The Küblböck-Story – Lana Kaiser
Lana Kaiser, who first rose to national fame as Daniel Küblböck on Germany’s version of Pop Idol, became a defining figure of the early 2000s casting show phenomenon. At the same time she stood out as a person who presented herself confidently queer and broke social norms with a playful force like hardly any others before her had done in Germany. This documentary series offers a sensitive coming-of-age portrait of the multifaceted person behind the media cimage,drawing a complex picture of a teenage life in small town in Bavaria, of someone who fought for her dreams throughout her life.
Year
2025
Length
3×40 min
Director
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Synopsis
Lana Kaiser is patient zero of German reality TV, the first proudly and openly queer person to celebrate a number one hit in Germany. Lana became a role model for a generation of misunderstood, marginalized young teens —and remains part of the collective memory to this day. As a participant of the German version of Pop Idol, Lana Kaiser, then known publicly as Daniel Küblböck, brought visibility to non-conformist personalities long before diversity was a buzzword. The deep trenches between fans and haters in what can be called the first shitstorms on social media, marked the beginning of a new media age in Germany.
During her career, Lana Kaiser held much more than the stereotype everyone painted of her. As someone who never wanted to conform to social norms, she may well have paved the way for later German queer celebrities such as Bill Kaulitz, Conchita Wurst, and Riccardo Simonetti.
The series offers a new perspective on a reality star who was the talk of the town but whose true personality remained widely unknown. Director Tristan Ferland Milewski tells the story as a love letter to “the greatest of all dreamers and fighters.” Lana was much more than the “strange bird” confronted with queerphobia and hate.
The series tells a queer coming-of-age story embedded in the zeitgeist of the toxic 2000s, not clinging to nostalgia but uncovering unsparing memories of the social values of over 20 years ago, that anyone was prone to and hardly anyone questioned back then. Media-driven fame, hyped body standards, and traditional role models shaped comedy shows and the rise of reality TV, where celebrity was both made and demystified.
With the help of exclusive accounts from family and friends, Lana’s story is told by her “inner circle”, carefully avoiding to replicate stories through the malicious lens of the tabloid press. The three episodes paint an empowering psychological portrait of a deeply lovable person who constantly creatively reinvented herself and, shortly before disappearing on a cruise, seemed to be taking another important step toward a self-determined life.
The series draws parallels to the present day, for example through German entertainer Riccardo Simonetti, who followed Lana Kaiser’s story during his youth in a small Bavarian town and found her an empowering idol. He recounts his own experiences as a person in the spotlight who refused to conform to traditional role models. He describes from his own experience how hatred develops against people who are marked as “different” – and how much Lana’s story continues to inspire courage today.
Written and directed by
Tristan Ferland Milewski
Co-Authors
Ilona Toller
Nele Thumser
DOP
Alexander Vexler
Additional Camera
Manuel Lübbers
Edited by
Leon Schwarz
Marco Rönnau
Elisabeth Hirsch
Lisa Zindorf
Sebastian Bruns
Sound
Nikolaj Täuber
Waldemar Bruch
Anna Brinks
Mariana Andrade Koch
Oliver Sengmüller
Björn Schubert
Dhana Sauernheimer
Light
Thorsten Baier
Itamar Kerner
Boyan Zaharinov
Alberto Peláez Valtuille
Camera Assistant
Alex Jaffar
Drone Operator
Nikolaj Täuber
Props
Deborah Nowraty
Johannes Sternagel
Cosima Krubasik
Postproduction
Alexander Steyer
Grading
Andreas Teichert
Sound Mixing
Pierre Brand
Graphics
Studio Fritz Gnad
Legal Advice
Christoph Fey
Line Producer Beetz Brothers
Ferdinand Freising
Line Producer BR
Jan Bullerdieck
Production Manager
Marcel Rechten
Set Manager
Joshua Biesenthal
Producer
Ilona Toller
Archive Producer
Florian Tropp
Eva Diet
Creative Producer
Nele Thumser
Commissioning Editors
Andrea Bräu (BR)
Helge Freund (BR)
Ann-Christin Gertzen (WDR)
Senior Producer
Nadine Neumann
Executive Producer
Reinhardt Beetz
Sales & distribution
- Press kit
- Press photos