A group of successful older lesbians lives go off the rails when a 20 year old documentary resurfaces and is exposed as a lie.
ADULTS OF BERLIN follows a group of queer women* in present-day Berlin who’s lives intertwine when a 20 year old documentary unexpectedly resurfaces. The documentary, an intimate portrait of a trans sex worker (Sabrina) whom the filmmaker (Sydney) meets and falls in love with whilst they are both living in a homeless hostel in London, is hailed as a taboo-busting portrayal of lesbian love on the margins. Sydney eagerly basks in the approval of young hip young femininsts and stuffy old establishment alike. But when the truth comes out; that Sydney and Sabrina were art students, already a couple and living in a house bought by Sydney’s inheritance and, perhaps most damagingly, that Sabrina had never even done sex work, Sydney’s career and reputation plummet overnight. Sydney reacts to the crisis by unleashing their inner teenager, refusing to go into college (despite being the professor), whilst Sabrina, feeling exposed and betrayed by Sydney, starts drinking again threatening both her new career and her relationship with new partner successful gallerist Gemma. As the drama around Sydney’s film snowballs their girlfriend Kazima’s attempts to play the supportive girlfriend are thwarted when the tattoo shop is sold. Kazima joins an activist group protesting the sale of the building and her own rebellious teenager take over. With no-one to play the adult Kazima and Sydney’s relationship soon starts falling apart. Meanwhile Gemma goes into denial about both the crash of her new gallery venture and Sabrina’s meltdown, preferring to focus on her Tinder dates, but when Gemma’s two kids unexpectedly come to live with them Sabrina and Gemma find they have some growing up to do. Can the four friends heal their pasts and come of age or are they doomed to be forever trapped in Neverland?
Kanchi Wichmann is a British/ German filmmaker based in Los Angeles since 2022. Her debut feature BREAK MY FALL (UK 2011) was released theatrically in Germany and the UK and sold to over 20 territories worldwide. It was the first British lesbian feature to gain a UK cinema release and is on the BFI list of 10 best lesbian films. Kanchi was also named on the 2012 After Ellen list ’50 directors Hollywood should be hiring’. A brand new directors cut of Break My Fall; BREAK MY FALL REDUX was released online in fall 2023. Kanchi’s 10-episode comedy web series, MIXED MESSAGES (DE 2017) is released online by London-based Peccadillo Pictures. Kanchi has also made several short films and written for film and LGBTQ* publications including Another Gaze (London) and Siegessäulle (Berlin). She was the directing recipient of the FilmNetzwerk Berlin mentoring programme 2021/22 (Mentor - Kerstin Polte) and was on the UDK artist development program (Berlin) 2021 with her series pilot entitled Adults of Berlin. She has participated in screenwriting programs/ residencies including Hothouse (London), Babylon Europe (London/ Cannes) and most recently at the Vermont Studio Center (2023/ USA). Her feature script GROWING UP IN PUBLIC was a semi-finalist in the Table Read my Screenplay competition (Sundance 2023 and Hollywood 2023) and quarter-finalist in Emerging Screenwriters (2024). Kanchi is a BAFTA US Newcomer screenwriting fellow.
UDK Artist Development Program Berlin 2021
