Vanessa Jopp has made an striking debut with the success of her first feature-length film. The young director's story of passion, friendship and disillusionment set against the backdrop of a love triangle was met with rave reviews from critics. The film has already received four awards: the "Hypo-Nachwuchs-Preis 2000", the "Bayerischen Filmpreis", the "Studio Hamburg Nachwuchspreis" as well as the "Firststeps Award 2000". Here is just one reason given by the jury in support of the film: "The film tells the story of the loss of innocence, that the pain becomes as palpable as the joy that is part of growing up. You see that it isn't just about finding new German territory but about identifying the problems that exist there. Vanessa Jopp masters this artfully, never losing sight of her characters. She ventures into painful places without ever forgetting that the primary purpose of film is to entertain."

"Vergiss Amerika" is a film about three young people in a small town in Eastern Germany. A story about dreams and the sometimes sad truth about things.

Story:

Having a friend like Benno is the best thing that could happen to you. Especially if you're young, your name is David, and you live in a god-forsaken hicktown called Aschleben. As soon as you see the twinkle in Benno's eyes, you know something is bound to happen...

One day Anna, with her gorgeous eyes and precocious smile, moves to town from Halle. She dreams of becoming a star. Of course Benno is the one who wins Anna's heart. David looks on and asks himself when his life is finally going to start. Civil service, acting school, military: their paths lead them in different directions. When they reunite in Aschleben, the big world out there has never seemed so far away. An accident at work leaves David's father bound to a wheelchair. His brother doesn't have a teaching position and David, who wants to become a photographer, loses his job at a photography studio. Only Benno has big plans: he borrows money and opens up a dealership full of big American cars, but the only people who drive them off the lot are Polish car thieves. Anna seems to part with her dreams by choice: She comes back from Berlin after graduating acting school to be with Benno. David is working in the seafood department at the new super market - pretty bad but better than nothing. He's sleeping with the girl from the perfume stand there, but Anna is really the only one he wants, the only one he has ever wanted. Benno loses himself in criminal activities and Anna seeks refuge in David. David and Anna spend one passionate night together. Benno's reaction is different than expected: his fighting spirit is awakened, their friendship will survive. David owes him a ride to Poland, which serves to help him escape from his seedy business deals. They're driving in separate cars as a song from America comes on the radio. And then, out of the blue, the time with Benno will come to an end: a time full of disappointment and shattered dreams, full of passion and rage, and yet quite simply, the best time of their lives.

Actors: Marek Harloff, Roman Knizka, Franziska Petri, Andreas Schmidt Schaller, Rita Feldmeier, Gerd Lohmeyer, Ursula Doll

Sets: Silke Buhr

An AVISTA, BRAINPOOL, KINOWELT and WDR co-production.