By Markus Tschiedert
The new “Hunger Games” film opens in cinemas on Thursday. In the BZ, director Francis Lawrence and production designer Uli Hanisch talk about how they transformed Berlin for the film.
The star of the new “Hunger Games” film is Berlin!
Once again, it has to be said, because the city already served as a backdrop for the two “Mockingjay” parts. At that time, filming took place at Tempelhof Airport and Messedamm.
Director Francis Lawrence Photo: picture alliance/dpa
Now the prequel story was created here, “The Hunger Games: Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes” opens in cinemas on Thursday. 65 percent of the film was shot on the Spree between February and November 2022. Director Francis Lawrence (52) lived here, lived in Soho House and rarely had to go far to get to Karl-Marx-Alle, the Altes Museum or the Altes Stadthaus.
A lot of artificial snow was distributed during the filming in Karl-Marx-Alle in October 2022 Photo: Ralf Guenther
“At first I just knew that I wanted to shoot in real locations. “Uli Hanisch brought me to Berlin,” says Lawrence in an interview with BZ Uli Hanisch (56. “Perfume”) is one of the most renowned production designers in Germany. “So we really shot this film as analogue as possible,” he explains. “Of course there are many architectural additions. For example Strausberger Platz.”
Set designer Uli Hanisch transformed Berlin into a vision of horror for the “Hunger Games”. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild
We know it with a fountain, but in the film there is a huge statue there. Hanisch: “Of course we’re not building a 40-meter-tall Panema. Our fictional statue, which is based on the Statue of Liberty, can be seen perhaps three times, and of course this is digitally supplemented.
A scene from the film that was filmed in the Animal Anatomical Theater in Mitte Photo: Leonine Studios
The Olympic Stadium was also edited on the computer. The Hunger Games take place there, which are manipulated by Snow (Tom Blyth) so that his favorite Lucy (Rachel Zegler) wins. “The Centennial Hall in Wroclaw was used for interior shots,” says Lawrence. “But we liked the outside view of the Olympic Stadium, which doesn’t have a dome.” It was built digitally for the film.
Filming also took place in Britzer Garten. Scenes were created here in which the fighters were kept in cages like animals. But people shouldn’t allow themselves to be distracted too much, says Hanisch: “I hope that in 90 percent of cases it doesn’t play a big role, and those who notice it will hopefully make them smile when they recognize something.”