANFF World Television Festival, Banff, Canada, June 2009 Festival Augenblick, Strasbourg, France, March / April 2009 Best of Input Ghana 2009, Accra, Africa, March 2009 Les Enfants dé Cinema, Charleville Mezieres, France, February 2009 Scanorama 2008, Vilnius - Kaunas - Klaipeda, Lithuania, November 2008 Best of Input Poland 2008, Warschau, Polen, October 2008 Best of Input Brazil 2008, Porto Alegre, Brazil, October 2008 Input 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa, May 2008 Bursa International Silk Road Film Festival (in competition), Bursa, Turkey, December 2007 Asheville Film Festival, Asheville, NC, USA, November 2007 Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil, October 2007 Kiev International Film Festival Molodist (in competition) Kiew, Ukraine, October 2007 Indie World Film Festival Brazil, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, October 2007 New Orleans Film Festival, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, October 2007 Ciné-Jeune de lÁisne International Film Festival (in competition), St-Quentin, France, October 2007 Black Filmmaker Magazine International Film Festival, London, UK, September 2007 HipHop Odyssey International Film Festival (“Best Narrative Feature”), New York, NY, June 2007 Boston International Film Festival (“Best Narrative Feature”), Boston, MA, June 2007 Zlin International Film Festival for Children and Youth (in competition), Zlin, Czech Republic, May 2007 Jeonju International Film Festival, Jeonju, South-Korea, May 2007 Philadelphia International Film Festival, Philadelphia, PA, USA, April 2007 RiverRun International Film Festival Winston-Salem, NC, USA, April 2007 WorldFest Houston International Film Festival (“Silver Remi Award“) Houston, TX, USA, April 2007 Crossing Europe Film FestivalLinz, Austria, April 2007 Bradford International Film Festival, Bradford, United Kingdom, March 2007 Festival of New Films from Germany and Austria and Switzerland, Washington DC, USA, February 2007 Berlin & Beyond Film Festival, San Francisco, U S A, February 2007 Gijon International Film Festival, Gijon, Spain, December 2006 International Film Weekend Würzburg (“2nd Audience Award“), Würzburg, Germany, November 2006 Camerimage International Film Festival (nominated for “Best European Feature Film“), Lodz, Poland, November 2006 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Tallinn, Estonia, November 2006 Exground Film Fest (“Best Narrative Feature for a Young Audience“), Wiesbaden, Germany, November 2006 Cologne Conference, (“Best Narrative Feature“), Cologne, Germany, October 2006 Black Soil International Hip Hop Film Festival, Amsterdam & Rotterdam, October 2006 Helsinki International Film Festivasl, Helsinki, Finland, September 2006 Sarajevo International Film Festival (“Best Narrative Feature for a Young Audience“), Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, August 2006 Durban International Film Festival, Durban, South Africa, June 2006 Urban World Vibe Film Festival (“Best Narrative Feature“), New York, U S A, June 2006 Lola Film Festival of Films (nominated for the “German Film Award“ - WHOLETRAIN was preselected in the categories „Best Film“, „Best Editing“, „Best Art Direction“, “Best Music“, „Best Sound Design“, „Best Costume Design“), Germany, April / May 2006 Salerno International Film Festival (in competition), Salerno, Italy. April 2006 Berlin International Film Festival (Special Mention "Dialogue En Perspective") Berlin, Germany, February 2006 |
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