Bavarian filmmaker Julian Wittmann ventured into unknown territory for his new project: for three months, he and his team accompanied the dropout Wolfgang "Gangerl" Clemens on his sailing yacht "Bavaria" in Indonesian waters. The result is a 94-minute portrait of the 83-year-old edgy free spirit who left society 38 years ago and has been travelling the world's oceans ever since. The film "AUSGSTING." will be released in German cinemas on 28 August.
Challenges during filming
Filming turned out to be much more difficult for Wittmann and his team than initially anticipated. "We approached it very naively, I have to say in hindsight," explains the director. The ten-man crew did not fit completely on board the "Bavaria", so much of the equipment had to remain on land. The conditions were also extreme, with 35 degrees in the shade and high humidity. The sound man even cancelled completely due to seasickness. For most of the team members, it was their first experience on a sailing yacht. Only the cameraman had previous experience in this area.
Between freedom and loneliness
However, the biggest challenge for the filmmaker was the dramaturgical realisation. "We travelled to Bali on board the 'Bavaria' with the image that the Gangerl is a completely free person who is out there realising his dream and experiencing adventure," says Wittmann. But the reality differed greatly from this romanticised idea. Wolfgang Clemens' life as a dropout is characterised by extreme reduction, a life on the edge, money worries and technical constraints.
Wittmann and his team decided to show this reality unembellished in the film instead of clinging desperately to the image of the carefree adventurer. "That was the most important and at the same time the most painful thing to realise. This whole endeavour is ultimately designed for total solitude", explains the director in a recent interview with YACHT-Online.
He just doesn't care what people think!"
The intensive time with Wolfgang Clemens revealed to the film team just how much decades of life at sea can shape a person. "I didn't realise how much life at sea changes a person's character," says Wittmann. The 83-year-old dropout has developed a different form of socialising. "He doesn't want to pretend any more, he just says everything straight out because he doesn't care what people think, I don't think," says the filmmaker, describing his protagonist.
Unexpected twists and turns
The filming was characterised by numerous unforeseen events. Right at the beginning, Clemens disappeared for three days before filming could continue. "Well, that's just the Gangerl: if something gets too much for him, he just disappears," explains Wittmann. The journey was also characterised by technical problems and dangerous situations. For example, the ship lost its propeller in a fishing net and had to fall dry in order to fit a new one.
Another time they ran onto a reef. "It was close to the Gangerl losing his ship. We couldn't even switch on the camera because it was so hectic," recalls the director.
Trailer provides a foretaste of a major cinema event
The realisation of the ambitious film project required a long lead time. Four years passed from the initial idea to the start of filming. During this time, Wittmann had to organise film funding, coordinate appointments with Wolfgang Clemens and his team and find a suitable route.
The trailer that has now been released - with subtitles for all non-Bavarians - gives an idea that the work may have been worthwhile. And it makes it clear that AUSGSTING. is anything but a conventional documentary. Noisy and Bavarian are the most fitting attributes of this film. The premiere is at the upcoming Munich Film Festival.
Incidentally, the dropout himself had reservations about the project until the very end. "That's obvious, he more or less left society almost 40 years ago and didn't really want to have anything more to do with something like this," explains Wittmann. The presence of a complete film crew with extensive equipment was initially frightening for Clemens. Fortunately, the "Gangerl" threw his reservations overboard.
Film-Infos:
- Film title: AUSGSTING.
- Cinema release: 28 August 2025
- Director: Julian Wittmann
- Production: Thomas Wittmann
- Production company: Schau Hi Films
- Co-production: nautilusfilm, MFF
- Collaboration with: Servus TV, Vantage Film, Pioneer Post, styx media
- funded by the German Federal Film Board, German Federal Film Fund, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern
- Distributor: Majestic Sunseitn (label for Bavarian films of Majestic Filmverleih and soulkino)
