Germany's most chaotic TV legend finally lets someone else hold the camera.
To mark the 60th birthday of the multi-talented comedian, singer and author Hape Kerkeling, the two documentary filmmakers André Schäfer and Eric Friedler have created a quiet, thoughtful and entertaining portrait of this often anarchic humorist. The film tells of his rapid rise as a teenager, his time and the blows of fate during the AIDS epidemic, the controversial forced outing, his confident exit from the show business and his new beginning. The film is a sensitive insight into the family history and a fast-paced journey through the career stages of a formative figure in German TV entertainment.
Direction
Schäfer and Friedler let silence do the heavy lifting.
Production
Archival footage that'll destroy any German over 30.
Writing
Kerkeling's own words, unfiltered and devastating.
Director
André Schäfer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kerkeling refused to participate in documentaries for decades; this only happened because Friedler spent years building trust through informal dinners.
The 'forced outing' referenced was a 1991 Bild headline that outed him during his peak 'Hape' fame—this film marks his first extended on-camera discussion of it.
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