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Original Film Title: König Der Nacht – Leben zwischen Schall und Rau(s)ch
Director’s Name: Martin Miron
Writer’s Name: Benjamin Braun, Nadine Basten
Producer: Katalin Kochansik, Lukas Gardemann, Martin Miron
Country of Origin: Germany
Country of Filming: Germany, Italy, Spain
Language: German
Runtime: 1 hour 10 minutes 46 seconds
Film Description:
Since its founding in 2000, the Nachtresidenz Düsseldorf has mastered numerous challenges and is now one of the best-known and oldest discos in Germany. The former cinema on Königsallee attracts guests from all over NRW and Germany (a conurbation of 11 million people) who leave everyday life behind them in extravagant outfits and plenty of champagne.
However, digitalisation and the accompanying change in nightlife culture make it more difficult to maintain club operations, culture and visitor flows. Nevertheless, managing director and bon vivant Marcel Oelbracht and his team manage to maintain the attractiveness of the Nachtresidenz with new concepts, spectacular shows and international acts. He is our leading figure and we look at a person between genius and madness or between sound and sound(s)ch. He is our King of the Night.
The King Of The Night is a film about a man who sacrifices everything to be at the top. The factual entertainment documentary highlights the challenges Marcel overcomes on his road to success, including his difficult childhood, his marriage and struggle for recognition in the industry, and his unquenchable thirst for success to this day.
In March 2020, the Night Residence was forced to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is where the journey begins with an intense look behind the scenes. The work shows the emotional rollercoaster Marcel and his team go through on their way to reopening and how they try to keep the business going. Numerous obstacles, such as renovation work, thefts, gang crime, drug escapades and a ceiling collapse during ongoing operations, bring Marcel and his team to the brink of despair time and again.
The film also shows an insight into the private life of Marcel and his wife, who supports him, as well as intimate situations of some of the permanent team members, in real, not posed situations.
In several chapters, one gets a glimpse into a world full of dubiousness with an extremely entertaining and inscrutable protagonist. A world with contradictions, fears and a lot of passion. The King of the Night is close, independent and a portrait of a dying culture.
The production illuminates authentic facets of nightlife and is in no way an advertisement for the club or its operators. Quite the opposite. It was important to us to capture critical voices and show an honest picture. This is the only way to form a realistic picture of this world and its people.