Directing

Kai Wessel

Born

1961-09-19 (65)

Place of birth

Hamburg, Germany

Known for

Directing

Credits

33 titles

Known for

Series credits

Behind the camera

Fog in August poster
7.4

A Yenish boy is placed in a mental hospital and experiences the Nazi euthanasia program. Aware of what was happening and attached to friends, the lad attempts to sabotage the program. The film addresses the complexities of the program director, the lives of the child victims, and the struggles of the child protagonist. More than five thousand children died in the Nazi euthanasia program.

Fog in August

2016

An einem Tag im September poster
6.3

No synopsis available yet.

An einem Tag im September

2025

Im Tunnel poster
4.0

After Maren's brother is murdered, the young woman is completely shaken. Because the police only deal with the case in a routine manner and have no results to show for it, she sets about investigating the case herself. But in doing so, she realizes that she may be tangling with powerful people whose influence extends into her immediate surroundings. She believes that the nuclear waste mafia is behind her brother's death and that her own husband Mehdi is one of the criminals. Maren no longer knows who to trust. She feels like she is being watched every step of the way and even her best friend Iris doesn't believe a word she says. Little by little, Maren has to ask herself whether her family is in grave danger or whether she herself is the one in danger...

Im Tunnel

2017

Hilde poster
5.3

A biography of Hildegard Knef, one of Germany's biggest post-war stars.

Hilde

2009

Cicero - Zwei Leben, eine Bühne poster
5.0

Eugen and Roger Cicero were father and son, but above all they were extraordinary artists. While Eugen achieved fame as a piano virtuoso in the 1960s and performed with star singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Shirley Bassey, Roger filled huge concert halls years later as one of Germany's most gifted singers. Their life stories are inextricably interwoven and show fascinating parallels - genius paired with an unparalleled passion, the overcoming of boundaries, the balancing act between commercial success and artistic integrity and ultimately the tragic outcome that still shakes the music world today.

Cicero - Zwei Leben, eine Bühne

2022

Ramstein - The Pierced Heart poster
7.2

The accident during an air show in Ramstein in the summer of 1988 is one of the greatest tragedies in German post-war history. Against the backdrop of the momentous collision of two aerobatic planes on "Open Day" at the American air base, this film tells the story of four families in fictionalized form - they are visitors to the air show who lost their loved ones in the horrific inferno, and an emergency doctor who cannot forget the sight of the dead and injured. They all suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome. Years after the disaster, they finally have the opportunity to share their experiences and come to terms with the trauma in a specially founded aftercare group. Meanwhile, a duo of investigators commissioned by the German Federal Ministry investigates the background to the air accident and uncovers massive failures in safety precautions and rescue measures. Beyond political responsibility on both the German and American sides, both come up against a wall of silence.

Ramstein - The Pierced Heart

2022

Pampa Blues poster
6.0

Since the Americans gave up their military training area near Endlingen / Ostalbkreis, the region has been going downhill: Maslow, a jack of all trades, is working on a UFO so that the dump will be mentioned in the press. Meanwhile, Ben - reluctantly entrusted with the care of his demented grandfather - falls in love with Lena, who has ended up in the town ...

Pampa Blues

2015

Kidnapping Mom & Dad poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

Kidnapping Mom & Dad

1998

The Year of the First Kiss poster
6.3

31 year-old Tristan remembers the time when he was 15 and had just hit puberty. But he is not alone in this, he is with a large group of friends: Specki, a fat kid who is always stuffing himself, Streusel, a cheeky boy covered with spots, Tümai, a pretty Turkish girl, Kerstin, best friend of Tümai and very sporty, Elrond, with a heavy stutter, but regardless extremely popular and good looking, Lars and Simone, so far the only couple in the class who spend most of their time smooching and Long Jana, a girl who is at least 6 foot tall and extremely skinny.

The Year of the First Kiss

2002

No artwork available
4.0

No synopsis available yet.

Beckmann und Markowski: Im Zwiespalt der Gefühle

1996

Alles Liebe poster
4.5

Mother Irma turns 65 - which puts her children under stress. Businesswoman Kathrin, single mother Nettchen and student Laurenz actually prefer to avoid each other. But now they decide to invite Irma to their old vacation home by the lake. But the cheerful celebration turns out to be a disaster: Surprise guests such as Laurenz's hot new flame, the family's Danish friend and Irma's old girlfriend, with whom she has fallen out, are annoying. And then the siblings start to reproach each other.

Alles Liebe

2010

Alles Liebe poster
4.5

Mother Irma turns 65 - which puts her children under stress. Businesswoman Kathrin, single mother Nettchen and student Laurenz actually prefer to avoid each other. But now they decide to invite Irma to their old vacation home by the lake. But the cheerful celebration turns out to be a disaster: Surprise guests such as Laurenz's hot new flame, the family's Danish friend and Irma's old girlfriend, with whom she has fallen out, are annoying. And then the siblings start to reproach each other.

Alles Liebe

2010

Martha Jellneck poster
8.0

72 years old Martha Jellneck lives alone in a small apartment in Hamburg. Since she's hampered in walking, she never leaves her home. Her only contacts to the outside world are the young social worker Thomas and a neighbor boy who walks her dog. When Thomas tells her one day that Franz Laub, another one of his clients, has his birthday, she becomes suspicious: that was also her half-brother's name and day of birth - only that he died in WW2...

