Philip Koch Director of ’Picco’

When German films have the chance to get out of Germany, they often pass by in a ghost-like silence; unnoticed or unwatched (the exception makes the rule). What is labelled as "Big cinema" in Fritz Lang’s home country is marked art house as soon as it crosses the border. Few possibilities are left for the industry in its struggle for life, and so it must be conventionalized. Philip Koch, whose graduation film Picco is selected in the Directors’ Fortnight, knows that very well: "In Germany you can make a children’s film, family entertainment, big historical films or a TV movie", he says.

Considering this, Picco automatically holds one’s curiosity. Based on true events, it tells the story of life in German youth prisons, focusing on a case of three inmates who tortured and forced another to commit suicide. The film gained a controversial reputation after its premiere in Saarbrucken, where people tore down the film poster in protest. Who is this enfant terrible we wonder, this director fresh out of film-school who’s causing so much fuss already.

From short films to features, video art to documentaries, and even advertising, the 27-year-old filmmaker has worked with many formats. After high school he chose the film critic’s path to begin with, and, as one can guess from his cultivated manner of speaking, his work consisted mainly of essays. All of these previous experiences gave him the skills to reflect on his own cinema, both in theory and in practise. "I researched over a year for Picco, talked to wardens, inmates and psychologists", reveals Koch. The result was a script, and the help of a very supportive school enabled the project to go into production.

Pointing out relevant facts and anecdotes, the young cineaste gives a concise image of his work. Picco (a name given to the new inmates which marks them as a target for bullying) was shot in an actual prison which had been shut down about a year prior. To gain authenticity, the team modernized the place. Koch explains that they used "steadycam travelling shots from the cells, through the aisles and up the stairs into another room, to show you the limitation of space they have there". It’s not hard to see that he has some thorough and elaborate working methods as a director: he certainly has a talent for making the audience feel like the fifth inmate. He seems to be a master of psychoanalysis, and admits to being very interested in psychological approaches to history and philosophy.

The way he describes the controversy his film raises belongs to the same way of thinking. With a calm tone and strong, detailed arguments, he explains that violent German films always elicit defensive reactions in their home country, but also that there is actually very little graphic violence in Picco. "The film is very claustrophobic, and much happens off-screen. It’s at the same time more and less bearable for the viewer", he explains, adding that "there are big scandals over films that aren’t really violent". My attempted comparison to Gaspard Noé is refused on the spot: "I don’t want to be a German Noé; my story conveys a deeper truth about ourselves, humans and German society. Picco is an important film for Germany".

Still, making Picco was no piece of cake since it didn’t receive one single penny from the country’s TV funding bodies. "Even Christoph Hochhäusler, who has already been twice in the Un Certain Regard section, has no TV channel backing", Koch claims, surely aware that he has found the key to escape a system full of concessions, but also conscious of the courage he has needed in order to go his own way. "In France you would never make a film with those budgets", he reckons. Ironically, it is in France that Picco will be distributed first.

Frédéric Boyer, Artistic Director of the Directors Fortnight, called the film "not German but international". Congratulations Philip, this definitely applies to you as well.

By Maximilien Van Aertryck

Interview of Phillip Koch, director of "Picco" from NISI MASA on Vimeo.