Two new films from the “A Crime Thriller from Passau” series (since 2020) are on the program. “Time to Pray” and “Greed for Gold” will be broadcast on January 25th and February 1st at 8:15 p.m. on Erste. In these two films, Frederike Bader (Marie Leuenberger, born 1980) and private detective Ferdinand Zankl (Michael Ostrowski, 51) again get involved in criminal cases in the city of three rivers.
They have to be particularly careful in their unofficial investigations, because the former police officer from Berlin is in the witness protection program and has been living in Bavaria with her daughter Mia (Nadja Sabersky, 26) ever since. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Berlin-born Marie Leuenberger explains how she likes the historic and picturesque university town in Lower Bavaria.
Marie Leuenberger: Passau can seem very lovely when the weather is nice and very mystical when it is gray and foggy. The old town with its thick walls, narrow streets, many archways and churches is very impressive. And the rivers wrap around the headland, which gives the place something mysterious.
Leuenberger: In Passau I like to walk around aimlessly, and I always find a new café in a hidden, small alley that is bustling with students. That has an incredible amount of charm.
Leuenberger: In my life I have lived in Berlin, Basel, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg and back in Berlin. When I list it like that, I’m amazed at how many moves there are. But they were always work-related and there was always a new adventure waiting, which made the change of location easier. I associate each of these cities with a specific time in my life. The new beginning wasn’t always easy, I often felt like a stranger, but I learned to open up and let new things into my life. Even now my friends are still spread across German-speaking countries. We talk on the phone regularly and visit each other whenever possible…
Leuenberger: I love going for walks, whether in nature or in the city, it doesn’t matter. And I like to swim and do yoga. I can process things, let go and wander. I always feel better afterwards, which is great.
Leuenberger: When we were filming “Time to Pray” we had a very funny day of filming in the monastery. As we all lay on the mat and played this meditative word game, my colleague Peter Fieseler [lawyer Jürgen Ritter, editor] and I had a fit of laughter. I love moments like that.
With “Greed for Gold” it was particularly nice how my colleague Michael Ostrowski and I improvised together and we sometimes spoke texts that weren’t in the script. We are now a well-rehearsed team, I trust him and I really appreciate his humor.
Leuenberger: It’s very nice to receive an award for your work. It’s an award and an honor, and for a short time it fills me with pride. But despite winning multiple awards, you always start every job from scratch. Every film means a new adventure: How do we work as a film team? How is communication with the director? How is the interaction with your colleagues? I need a lot of trust with all these people so that I can play freely. And it’s not always easy, but it’s exciting every time. I can’t imagine a better job.
