José is born on the floor of a mud hut in a Bolivian mountain village. He is the fourth child of a herdswoman. A few months later he arrives at the house of his adoptive family in Germany. José Noé Estrada becomes Manuel Phillip Sosnowski. 30 years later, he returns to his mother’s country for the first time.
A film about belonging.
My Strange Homeland
Marius Brüning, Johannes Preuß
Born in 1990 in Ochtrup. Studied German Philology and Political Science in Düsseldorf, followed by internships in the film industry and studies at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg. Active as writer, director, and editor.
2016 HEIMAT GEGEN KOHLE, Kurzdokumentarfilm
2017 AUF TATEN FOLGEN WORTE, Kurzdokumentation
2018 OST / WEST – RELIKTE EINER GRENZE, Kurzdokumentarfilm
2021 MEIN FREMDES LAND (Co-Regie), Dokumentarfilm HOF 2021
Born in 1983 in Berlin. Studied Political Science, History, and Romance Languages in Bonn. Worked as producer and writer for German development cooperations. Studied at the Film Academy
2017 GALAMSEY – FÜR EINE HANDVOLL GOLD, Kurzdokumentarfilm
2018 AUF STRASSE 7 INS HERZ VON PATAGONIEN (Co-Regie), Kurzdokumentarfilm
NOLLYWOOD, Dokumentarfilm
2021 MEIN FREMDES LAND (Co-Regie), Dokumentarfilm HOF 2021
“We know Manuel from our studies at the Film Academy. We spent days and nights together in the editing room - he as editor, we as directors. The idea for this film came from Manuel himself. It’s not in him to be in the limelight. Manuel is rather the involuntary protagonist of a story he wanted to make possible. And there is another reason: He was missing something to really tackle this difficult journey. The filming of his story, the search as a film project that gave him the necessary distance to face the emotional challenges. The project evolved out of Manuel’s trust in us to tell the story appropriately and unadorned. Time and time again, we’ve heard from Manuel about how happy he is to be living his dreams in Germany. Life in Germany should be a given for Manuel. But it isn’t. We didn’t really understand why until after the trip.”