Land of Plenty

LAND OF PLENTY tells a story in contemporary America but it shows its flip side: LA is not only the capital of the entertainment industry, it is also the U.S.A.’s “capital of hunger”. The film is a political essay but also a very emotional family story, full of black humor. The audience sees the country from very different perspectives: On the one hand, it is seen through the eyes of a patriotic Vietnam veteran and on the other it is shown from the perspective of his niece, an independent young woman.

Paul, former soldier of the “US Special Forces”, was injured as an 18-year-old in a combat near Long Thanh and stills suffers from the aftereffects of the toxin Dioxin (Agent Orange) to which he was exposed more than 30 years ago. The September 11 attacks revived his trauma and therefore the ghosts of his past return. He is obsessed with the idea of protecting his country against attacks from the inside and engages in the “war against terror” as a self-appointed homeland defender.

Lana is an idealist, searching for her task in the world. In the process, she understands and considers her Christianity more and more in striking contrast to the principals of the acting U.S. government.

By chance, the two witness a murder. A homeless man becomes the victim of a drive-by shooting, a seemingly arbitrary act. For Paul it is a hot lead in a conspiracy theory, for Lana it is just another sad episode in a world gone to pieces.

For Lana and Paul the story ends at the place where the American history of the 21st century took a dramatic turn: in NY at Ground Zero.

Format

Germany/USA 2003/2004
Length: 123 min, 3379 m
Format: DV, 35mm color; 1:2,35; Dolby Digital
Original Language: English


Festivals & Awards

2004 • Venice International Filmfestival: UNESCO Award (Best Director)


Cast and crew

Production: Reverse Angle International GmbH (Hamburg), Independent Digital Entertainment Inc. (Los Angeles) Director: Wim Wenders Producer: Gary Winick, Jake Abraham, In-Ah Lee, Samson Mücke Screenplay: Wim Wenders, Michael Meredith, based on an idea of Scott Derrickson and Wim Wenders Director of Photography: Franz Lustig Editor: Moritz Laube Sound: Matthew Nicolay Cast: John Diehl, Michelle Williams, Richard Edson, Wendell Pierce, Burt Young, Shaun Toub, Bernard White, Gloria Stuart

Co-Producer: Mandy Tagger Executive Producer: Peter Schwartzkopff, John Sloss, Jonathan Sehring, Caroline Kaplan Assistant Director: Josef Lieck, Edward McGurn Assistant Camera: Alec Boehm, Marie Chao, Tate Wittenberg, Christian Aiello Assistant Editor: Mark Andrew Clark Site Management: George McDowell, Marla Ulrich Casting: Ellen Lewis, Victoria Thomas Wardrobe: Alexis Scott, Rosalita N. Medina Hairstyle/Make-up: Barbara Leister, Haruyo Sawada, Susanne Niederhoff Light: Michael Glover, Jon C. Callesen, Trevor Houghton Set: Chris Lindsay, Adam Camacho, Matthew Perry, Brian Fischer, Bill Isaacson, Joseph Dianda Production Manager: Shaun McNally Production Assistant: Edward Buhr, David D’Alessio Still Photographer: Donata Wenders Set Design: Nathan Amondson Music: Thom & Nackt Music Execution: Alex Steyermark, Linda Cohen Location Manager: Samson Mücke Art Director: Nicole Lobart, William Budge Property Master: Rtirerk Kitisakkul, Svenja Willebrand, Dominique Navarro Script: Sylvie Michel-Casey Primary Distribution: Reverse Angle Pictures GmbH (Berlin) World Sales: HanWay Films


Blu-ray & DVD

DVD (DE)
Arthaus/Studiocanal
Language/Sound: German, English (5.1 Dolby Digital)
Subtitles: German
Image Format: 1,78:1

DVD (GB)
Axiom Films
Language/Sound: English (Stereo 2.0, optional 5.1)
Subtitles: English
Image Format: 1,78:1

DVD (IT)
Dolmen Home Video
Language/Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles: Italian
Image Format: 1,78:1

DVD (POL)
Monolith
Language/Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Polish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: Polish
Image Format: 1,78:1

DVD (SPA)
Vertice Cine S.L.U.
Language/Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Castilian (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: Castilian
Image Format: 1,78:1

DVD (US)
IFC
Language/Sound: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Image Format: 2,35:1

 


Press Sheet (PDF)

License Requests