I AM THE GREATEST

I AM THE GREATEST takes us inside the heads of seven people struggling with the pressures and chaos of our times. We experience their thoughts, daydreams and fantasies as they try not to drown in the overwhelming pressures of our world. 

Seven radical, but touching and humorous stories about everyday situations that push our characters to their emotional limits.


When a stranger bumps into DANIEL (Christian Erdt) on a busy street, he wants to teach the inconsiderate jerk some manners.

For MARIE (Katharina Stark) a first date is a nightmarish battle with her anxieties. What if GABRIEL (Ben Felipe) clocks how deranged she is…?

Alone at night in her room, little YARA (Julia & Luise Gleich) can’t sleep.  Is there a monster in the house or has her mother come back early? 

ROMAN (Nicolai Zeitler) is loosing it while at the playground with his son. Next to the picture perfect parents around him, he’s drowning in self-doubt. 

After a lifetime on the fast lane, KARSTEN (Mark Waschke) finally wants to take his foot off the gas and dare to do the unthinkable: quit his job. All he has to do in the car on the way to his “last meeting ever” is learn how to brake.

AGATHE (Susana Fernandes Genebra) is on a guided dream journey to find the roots of the deep-seated rage inside her preventing her from moving on after a disastrous break-up. 

In his dreams LENNY’s (Carlo Schmitt) favorite popstar loves him back. If MO (Thapelo Mashiane) could see him, for who he really is, so could the rest of the world, right? 

I AM THE GREATEST - an anthology in seven parts.



World premiere on 29.09.2025 at International Film Fest Hamburg

Available to stream online in the DACH terretories on ZDF and Arte Mediathek. 


TEAM 
Directors: Nicolai Zeitler, Marlene Bischof
Screenplay: Marlene Bischof, Nicolai Zeitler
Cast: Christian Erdt, Martin Weigel, Katharina Stark, Ben Felipe, Mark Waschke, Alev Irmak, Nicolai Zeitler, Tyll Zeitler, Julia & Luise Gleich, Friederike Ott, Susana Fernandes Genebra, Peter Trabner, Carlo Schmitt, Thapelo Mashiane
DoP: Rebecca Meining
Editor: Nicolai Zeitler
Score: Giovanni Berg, Richard Ruzicka
Production Design: Lisa Geller
Costume Design: Nadine Wagner
Make-Up & Hairstyling: Julia Schlotke, Steffen Rossmanith
Sound: Philip Hutter, Stefan Postavka
Production Unit Manager: Johannes Kotzke
Coproducers: ZDF Das kleine Fernsehspiel (Lucia Haslauer) in Zusammenarbeit mit arte (Simon Ofenloch, Ann-Sophie Müller) und Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München
Public Funding: FFF Bayern
Producers: Anna-Malike Eigl, Thomas Wöbke, Philipp Trauer

AWARDS
First Steps Awards 2025
nominated for "Feature Length Film" and "Big Audience Award"
Grimme-Preis 2026
nominated in "Fiction"