Studio Seidel : SPPD - St. Pauli Police Department 'The Pig is Dead' receives award at New York Independent Film Festival

SPPD stands for: St Pauli Police Department. At the beginning of the year, director and photographer Florian Seidel got together with his Studio Seidel and plenty of friends, to shoot a pilot film for future web series on the Freudenhaus St. Pauli restaurant in Hamburg. He has already caused quite a stir.

Hamburg’s Cinemaxx Premiere in May broke down due to overcrowding; the party was just as wild. Olivia Jones led the way in the evening, even BUNTE magazine (a gloriously grotesque internet whodunit) and BILD (the weirdest Hamburg whodunit ever) gave their verdicts.

The latest super highlight was its crowning as Best Movie Award International at New York’s Independent Film Festival in the International Shortfilm category. What more could one want?

The story: Olivia Jones finds a dead wild boar in front of the bar. It is wearing funny clothes. A mobile rings in the pathology – in the pig’s stomach. Following a choreography of pursuit, dance and investigation, the rather bored and challenged detectives manage to track down the culprit, thanks to the help of a medium.

All of the episodes can be viewed in German or English on the special website www.sppd.tv, there are also a couple of extras for your added viewing pleasure. Katrin Chong headed the production, helped by Ina Sprinckstub and with services provided by Telemaz.

Wigald Boning provided the music from his new record Jet Set Jazz, Torsten Lippstock (who has already made a film with Sandra Bullock and works on the international advertising market) was the DOP, editing: Simon Gstöttmayr, sound design and synchronisation Orange-music.com, motion GFX:Jakub Moravek. Graphic Design: Alexander Aczel (posters) and Markus Thommen (typography).

The colours can be accredited to Peter Deinas, Scanwerk Munich. Okapi was in charge of the programming, under the direction of Patrick Kaiser and Axel Schild. ARRI, Madlen and Pictorion das Werk Berlin lent support.

The actors are all local Kiez heroes, especially Matthias Storm and his Freudenhaus, Alexander Aczel as a freelance designer, Stefan Wulff and his laundrette, oenologist Norbert Panzer who is also in charge of the wine cellars of Johnny Depp and the Beckhams, and dancer and choreographer Isabella Rapp. The pilot’s aim is to generate future web formats.