Irina Potapenko

Irina Potapenko (*1986 in Crimea) is a German-Ukrainian actress. Potapenko was born on the Crimean peninsula in the then Soviet Union. In 1994 she came to Berlin with her mother. Since she was twelve years old, she has played theater, first in a Russian chamber theater, later at the Volksbühne Berlin, among other things, in productions by Frank Castorf. The FilmRevenge was nominated for the Oscar as the best non-English-language film. In addition, she also participated in radio plays. In 2009, she was awarded the Actor Award at the Max Ophüls Prize film festival and nominated for Best German Actress in 2012 for the Jupiter Award. Description above from the Wikipedia article Irina Potapenko, licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

The Coming Days (2010)

Welcome to 2020: The European Union has collapsed following the fourth Gulf War and massive barricades keep illegal immigrants out of cities that are barely functioning. In the middle of this highly volatile environment is the family of Walter Kuper, an energy ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lars Kraume
CAST:  Bernadette Heerwagen  •  Daniel Brühl  •  Johanna Wokalek  •  August Diehl

Welcome to 2020: The European Union has collapsed following the fourth Gulf War and massive barricades keep illegal immigrants out of cities that are barely functioning. In the middle of this highly volatile environment is the family of Walter Kuper, an energy ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lars Kraume
CAST:  Bernadette Heerwagen  •  Daniel Brühl  •  Johanna Wokalek  •  August Diehl

Running on Empty (2006)

Running on Empty (German: Der Lebensversicherer) is a 2006 German drama film directed by Bülent Akinci. It was entered into the 28th Moscow International Film Festival where Jens Harzer won the award for Best Actor.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Bülent Akinci
CAST:  Jens Harzer  •  Susanne Menner  •  Marina Galic  •  Anna Maria Mühe

Running on Empty (German: Der Lebensversicherer) is a 2006 German drama film directed by Bülent Akinci. It was entered into the 28th Moscow International Film Festival where Jens Harzer won the award for Best Actor.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Bülent Akinci
CAST:  Jens Harzer  •  Susanne Menner  •  Marina Galic  •  Anna Maria Mühe

Murder on Amrum (2009)

Two policemen are stationed on Amrum, a North Sea island on the West coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany’ – an elder, and one who is several decades his junior. Life is easy, just that the junior can’t find a wife, because no young woman seems to be interested in ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markus Imboden
CAST:  Hinnerk Schönemann  •  Irina Potapenko  •  Barbara Rudnik  •  Thomas Thieme

Two policemen are stationed on Amrum, a North Sea island on the West coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany’ – an elder, and one who is several decades his junior. Life is easy, just that the junior can’t find a wife, because no young woman seems to be interested in ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markus Imboden
CAST:  Hinnerk Schönemann  •  Irina Potapenko  •  Barbara Rudnik  •  Thomas Thieme

Et ekteskap (2011)

Geir is a Norwegian middle-aged bachelor waiting for his Russian wife to be. Tina is young and beautiful. Set as an exploration of their first few weeks together, A Marriage tells a tale of fragile love.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Henning Rosenlund
CAST:  Ragnhild Gudbrandsen  •  Ingrid Jørgensen Dragland  •  Jørgen Langhelle  •  Irina Potapenko

Geir is a Norwegian middle-aged bachelor waiting for his Russian wife to be. Tina is young and beautiful. Set as an exploration of their first few weeks together, A Marriage tells a tale of fragile love.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Henning Rosenlund
CAST:  Ragnhild Gudbrandsen  •  Ingrid Jørgensen Dragland  •  Jørgen Langhelle  •  Irina Potapenko

Daughters (2014)

Agnes, a teacher from the Hessian provinces, has come to Berlin to identify a dead girl who might be Lydia, her runaway daughter. It turns out not to be Lydia, but Agnes stays in the city anyway. Still frantically looking, she comes a young stray called Ines who no ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Maria Speth
CAST:  Kathleen Morgeneyer  •  Hiroki Mano  •  Fabian Hinrichs  •  Matthias Matschke

Agnes, a teacher from the Hessian provinces, has come to Berlin to identify a dead girl who might be Lydia, her runaway daughter. It turns out not to be Lydia, but Agnes stays in the city anyway. Still frantically looking, she comes a young stray called Ines who no ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Maria Speth
CAST:  Kathleen Morgeneyer  •  Hiroki Mano  •  Fabian Hinrichs  •  Matthias Matschke

Revanche (2008)

Ex-con Alex plans to flee to the South with his girl after a robbery. But something terrible happens and revenge seems inevitable.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Götz Spielmann
CAST:  Johannes Krisch  •  Irina Potapenko  •  Michael-Joachim Heiss  •  Andreas Lust

Ex-con Alex plans to flee to the South with his girl after a robbery. But something terrible happens and revenge seems inevitable.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Götz Spielmann
CAST:  Johannes Krisch  •  Irina Potapenko  •  Michael-Joachim Heiss  •  Andreas Lust

The Lies of the Victors (2014)

