In this prison drama, Franz Blum (Jurgen Prochnow) goes from being a fairly ordinary middle-class man to a hardened convict. Sent to prison for participating in a bank robbery, he learns how to use blackmail and graft in order to survive the harsh life he encounters “inside.” The screenplay was written by ex-prisoner Burkhard Driest (who plays a prison bully in the movie), and is based on his own experiences. —NYtimes.com
Reinhard Hauff (born 23 May 1939) is a German Director, Writer and Producer. Hauff Concentrated early on TV work and has done numerous TV shows and entertainment broadcasts. His works, which were mostly carried out in the late 1960s to early 1990s, are known for their social and political commentary. Stammheim, which is based on the activities of the Red Army Faction (commonly called the Baader-Meinhof Gang) won the Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival in 1986. He worked as an assistant director for Rolf von Sydow, Heinz Liesendahl and Michael Pfleghar. In 1973 he founded the production company Bioskop Film together with Volker Schlöndorff and Eberhard Junkersdorf. From early 1993 to early 2005 Hauff was president of the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie (dffb) in Berlin, Germany.