Operation sugar

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Movie
Original title Operation sugar
Country of production Germany
original language German , Romanian
Publishing year 2012
length 90 minutes
Age rating FSK 16 (unabridged), 12 (abbreviated)
Rod
Director Rainer Kaufmann
script Philip Koch
Rolf Basedow
Gabriela Sperl
production Gabriela Sperl
music Gerd Baumann
Verena Marisa Schmidt
camera Morten Søborg
cut Christel Suckow
occupation

Operation Zucker is a German TV film by director Rainer Kaufmann from 2012 . The thriller, which received very favorable reviews from the critics, deals with child sexual abuse in connection with child trafficking and child prostitution .

action

Fee, a ten-year-old girl, is brought to Germany from her home village in Romania, allegedly to get a good education there. Instead, it is sold to a children's dealer in Berlin and ends up in a children's brothel disguised as a singles club . The policemen Wegemann and Hansen have been watching the "Club" for a while and see a well-known politician appear there. Wegemann turns to the responsible public prosecutor Dorothee Lessing, who initially pays little attention to the case and is also completely revised.

The policewoman withholds the information that a long-time good friend of the public prosecutor, Judge Hans Neidhard, seems to be involved in the case, without knowing that Lessing asked this judge of all people for a search warrant , and conducts a raid with colleagues in the "club". The backers apparently knew about the project and were able to take the children away before the police arrived. Only the little fairy was able to hide, but is completely disturbed. When the public prosecutor found out about the suspicion against Neidhart after the unsuccessful raid on the "Club", she found it deeply difficult to believe that the man, whose friendship has always meant a lot to her, was involved in the matter. She personally resents Wegemann for withholding this information, but at the same time understands the seriousness of the situation. Shocked by her boyfriend's double life, but also by the children's situation, she now supports the young policewoman with all her might.

With the help of an informant , the police are made aware of an apartment in which the children are supposed to be. The apartment is stormed and some children, including Bran, who was brought to Germany from Romania with Fee, can be brought to safety for the time being. When Bran recognizes the aforementioned politician Kurt Wagner, but the public prosecutor does not believe him, the boy escapes and stabs Wagner to death some time later in his house. Bran, who had gone to Hansen to find out something about Fee's whereabouts, can't persuade the girl to go with him and ends up on the street.

Fee is housed in the public prosecutor's holiday home and is protected by Wegemann there, while Hansen and Lessing - again with the help of the informant - become aware of a villa in which the children are supposed to be forced to perform sexual acts. Shortly before the planned access, the SEK receives the order not to access, whereupon Hansen and Lessing decide to storm the villa on their own. Hansen calls for reinforcements and gives Lessing a pistol. The two break into the house and find several men and already half-naked children. They bring the children to safety and want to arrest the men when Lessing recognizes Judge Neidhart. She points the gun at him, but he can steal it from her and now threatens her with it. At that moment the reinforcements arrive and the judge realizes that his situation is hopeless. He tries to kill himself with the gun, but it is not loaded. The judge and the other men are taken into custody by the police.

In the cut version, the film ends with the men being arrested, Fee is safe in the summer house with the policewoman (with whom she has become friends) and Bran goes on the street . The original version ends with the girl's “buyer” finding her in the summer house and taking control of her again.

background

Operation Zucker premiered on July 6, 2012 at the Munich Film Festival and was first broadcast on January 16, 2013 on the television station Das Erste . On the basis of a planned DVD release, the voluntary self-regulation of the film industry checked the film and approved it from the age of 16. This would have excluded it from being broadcast before 10 p.m. In order to be able to show it on January 16 at prime time at 8.15 p.m., the ARD had a shortened version produced, which was approved by the FSK from 12 years of age. The unabridged version ran on January 17th at 12:20 a.m.

reception

The film was extensively discussed in the media in advance. On the one hand, the idea of ​​showing a cut and an uncut version was debated, on the other hand, the importance of the topic was often put in the foreground and the broadcaster was praised for having tackled the difficult and at the same time important topic.

Audience ratings

The first broadcast of Operation Zucker on January 16, 2013 was seen by a total of 6.27 million viewers in Germany and achieved a market share of 18.3% for Das Erste .

Reviews

"But even without this drastic final scene, 'Operation Zucker' is a strangely depressing blessing in its consistent narrative."

- Tim Slagman : The mirror

“Operation Zucker is a tough piece of prime-time television; seldom has a 8:15 p.m. film so consistently refused a sensitive gene solution. And the cut version doesn't take the film out of its power either. [...] If the ARD now wants to do everything right, then its best forces have long been working on the next film. "

- Joachim Huber : Zeit Online

"Committed (television) drama that combines criminal tension with a harrowing and explosive social reality."

“The ARD production is almost exemplary. And the imagery is convincing. […] 'Operation Zucker' is also a good film because Nadja Uhl shines in the role of a committed detective as well as Senta Berger as an initially dismissive, then daring public prosecutor. […] Paraschiva Dragus (her performance is just as impressive as that of Adrian Ernst, […]) […]. [...] the original version aired the first at 0.20 o'clock. A decision that is hard to understand - the entire subject is depressing and potentially overwhelming, not just for teenagers. "

- Thomas André : Hamburger Abendblatt

Comment from Doña Carmen eV

Doña Carmen eV, an organization for the social and political rights of prostitutes , turned against the "increasingly conservative political instrumentalization of the German entertainment industry" on the occasion of the broadcast of the film Operation Zucker. Operation Zucker is a film with which "the sympathy of many television viewers is stirred up, exploited and at the same time made quota". In fact, however, this and other ARD films served the purpose of making expanded police rights and stricter legislation against prostitution and migration socially acceptable.

Awards

continuation

The television film was continued in 2016 with Operation Sugar: Hunting Company. Nadja Uhl returned in front of the camera for the sequel, while Friedrich Ani and Ina Jung were responsible for the script this time. Directed by Sherry Hormann . The sequel aired on January 20, 2016 on First .

The sequel was awarded the Romy in 2016 in the categories Best TV Film and Best Book TV Film .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Page of the broadcaster Das Erste about the film ( Memento from January 6, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on January 17, 2013.
  2. a b c Tim Slagman: Abridged ARD thriller about child trafficking: Too pessimistic for prime time. Der Spiegel, January 15, 2013, accessed on January 16, 2013 .
  3. Many reactions to the ARD film "Operation Zucker" ( memento from January 20, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) at stern.de
  4. ^ ARD film "Operation Zucker": Challenge of prime time at zeit.de
  5. Explosive TV material: Nothing is glossed over at tagesspiegel.de
  6. Manuel Weis: Primetime check: Wednesday, January 16, 2012 (sic!). Quotemeter.de , January 17, 2013, accessed on January 17, 2013 .
  7. Joachim Huber: ARD film "Operation Sugar" challenge of prime time. Zeit Online, January 16, 2013, accessed January 17, 2013 .
  8. ^ Operation Sugar. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film Service , accessed January 17, 2013 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  9. Potentially overwhelming, not just for teenagers
  10. Doña Carmen eV: "Operation Sugar": ARD continues politically motivated campaign against prostitution ( Memento of the original from June 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 147 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.donacarmen.de
  11. 2013 Rockies * * Program Competition Winners ( Memento of the original from June 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed June 13, 2013 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.banffmediafestival.com
  12. German Camera Award 2013: Award winners report Morten Søborg  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed June 25, 2013@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.deutscher-kamerapreis.de  
  13. derStandard.at - Romy Academy Awards: ATV and Puls 4 share the best program idea . Article dated April 15, 2016, accessed April 15, 2016.