Mission Ulja Funk

When Ulja discovers that an asteroid is due to hit a village in Belarus in two days’ time, she knows what she has to do. A rapid road movie about a twelve-year-old scientist who takes off on a great journey with her classmate and a hearse.

Ulja Funk is fascinated by astronomy and wants to give a lecture on her current findings to the choir congregation of the Lemheim Free Church. Frustrated by the lack of interest with which she is met, she secretly takes matters into her own hands and tries to reach the village in Belarus where a small asteroid is due to hit in just under two days. MISSION ULJA FUNK is a fast-paced and quirky road movie about a 12-year-old asteroid researcher who doesn't rock just her family's boat.

The feature-film directorial debut (in co-production with Poland and Luxembourg) of media producer, screenwriter, and director Barbara Kronenberg was made under the auspices of the German initiative “Der besondere Kinderfilm” ("Outstanding Films for Children"). A unique aspect of the film is that it is not, like usual, an adaptation of some bestselling children's book but, instead, is based on an original screenplay. Another special aspect of this film is the familial milieu within which it is set: a Russian-German family living in a small mining town named Lemheim, where for the free church parish divine creation and science are incompatible. MISSION ULJA FUNK is an affectionate road movie for young and adult viewers from the age of six.

Image © Ricardo Vaz Palma, In Good Company