Die Wannseekonferenz (2022 film)

For the 1984 TV film, see The Wannsee Conference (film).

"The Conference" redirects here; not to be confused with The Conference (2023 film).

Die Wannseekonferenz, international title The Conference, is a German TV docudrama, first aired January 24, 2022 by the ZDF broadcaster, about the Wannsee Conference held in Berlin-Wannsee in 1942 to organise the extermination of the Jews.

Die Wannseekonferenz
Genre	Docudrama Historical drama
Written by	Magnus Vattrodt Paul Mommertz
Directed by	Matti Geschonneck
Starring	Philipp Hochmair Arnd Klawitter Johannes Allmayer
Narrated by	Matthias Brandt
Country of origin	Germany
Original language	German
Production
Producers	Friederich Oetker Reinhold Elschot
Cinematography	Theo Bierkens
Running time	108 minutes
Production companies	Constantin Television ZDF
Original release
Network	ZDF
Release	24 January 2022 (2022-01-24)

Background

Director Matti Geschonneck shows a reenactment of the real Wannsee Conference held January 20, 1942, based on a script by Magnus Vattrodt. German Nazi officials meet midst the Second World War to determine the so-called “Final Solution to the Jewish Question”. It is not the beginning of the Shoah but it is a meeting to coordinate various government branches for carrying out the destruction of Jews.^[1][2]

The villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58, where the Wannsee Conference was held, is now a memorial and museum.^[3][4]

Cast

• Philipp Hochmair as Reinhard Heydrich, Chief of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA)
• Johannes Allmayer as Adolf Eichmann, Head of RSHA IV B4
• Sascha Nathan as Dr. Josef Bühler
• Arnd Klawitter as Dr. Roland Freisler, for the Reich Ministry of Justice
• Markus Schleinzer as Otto Hofmann
• Fabian Busch as Dr. Gerhard Klopfer
• Thomas Loibl as Friedrich Wilhelm Kritzinger
• Frederic Linkemann as Dr. Rudolf Lange
• Rafael Stachowiak as Georg Leibbrandt
• Simon Schwarz as Martin Luther
• Peter Jordan as Dr. Alfred Meyer
• Jakob Diehl as Heinrich Müller, Chief of RSHA Department IV (the Gestapo)
• Matthias Bundschuh as Erich Neumann
• Maximilian Brückner as Dr. Eberhard Schöngarth
• Godehard Giese as Wilhelm Stuckart, for the Reich Ministry for the Interior
• Lilli Fichtner as Ingeburg Werlemann
• Frederik Schmid as Eichmann's adjutant

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10.^[5]

Awards and nominations

German Television Award^[6]

• 2022: Best Film Made for Television
• 2022: Best Writing Fiction – Paul Mommertz and Magnus Vattrodt
• 2022: Best Actor – Philipp Hochmair (Nominee)
• 2022: Best Directing Fiction – Matti Geschonneck (Nominee)

Grimme Award^[7]

• 2023: Fiction

Barcelona-Sant Jordi International Film Festival

• 2022: Best Film^[8]

Civis Media Prize

• 2022: Entertainment (Civis Video Award)^[9][10]

New York Festivals TV & Film Awards

• 2022: Feature Films (Gold Award)^[11]

Romy

• 2022: Favorite Actor – Philipp Hochmair (Reinhard Heydrich)^[12]
• 2022: Best Film TV/Stream – Friederich Oetker and Reinhold Elschot^[13]
• 2022: Best Writing TV/Stream – Magnus Vattrodt and Paul Mommertz^[13]

Prix Europa

• 2022: Best European TV Film^[14]

Günter-Rohrbach-Filmpreis

• 2022: Best Film^[15]

Fernsehfilmfestival Baden-Baden

• 2022: 3sat-Publikumspreis (Audience Award)^[16][17]

See also

• Heinz Schirk (director): The Wannsee Conference, a 1984 German TV film
• Conspiracy – a 2001 English language film
• Fatherland – an alternate history novel dealing in large part with the Wannsee Conference - 1992
• List of Holocaust films