Risen from Ruins

The 1990s. Andreas, an East German car mechanic, and Alexei from the former Soviet Union try to find their place in the chaos following the fall of the Iron Curtain. They begin smuggling German cars into Russia, but the promise of quick money soon collides with corruption, gangsters and the harsh realities of the capitalist world. Both discover that their newfound freedom comes with rules of its own.

Harry Besel is a film director and screenwriter born in Kazakhstan and raised in Kassel. He studied Visual Communication with a focus on film and moving image at the Kunsthochschule Kassel, where he graduated in 2024 with distinction. His work ranges across fiction, documentary, and experimental film forms.