Film Archive

Mostly Martha (Bella Martha)

Martha, in her own slightly obsessive but charming way, creates sublime masterpieces in the art of cooking as a chef of a small gourmet restaurant in Hamburg. And yet, her everyday existence is rather monotonous. She is introverted, has hardly any private life, and exists only for her work. All of that changes when her sister, a single mother, dies in an accident and Martha has to take care of Lina, her sister's eight-year-old daughter. The little girl suffers badly from the loss of her mother. It is only the presence of Mario, Martha's merry Italian colleague, who brings light and pasta into the lives of the two outsiders. He turns from a rival into a loving friend. A sensitive romance starts between them, just when Lina's long-lost father appears. He wants to take Lina back with him to Italy.
And Martha? Martha has to make a decision.

Sandra Nettelbeck was born in Hamburg in 1966 and completed her high school education in 1984. She was a production assistant on several films between 1984-1985 and began studying Film at San Francisco State University in 1987, producing among others A Certain Grace, (Best Short Film, San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 1992). She made her feature debut Loose Ends (Unbestaendig und kuehl) in 1995 and wrote and directed Mammamia (Best Screenplay and Best Film, Ophuels Festival Saarbruecken 1998) in 1997. Her other films include Mostly Martha (Bella Martha, 2001), and Sergeant Pepper (2004).
 

Genre Drama
Category Feature Film Cinema
Year of Production 2000
Director Sandra Nettelbeck
Screenplay Sandra Nettelbeck
Director of Photography Michael Bertl
Editor Mona Braeuer
Music by Manfred Eicher
Production Design Thomas Freudenthal
Producers Karl Baumgartner, Christoph Friedel
Production Company Pandora Film Produktion/Cologne, in co-production with Palomar/Rome, T & C Film/Zurich
Principal Cast Oliver Broumis, Sybille Canonica, Sergio Castellitto, Maxime Foerste, Martina Gedeck, Katja Studt, Ulrich Thomsen, Idil Uener, August Zirner
Casting Heta Mantscheff
Length 107 min, 2,928 m
Format 35 mm, color, 1:1.85
Original Version German
Subtitled Versions English, French, Italian, Spanish
Sound Technology Dolby Digital
Festival Screenings Locarno 2001 (Piazza), Toronta 2001, Berlin 2002 (German Cinema), Ophuels-Festival Saarbruecken 2002, Gothenburg 2002, Créteil 2002, Havana 2002, Tehran 2003
Awards Jury’s Grand Prix Best Feature Film Créteil 2002, German Film Award 2002 for Best Leading Actress, German Film Critics' Award 2003 for Best Actress
With backing from German Federal Film Board (FFA), FilmFoerderung Hamburg

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