Synopsis

During the Thirty Years' War, orphaned wanderer Krabat is drawn to a mysterious mill, where the Master offers him food, shelter, and instruction in black magic. As Krabat grows more powerful, he discovers the terrible price of the mill's secrets. Friendship and his love for Kantorka give him the courage to challenge the Master and seek freedom from the mill's deadly pact.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film adapts Otfried Preussler's 1971 novel, which in turn draws on the Sorbian legend of Krabat.

• Production took place from October 2006 through January 2007, with filming in the Romanian Carpathians and at Movie Park Studios in Bottrop, Germany. All of the interior scenes were filmed in Bottrop during 30 studio days.

• The production was made as part of a five-picture arrangement involving the German arm of 20th Century Fox. An earlier attempt to develop the story as an English-language film with an international cast had been abandoned.

• The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2008, before its German theatrical release on October 9, 2008.

• Otfried Preussler approved the adaptation and said that it preserved both the spirit of his book and the demands of cinema. The German release was timed close to his 85th birthday.

• Annette Focks' score, the production design, and the sound design were all nominated for the 2009 German Film Award.

• The film won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Children's and Youth Film. It also earned a Jupiter Award for its lead performance.

• Daniel Bruhl later recalled that he accepted his role before reading the screenplay or knowing who would direct the film.

• The German theatrical release attracted approximately 1.5 million visitors by 2011.