Fabian Groys, a renowned journalist for a political news magazine, enjoys great freedom, since the stories he uncovers make for good sales. When he loses a hot story about the German army, the editor saddles him with a young female intern. Fabian hates teamwork and ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Christoph Hochhäusler
CAST:  Florian David Fitz  •  Lilith Stangenberg  •  Horst Kotterba  •  Ursina Lardi

Fabian Groys, a renowned journalist for a political news magazine, enjoys great freedom, since the stories he uncovers make for good sales. When he loses a hot story about the German army, the editor saddles him with a young female intern. Fabian hates teamwork and ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Christoph Hochhäusler
CAST:  Florian David Fitz  •  Lilith Stangenberg  •  Horst Kotterba  •  Ursina Lardi

Visitors (2013)

During an unannounced visit to Berlin, Jakob and Hanna let their three grown up children know that they are no longer able to support them financially. Karla, Arnolt and Sonni seem to live successful city lives; but, on closer inspection, they are in the middle of ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Constanze Knoche
CAST:  Uwe Kockisch  •  Corinna Kirchhoff  •  Anjorka Strechel  •  Jakob Diehl

During an unannounced visit to Berlin, Jakob and Hanna let their three grown up children know that they are no longer able to support them financially. Karla, Arnolt and Sonni seem to live successful city lives; but, on closer inspection, they are in the middle of ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Constanze Knoche
CAST:  Uwe Kockisch  •  Corinna Kirchhoff  •  Anjorka Strechel  •  Jakob Diehl

Brother and Sister (2016)

Neukölln, a trendy district in Berlin. Living space is scarce here. Without surety, proof of credit worthiness and salary there is no chance at all now. Thies knows this game; he works for a real estate management company and watches that the rules are upheld - ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jan Krüger
CAST:  Vladimir Burlakov  •  Julius Nitschkoff  •  Irina Potapenko  •  Hilmi Sözer

Neukölln, a trendy district in Berlin. Living space is scarce here. Without surety, proof of credit worthiness and salary there is no chance at all now. Thies knows this game; he works for a real estate management company and watches that the rules are upheld - ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jan Krüger
CAST:  Vladimir Burlakov  •  Julius Nitschkoff  •  Irina Potapenko  •  Hilmi Sözer

Mär - A German Tale (2019)

In dystopian Germany - just a breath away from our current reality - the return of the wolf triggers a mysterious fascination among the citizens. When journalist Leo Bernstein sets out to investigate, he gets drawn into a long-forgotten fairy tale that places him ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Katharina Mihm
CAST:  Martin Vischer  •  Jeanne Werner  •  Irina Potapenko  •  Sophie Resch

In dystopian Germany - just a breath away from our current reality - the return of the wolf triggers a mysterious fascination among the citizens. When journalist Leo Bernstein sets out to investigate, he gets drawn into a long-forgotten fairy tale that places him ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Katharina Mihm
CAST:  Martin Vischer  •  Jeanne Werner  •  Irina Potapenko  •  Sophie Resch

Der Idiot (2006)

Unites grotesque elements, tempo, quiet dream sequences, the thrill of a detective story, but above all, he manages to capture the temperature of an actor ensemble that throws itself into the world of Dostoyevsky with immense pleasure and passion.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Frank Castorf
CAST:  Martin Wuttke  •  Bernhard Schütz  •  Jeanette Spassova  •  Sophie Rois

Unites grotesque elements, tempo, quiet dream sequences, the thrill of a detective story, but above all, he manages to capture the temperature of an actor ensemble that throws itself into the world of Dostoyevsky with immense pleasure and passion.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Frank Castorf
CAST:  Martin Wuttke  •  Bernhard Schütz  •  Jeanette Spassova  •  Sophie Rois

Princess (2006)

Four cigarette-smoking, alcohol-drinking, troublesome adolescents wander between the concrete skyscrapers of downtrodden West-German suburbia. These uncouth youths are surprisingly not boys but girls with attitude, quick-tempers and foul-mouths, who violently vent ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Birgit Grosskopf
CAST:  Irina Potapenko  •  Caroline Peters  •  Henriette Müller  •  Martin Kiefer

Four cigarette-smoking, alcohol-drinking, troublesome adolescents wander between the concrete skyscrapers of downtrodden West-German suburbia. These uncouth youths are surprisingly not boys but girls with attitude, quick-tempers and foul-mouths, who violently vent ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Birgit Grosskopf
CAST:  Irina Potapenko  •  Caroline Peters  •  Henriette Müller  •  Martin Kiefer

Grandmother (2011)

An immigrant family wants to bring grandmother's ashes to Germany, in a cookie jar. But they did not expect the conscientious compliance of German customs officials at the airport.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Galip Iyitanir
CAST:  Mark Zak  •  Irina Potapenko  •  Rebecca Zak  •  Ecem Cengiz

An immigrant family wants to bring grandmother's ashes to Germany, in a cookie jar. But they did not expect the conscientious compliance of German customs officials at the airport.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Galip Iyitanir
CAST:  Mark Zak  •  Irina Potapenko  •  Rebecca Zak  •  Ecem Cengiz