Info
Feature Length Documentary
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 90 min
Is a world free of malaria only an illusion?
Director: Katharina Weingartner
DOP: Siri Klug
Production: zero one film Berlin, Pooldocks Vienna and Langfilm, CHE
Jean Ziegler
“A tightly constructed and gripping cinematic lesson (…)”
Falter.at, Michael Omasta, September, 23 2020
“The Fever” is a visually stunning film about a devastating disease – and the enduring outrage of colonial history.
ORF Radio FM4, Maria Motter September, 22 2020
Synopsis
Malaria is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world – claiming thousands of lives every day, especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Filming in the areas of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania – around Lake Victoria – particularly during the rainy season, which is when malaria is most deadly, posed special challenges for both the crew and the equipment.
Director Katharina Weingartner made it a central goal to shift the perspective: the film focuses not on Western experts or NGO workers, but on local protagonists – activists, researchers, and medical personnel who face the disease directly.
This approach shaped a complex story that aims to shed light on the present and future of this disease. The film takes viewers to Africa – to the people affected by malaria, to those researching and treating it on the ground, and to those struggling to survive the illness.