SYNOPSIS

Fritz Haber was a brilliant German chemist with one of the most extraordinary dual legacies in history. On the one hand, his revolutionary process for creating synthetic fertilizers averted the greatest overpopulation crisis the world has ever known, won him the Nobel Prize in 1918, and now feeds over 2 billion people.

But Haber was also a staunch German patriot who loved his country with an almost blinding loyalty. Born and raised Jewish, his longing to be accepted as a true German and his intense ambition in his career led him to convert to Christianity and abandon his faith. When World War I broke out, the bloody stalemate of trench warfare threatened to slaughter an entire generation of young Germans, and the German military begged Haber to use his genius to create a new kind of weapon that could break the deadlock.

As Haber agonized over the decision, his wife, Clara, a chemist herself who had sacrificed her own career to support his, implored him not to go through with it. But Haber, his opportunity to become a true German hero finally at hand, agreed to help the military—and became the father of modern chemical warfare. Ultimately, the tragedy of Haber’s legacy was personal as well—for Clara, horrified at his decision, committed suicide in protest.

OTHER SELECT FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

• Winner, Film Production Grant, The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
• Winner, New York City Media Arts Grant, The Jerome Foundation
• Winner, Best of Fest, 2008 LA Shorts Fest

DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY

Daniel Ragussis was born and raised in Washington DC, where he received his BA from Georgetown University, graduating fourth in his class, and was a Rhodes Scholarship finalist. He recently completed his MFA at Columbia University, where he was a Film Division Fellow. His most recent film, “Haber,” has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Variety, Chemical & Engineering News, the German magazine Biografie, and Chemical Heritage, among others. He has been invited to speak on panels at the New York Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Premiere of Einstein’s Gift, the Rhode Island International Film Festival, and was the key guest speaker at the National Research Council’s Committee on Chemical Demilitarization. He has two feature scripts in development, one about Haber, and the other about the young Sigmund Freud.

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SHOWTIMES

PLAYS IN THE DISCOVERY SHORT FILMS PROGRAMME #3 (VIEW DETAILS)

SAT. 5/16 at 4:00PM
Stockton Empire Theatre

THUR. 5/21 at 6:00PM
Matinée Movie Lounge

CAST AND CREW

Screenwriter: Daniel Ragussis
Producer: Brian Hwang, Chris Spanos, Daniel Ragussis, Shannon Factor
Executive Producer: Heather Muchow, Michael Ragussis, William Spanos
Cinematographer: Carlos Veron
Picture Editor: Sara Corrigan
Production Design: Hsinping Dai
Costume Design: Jodi Cottongim
Music: Simon Taufique
Principal Cast: Christian Berkel, Juliane Köhler, Mark Margolis, Wolf Kahler

Click for Extended Credits

SOURCES

Print Source:
Daniel Ragussis
www.haberfilm.com/contact.html