STORY
Sometimes life forces us to take a turn and start on a new path.
Leif is supposed to play a concert - in a jazz & blues bar somewhere in Germany. His stage name is Poorboy and he is from Copenhagen. Copenhagen is also where Lene first saw him on stage. Fascinated by Leif’s music, she invited him to play a show at her bar in Germany.
"Leif in Concert - Vol.2" is a day in Lene’s life, the day of the planned concert. It is also Lene’s first shift after a long break. At the bar on this day, Lene meets friends, acquaintances and strangers. She awaits deliveries of beer, wine and cigarettes. Lene allows some of her musician friends to use the bar’s stage for their rehearsal. Everyone who enters the bar that day gets to listen to Leif’s music. The music triggers something different in everybody: a smile, a memory, the desire to dance.
A bar would be nothing without its regulars. That’s why Leif in Concert also tells their stories. In the course of the film we eavesdrop on four conversations. We learn about fairy-pop, invisible mobile phones, giant snails, and maggots feeding on dead bodies.
The stories and lives of the guests and staff, as diverse as they may seem, are intersecting here. Every detail and every anecdote contribute a piece to Lene’s larger story, to this family that makes this gloomy, smoky bar the best place in the world.
But not all is rosy in Lene’s life. She is avoiding some decisions and conflicts. What path lies ahead of her? And what if the concert cannot take place? What if some small details jeopardize all her plannings?
PRODUCER'S NOTE
One idea behind "Leif in Concert - Vol.2" was to make a "film with friends". We had a short window of time for the production and the great desire to bring together many of our previous companions through the film world and friends and make a film about our favourite place: the pub around the corner, this bar that everyone knows, the extended living room where you feel at home, where you can be, as you are.
You don't need a million euro budget to make a good film.
With good ideas, enthusiasm, creativity and perseverance, we succeeded in getting many people excited about our project, co-financiers, sponsors, crowdfunders. With creative financing without the involvement of a TV- station, film-funding or a distribution guarantee, we were able to make "Leif in Concert - Vol.2" in just three months of preparation and in 17 days of shooting.
It was a gift to be allowed to work so freely, with people we like and whose talent we admire, without frills. A return to what makes filmmaking a passion for us. It's not about the largest fleet of vehicles, the most unusual locations or the big limo for director and actors. It's about telling a story and the happiness of working with people you like on something that's important to you.
And if you're wondering why the movie is called "Vol.2"...
We're bringing part 2 of the story to the cinema first. The prequel "Leif in Concert - Vol.1" will be told later.