Debates in Germany should be conducted with a bit more calm, according to filmmaker Michael Bully Herbig. “The situation needs to swing back toward a bit more balance, and people should listen to each other a little more again. It’s actually not that hard,” the director told the German press agency on the occasion of the release of his comedy “Das Kanu des Manitu”.
The film is the sequel to the Western parody “Der Schuh des Manitu,” which was one of the most successful German films. He sees the growing awareness of injustices, hurtful or racist depictions, as a positive development. “The woke movement in itself is a good thing,” he says. “But as with everything in life: when it’s exaggerated, it tips to the other direction.”
The 57-year-old advocates for calm on both sides. “It’s just as wrong to attack everything you dislike and call it woke.”
“The Canoe of Manitu” opens in theaters on August 14. One thing surprised him, he said: “That apparently we were not trusted to handle this creatively and cleverly, but instead it’s being attacked first.” There are almost only stubborn viewpoints. “Rather than saying, “Now we’ll make a nice film and then watch it together,” he suggested.
Marcy Ellerton
