Into the Beat | Dein Herz Tanzt - Stefan Westerwelle

A ballerina discovers hip-hop by chance and is faced with an impossible choice: Does she pursue her family's legacy or her newfound love?

Director Stefan Westerwelle will be present.
For ages 14+
In German with English subtitles

SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival for children and young audiences comes to the UAE. Organized by the Goethe-Institute Gulf Region in cooperation with The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, German children and youth films and a program of short films will be presented to the young audiences of Abu Dhabi.

See the full festival lineup here.

Synopsis
Katya Orlow grew up in a famous ballet family. She has every chance of following in the footsteps of her late mother and her father Victor, who is still celebrated as a brilliant dancer. She is training very hard to apply to the prestigious New York Ballet Academy, but then an accident happens: Victor injures himself so badly on stage that he has to end his career. Back from the hospital, Katya is now his only hope of carrying on the family tradition. He therefore concentrates completely on his daughter‘s audition. Meanwhile, Katya has met a group of street dancers and is fascinated by their acrobatic moves. From now on, she rehearses the leading part for the ballet, Sleeping Beauty, in the mornings, and in the afternoons she dances together with the gifted hip-hop dancer Marlon. However, when Marlon has the wish that they could perform with the famous Sonic Tigers, Katya finds herself facing a huge conflict.

Stefan Westerwelle

Born in Detmold, Stefan Westerwelle studied film and television at the Academy of Media Arts. His graduation film Solange Du Hier Bist (2006) was shown at the Locarno Film Festival in Montreal and was awarded the special prize for medium-length films with a Golden Lola. In 2008, Westerwelle received the North Rhine-Westphalia Film Prize. His documentary Detlef (2012) and the thriller Lose Your Head (2013) both screened in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival. His dance film Into the Beat | Dein Herz Tant was not only shown in cinemas in 2020 but also launched an international Netflix career the following year. Into the Beat was ranked top 10 in 67 countries and reached an audience of millions. With A Summer of Surprises | Kannawoniwasein!, he devotes himself to another children's film after Matti and Sami and the Three Biggest Errors in the Universe (2018). Westerwelle works as a director and screenwriter.