Arri Media Worldsales will handle international distribution for Andreas Struck's third feature Hanna's Words which began principal photography in Cologne this week.

Based on a screenplay by Dagmar Gabler (Porno!Melo!Drama!), the music drama centring on a Nu Jazz trumpeter stars up-and-coming German actors Stefan Rudolf and Paula Kalenberg, Russia's Chulpan Khamatova, and veteran actress Traute Hoess, and will feature music of the feted Norwegian jazz musician Nils Petter Molvaer on the soundtrack.

At the beginning of 2008, Rudolf appeared with Sandra Hueller (Requiem) and Denmark's Bjarne Henriksen (Festen) in Erica von Moeller's docudrama Fraeulein Stinnes Faehrt Um Die Welt about the first circumnavigation of the globe by a woman in a car in 1927. Khamatova is known for her work in such films as Luna Papa, Good Bye, Lenin! and Garpastum, while Kalenberg's credits include Kabale Und Liebe, The Cloud and Krabat, and Hoess has recently appeared in Summer In Berlin and Die Manns, among others.

Struck's previous features were Sugar Orange (2004) and Chill Out (1999)

Hanna's Words is being produced by the Cologne arm of Neue Mediopolis Filmproduktion in co-production with the broadcaster WDR and backed by Filmstiftung NRW and MDM. Neue Visionen will release the film theatrically in Germany.

Meanwhile, Neue Mediopolis' head office in Leipzig is serving as a minority co-producer on Slovenian director Damjan Kozole's new feature project Slovenian Girl (Slovenka) which began shooting in Slovenia last week for Vertigo/Emotion Film with Croatia's 4 Film, Bosnia's Pro.ba, and Serbia's Bas Celic as production partners.

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