in the beginning
Domestic violence, in most cases, is not visible to friends or outsiders. And since the Covid-19 pandemic began, many people have been locked down with their abusers. The film “In The Beginning” captures some of the long, uncomfortable, everyday moments of this isolation. “In The Beginning” is about how abusive relationships start. But it is also about how they can end, and the new beginning that every victim deserves. 

We wanted to offer support to anyone in the world who might see this film and consider leaving an abusive partner. But although domestic abuse is a worldwide problem, awareness campaigns and helplines are local. So we created a new website thebeginning.info where the helpline number for any country in the whole world can be found in a matter of seconds. And no matter where you are, you can get help.

16mm, Kodak Vis3 + expired Fujifilm

Director: Marko Roth
DoP: Moritz Dehler
Production Company: Simon & Paul GmbH
Producer: Simon Fessler
Edit: Jorn Schumann
Cast: Leandro Villar, Julie March
1st AC: Tobias Blickle
Set Design: Friederike Seybold
Creative Director: Vicky Jacob-Ebbinghaus
Sound Design: Staub Audio, Moritz Staub and Karin Pallier
Grading: Marina Starke
Art Director: Juarez Rodrigues

Special thanks to:
HFF Munich, Friends & Fellows, FGV Schmidle, Focus Film Lab