Martha Jellneck

1988

Die Spur der roten Fässer poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

Die Spur der roten Fässer

1996

Break-Out to the Unknown poster
5.1

In the near future: Europe is in chaos. Right-wing extremists have taken power in many countries. The democratic state that once was Germany has become a totalitarian system that persecutes dissenters, Muslims and homosexuals. Jan Schneider has stood as a lawyer on the side of dispossessed victims. When he learns that the regime wants to jail him again, he decides to flee with his family. His goal is the South African Union, which enjoys political and economic stability after an economic boom. A freighter is to bring him, his wife Sarah and the two children Nora and Nick together with other refugees to Cape Town, but the tugs abandon their passengers in much too small boats off the coast of Namibia. On rough seas, it comes to disaster, the little Nick is lost, and no one knows if he could reach the shore...

Break-Out to the Unknown

2018

Es war einer von uns poster
7.0

Story of 33-year-old Johanna, who wakes up distraught and disoriented in a park near her apartment the morning after her best friend Leonie's birthday party. Johanna has no memory of the last few hours. She doesn't know what happened, how she got there - a total blank. Obviously, however, she was the victim of an act of violence - the young woman was raped. Johanna presses charges against unknown persons. Her circle of friends, especially Leonie and her fiancé Björn, react with dismay and look after her lovingly. However, when the police find out that Johanna was given knockout drops at Leonie's party and it can therefore be assumed that the perpetrator came from her circle of friends, Johanna's life seems to fall apart at the seams...

Es war einer von uns

2010

No artwork available
6.5

A live broadcast TV-thriller by Kai Wessel.

Feuer in der Nacht

2004

No artwork available
10.0

Feature film.

Das Sommeralbum

1992

No artwork available
6.5

No synopsis available yet.

Im Gehege

2008

Mord in Ludwigslust poster
2.7

In the castle park of Ludwigslust lies a dead woman. Investigators encounter a wall of silence. Everyone knew the dead "Lulu", many have a motive, everyone is afraid. But from what? Sophia Eichstätt, analyst at the LKA Kiel, investigates in the case, which assumes ever larger dimensions. Who is the perpetrator, who is the victim? Sophia gets caught between the fronts and has to decide which side she's on. It is dangerous on both sides.

Mord in Ludwigslust

2012

Lena Fauch und die Tochter des Amokläufers poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Lena Fauch und die Tochter des Amokläufers

2012

No artwork available
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Ein letzter Wille

1994

No artwork available
NR

Since June 1983, nine editions, black and white, 16mm blown up to 35mm. Between commercials and the main feature, five minutes of black and white: newsreels from the 1990s with stylistic elements from the 1950s.

Hamburger Wochenschau Nr.0

1983

No artwork available
10.0

"Are you crazy?" "Nope, Down syndrome." Jakob knows his problem and can live well with it. His older brother Julian, however, he does not care about the Mongo. Even after the death of her mother Anna, does not think Julian cares about his younger brother. It's the other way around: Jacob helps him overcome the grief over Anna's death.

Mein Bruder, der Idiot

2000

No artwork available
3.7

The shipyard in Boizenburg is where welder Karl and his friends and relatives work. Rumours about the traditional company's financial difficulties are circulating, but the young people are initially unfazed. However, the effects of the shipyard crisis are increasingly making themselves felt in their lives. The brother-in-law of Karl's girlfriend, Kitty, loses his job and eventually takes his own life. Shortly afterwards, Karl also receives his notice of termination. After a night of drinking with his shipyard colleagues to drown his frustrations, he cheats on Kitty with another woman. Their great love seems to be coming to an end.

Hat er Arbeit?

2000

No artwork available
7.5

No synopsis available yet.

Leben wäre schön

2003

Frau Roggenschaubs Reise poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Frau Roggenschaubs Reise

2015

No artwork available
4.2

No synopsis available yet.

Juls Freundin

2002

Goebbels und Geduldig poster
7.0

It is 1944 and Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels narrowly escapes an assassination attempt on the way to Obersalzberg. It is whispered to him that his rival Heinrich Himmler is the mastermind and that he has also hidden a double of the propaganda minister. Goebbels sets off immediately. He meets his double, Harry Geduldig, in a mysterious fortress. There is a mix-up. The real Goebbels remains a prisoner in the fortress, while the fake one deceives the guards and escorts and frees his great love Grete Zipfel. At a party meeting in Nuremberg, the people cheer him on. But then the journey takes him into the lion's den: on the Obersalzberg he meets Hitler and finally "his" wife Magda. Harry risks everything to save Grete.

Goebbels und Geduldig

2001

No artwork available
9.0

The chemist Tomschläger uses his friend Kirchhoff to conduct dirty business.

Um jeden Preis

1994

No artwork available
NR

A short social drama. As you make your bed, so you must lie in it. About the difficulty of finding the right bed. He wants the bed, she wants love, the salesman sees loneliness.

Menschen betten Glück und Leid

1985