Another schoolday in Class 1e. Yet again, Sanita tiptoes in still sleepy-eyed and far too late. She sits herself next to Bright who's stuck his head in his folded arms as though he were invisible. Meanwhile, slightly confused, Laethicia straightens her plastic crown and frowns at the sliderule while Fuat prefers to daydream of a drive in the car with his dad. Bright, Fuat, Laethicia and Sanita all live in Berlin and have one problem in common: they are school-beginners. For no matter whether they are Nigerian, Bosnian, German or Turkish, going to school for these six to eight years old means a daily run-in with that feeling of being different. But in such a full classroom, there is little room for emotion. The routine school-day is a lonesome fight for adjustment and accomplishment, seeking perhaps an outlet. Who will get a chance and who'll be left out? A trip back to childhood, a film that approaches the little ones with respect and gives them lots of time. The verdict of the jury: Always on a level playing field. Respectful, reserved, affectionate. Patient, relaxed, observant. A class in its first year at school, a place which we all know and at which the first conflicts can emerge. We are immersed in the world of Fuat, Laethicia, Bright and Sanita as Anne Misselwitz with her intuitive camerawork enables us to experience and feel what the children are going through. An unpreconceived look that is never judgemental or intrusive. A film that leaves its mark.

Anne Misselwitz was born 1977 in Jena and grew up in London. In 2001, she completed her first course of study with a BA in Film & Video at the London College of Communication. She then went on to study cinematography at the Film & Television Acadamie (HFF) “Konrad Wolf” in Potsdam Babelsberg. The Amount of Small Things was her graduate piece there.