Dating History

Dating History, a four-minute short film starring Damian Hardung (How to Sell Drugs Online Fast, Maxton Hall), is more than just some commercial. It explores the popular dating venue of museums through the love story of Karima (Cosima Henman) and Felix (Damian Hardung), who dream-travel through various eras of German history. Directed by Julius Gause (known as an actor for "Beyond" and "The Light") the film follows his directorial debut Sugar and offers a fresh perspective on how history and emotion intertwine.
The central challenge of Dating History was to make history resonate with a young generation, lifting it from the dryness of a Friday afternoon lesson into an experience that feels alive. At the same time, the project had to capture the immersive magic of the Deutschlandmuseum without diminishing the wonder of seeing it for the first time. The theme, “Love has always existed”, felt universally relevant: timeless, borderless, and emotionally compelling for young audiences. By allowing viewers to drift dream-like through historical epochs, the film demonstrates how the museum itself functions as an experiential journey. And, of course, the fact that Damian Hardung happens to be genuinely fascinated by history was an added bonus.
From a production standpoint, the film was an enormous challenge. With only two shooting days and a limited budget, we had to stage eight pivotal moments of German history. The sets had to stand side by side, and our shot list needed to be as concise as possible without sacrificing scope. Production designer Laura Jammoul and cinematographer Clemens Barth excelled in the planning, supported by an outstanding crew in execution. We filmed partly inside the Deutschlandmuseum, where existing sets were refined by our art department, and partly on a vast rural estate—where our team constructed scenes ranging from the Berlin Wall to the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, even transforming a chicken coop into a Kant-era flat.
In the end, Dating History became a project we are deeply proud of—not only because it reflects our ambition to create cinematic advertising, but also because we wholeheartedly stand behind its message.