We’re sharing the experience and doubling the fun! The world premiere of Anna Roller’s first feature-length film, DEAD GIRLS DANCING, will be hosted with the Tribeca Festival in June 2023. This film tells the story of three young women on a road trip across Italy who test the limits of their newfound freedom when their car breaks down.

To Christoph Gröner, the artistic director of the Filmfest, joint premieres are an excellent way to prominently showcase young filmmakers and their work:

“Festivals continue to compete with one another to be the best possible launch pad and the most relevant, offering the greatest visibility, the greatest effectiveness, the greatest networking opportunity. But we believe that competing with each other is often no longer suited to our times. Collaboration on this level can offer distinctive films a distinctive platform. For years we have been hosting occasional joint world premieres with Karlovy Vary, and now for the first time with Tribeca. We believe in this cooperation; we believe in the optimal combination of a simultaneous domestic and international premiere!”

Anna Roller, who was born in Munich in 1993, has twice been invited to FILMSCHOOLFEST MUNICH for her short films — PAN in 2017 and BRAT in 2022 — the latter of which also received the German Short Film Award. The FFF-funded BR co-production DEAD GIRLS DANCING (worldwide distribution: Totem Films) is Anna’s graduation film and is also her first feature film.

Director: Anna Roller
Country: Deutschland
Years: 2023
Producers: Katharina Kolleczek, Lea Neu
Associate producer: Elsa Storms
Co-Producers: Laure Parleani, Bérénice Vincent, Christian Becker, Uli Putz
Cast: Luna Jordan, Noemi Liv Nicolaisen, Katharina Stark, Sara Giannelli

About the Film

On a road trip across Italy, recent high-school graduates Ira, Malin, and Ka pick up a mysterious hitchhiker, a backpacker named Zoe. When their car breaks down, they go in search of help and wander into an abandoned village in the mountains. Far from their parents’ expectations and their original plans for the future, they begin to experiment with the limits of their newfound freedom.

DEAD GIRLS DANCING is a story about young adults and their desire for independence. As the characters learn, this doesn’t just mean running away; it also means returning and taking responsibility. This is a film about that moment in life when the world is full of opportunity — and yet you can already sense how finite it is.

about the director

Anna Roller was born in Munich in 1993. She made five short films while studying film directing at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF). PAN, which received the Starter Film Award for Best Production in 2018, was screened at more than 30 international festivals, including Palm Springs, Leuven, and Cleveland. In 2020, DIE LETZTEN KINDER IM PARADIES was also awarded the Starter Film Award while BRAT received the German Short Film Award in 2021. Anna Roller took part in the Future Frames program at the Karlovy Vary Festival and in the Talent Village at the Les Arcs Festival in 2019. While still a student, she worked in writers’ rooms, including for Bavaria Film Produktion.

Tribeca Festival

The Tribeca Festival in New York City was created in 2002 by actor Robert De Niro, producer Jane Rosenthal, and investor Craig Hatkoff. The next edition will be held from June 7 to 18, 2023.