“A hypersensitive ensemble story… a beautiful mirror of our first moments with the virus.”Séries Mania
“Written and filmed during lockdown, with space for improvisation to capture those moments when the health crisis upended private lives, Sunshine Eyes is grounded in reality yet never feels heavy. It shifts with ease between tenderness, loss, and hope. With fluid direction reminiscent of Gus Van Sant and performances of striking grace, the series delivers a message of love and hope with rare tenderness.”Le Figaro
“Bringing reality on screen… a direct record of the first few months of the pandemic.”Seriencamp
“Sunshine Eyes has a rawness and authentic voice that really sticks out in Germany.”Gerhard Maier, Artistic Director, Seriencamp Festival
Torsten Zarges of DWDL.de called it an exceptional project, one that stood apart from its twelve competition rivals although no broadcaster was attached.DWDL.de
Sunshine Eyes is an ensemble series created in Berlin during the first lockdown in spring 2020. Written, directed, and produced by Maria von Heland, the project captures the intimate and fragile moments of a city in crisis.
- Director / Writer / Producer
- Maria von Heland
- Producers
- Dorothe Beinemeier
Philipp Kreuzer
Eric Holland
Johnny West - Cinematographers
- Cristian Pirjol
Sten Mende - Editors
- Sylvain Coutandin
Søren B. Ebbe - Composer
- Birger Clausen
- Production
- Tindra Film GbR, Red Balloon Film GmbH, Maze Pictures GmbH
- Festivals
- Séries Mania, Seriencamp (Munich), Berlin Series Festival
- Distribution
- BETA film / formerly NETFLIX
- With
- Laetitia Adrian, Aliza von Heland, Jude West, Fritz Ali Hansen, Nina Petri, Juliane Köhler, Viola Sandberg, Tyron Ricketts, Tim Seyfi, Soma Pysall, Stephanie Eidt, Barry Atsma, Laura Lippmann, Irina Thiab, Itay Tiran, Paula Thielecke, Jana Julia Roth, Maren Hagedorn, Marius Blanck, Benjamin Kleiner, Stefan Kurt, Emma Floßmann, Yousef Sweid.
From the series
Two sisters, separated after the death of their mother, fight to find their way back to one another. A father struggles to keep his job while caring for his restless son. A couple unravels under the strain of confinement. Their grandmother lives under the shadow of Covid, her presence a reminder of how fragile love and life can be.
Across these stories, ordinary lives are shaken as the pandemic reaches into every corner of the private sphere — revealing how quickly the rhythms of daily life can dissolve, and how deeply we depend on one another when the world closes in.
Sunshine Eyes was shot under strict lockdown conditions with a small, agile crew and a cast of young Berliners. Much of the dialogue was improvised, lending immediacy and authenticity to the performances. This raw method mirrors the uncertainty of the time and lets the characters’ emotions unfold with unusual intensity.