THE STORY
SYNOPSIS
A documentary about recognition, dignity, and the people we rarely stop to notice.
The Jazzman of Rosenthaler Platz follows Malachi "Mike" Basden, a New York-born jazz musician and artist who has made Rosenthaler Platz both his stage and his home, using music and art to connect to the people around him.
A path marked by personal hardship and a search for artistic freedom brought Mike to Berlin, where he now lives on the margins of the city. The documentary explores survival through art, second chances, and human dignity.
What happens when we finally stop and see the people we pass every day?
WHY THIS FILM
Why this
film matters
Every city has people who live in plain sight but remain invisible. Malachi "Mike" Basden is one of them — a jazz musician from New York who found his stage on a Berlin sidewalk. His story is not about hardship alone. It is about what happens when art becomes survival, and when a person refuses to disappear.
The Jazzman asks a simple question: what do we owe the people we walk past every day? In Mike's music, in his paintings, in his presence on Rosenthaler Platz, there is an answer worth hearing.
STILLS
THE TEAM
Joanne Kalek
Director
Bart Christiaanse
Producer
Jessica Sattabongkot
Director of Photography
ADDITIONAL CREW
Bart van de SteegSound Recordist
PRODUCTION TIMELINE
01
DEVELOPMENT
Subject access, research
COMPLETE
02
PRE-PRODUCTION
Crew, location scouting
COMPLETE
03
PRODUCTION
Berlin shoot (on hold)
IN PROGRESS
04
POST-PRODUCTION
Edit, color grade, sound
UPCOMING
05
DELIVERY
Festival circuit
UPCOMING
PRODUCTION
FormatDigital
Runtime20 minutes
LanguageEnglish
LocationRosenthaler Platz, Berlin
GenreStreet Culture / Documentary / Human Stories
StatusOn Hold
Year2025
PARTNERS
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