“The Mariana Trench”, interview with director Eileen Byrne

April 18, 2025

Eileen Byrne: “Tragicomedies are my way of looking at life, Jasmin Schreiber’s book touched me”

“The Mariana Trench”, interview with director Eileen Byrne Chiara Nicoletti

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After closing the 38th edition of the Bolzano Film Festival – Bozen, “The Mariana Trench (Marianengraben) – La Fossa delle Marianne” by Eileen Byrne is coming out in Italian movie theaters, with Trent Film, from April 24th.

The film is based on Jasmin Schreiber’s book and it tells the story of Paula (Luna Wedler), a young woman grieving the loss of her little brother, who meets on her path a widower, Helmut, who’s also dealing with loss.

It all started, for Eileen Byrne, at the Books at Berlinale, an initiative of the film festival where a selection of books is presented to representatives of the audiovisual industry as they might be perfect for a film adaptation.

Jasmin Schreiber’s book resonated with Byrne who decided to adapt it for her directorial debut. “Tragicomedies are my way of looking at life, Jasmin Schreiber’s book touched me” says Eileen Byrne.

Key to the film are the two protagonists of the film, playing Paula and Helmet: Luna Wedler and Edgar Selge.

Plot

Since her little brother Tim drowned in Trieste, Paula has lost the will to live. When she encounters old Helmut, a widower who wants to drive the ashes of his late wife to South Tyrol, she sees a way out – to go to Trieste and take her own life on Tim’s birthday.

Written by: Chiara Nicoletti

Berlinale Trent Film

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