Esra and Patrick Phul explain why All Heroes are Bastards in German drama
German writers, directors and producers Esra and Patrick Phul tell DQ about their journey from YouTube to television and how they used true stories and their own background to craft their latest series, the superpowered genre drama All Heroes are Bastards.
Upcoming German fantasy drama All Heroes are Bastards opens with a bold and thrilling animation sequence that outlines the background to this dystopian series.
In the alternative world of the show, Cologne has been radically divided by the Rhine river, with immigrants marginalised on one side. They are banned from using or carrying cash, certain books are forbidden and their daily lives are controlled by a suffocating Homeland Command police force.
When children are suddenly taken from their neighbourhood and separated from their families, three unlikely heroes – Malik, Dina and Hamza – uncover an artefact that gives them superpowers. The trio then join forces to find and rescue the children, while at the same time being forced to confront systemic oppression – and choose between personal revenge or becoming the last hope for a community fighting a corrupt regime.
The series is the latest project from married creative duo Esra and Patrick Phul, who are continuing to build a reputation for genre storytelling blended with socially relevant themes that lean into their immigrant heritage.
Following on the heels of their Grimme-Preis-winning debut series, 2022 rap musical Hype, the YouTube creators turned TV writers, directors and producers are feeling the weight of – and enjoying – the audience expectation this time around.
“When we did Hype, nobody knew us. That was our first show, and we haven’t studied film so we have never really been part of the film industry in Germany,” Patrick tells DQ. “Now, with our second series, we are part of the industry and people know what we’re doing. They know us and they’re hyped about our new series.”
“It’s also a very special TV show,” Esra says. “It’s in the superhero genre, which is very rare in Germany, and I would say there is nothing like ours. That’s why people are excited, because they cannot believe there’s a superhero series coming from Germany.”
Patrick started filming and editing videos when he was 15, before teaming up with Esra to make content for YouTube. But though it was always his “dream” to make a big-budget series for television, “it always seemed so far away, almost impossible.”
“Especially in Germany,” says Esra, “because when you look at the industry, at the people who actually make movies, they’re completely different from us. Most of them don’t have an immigrant background, and we also come from an area which is poor and it’s very expensive to enter the film industry and study. For us, it was like, ‘Yeah, that would be cool,’ but we never dreamed of it because we thought it was impossible for us.”
Even when they set out to make Hype, they imagined it for YouTube. But with support from contacts at radio station Cosmo, the five-part series was picked up by German regional broadcaster WDR and aired on the national network Das Erste – before being acquired by Netflix and later winning that prestigious Grimme-Preis award.
Produced by the couple’s Picture Me Rollin label with Eitelsonnenschein and Cosmo, Hype tells the story of an aspiring rapper and a successful influencer as they attempt to escape the trappings of their deprived neighbourhood to pursue their dreams.
In making a full series, the creators had to learn how to work with a big team, having partnered with just a few friends when making their YouTube content. “We didn’t know all the positions or who did what. This is the main thing we learned, and how the industry works,” Patrick says.
“And I have to say, a lot of people also learned from us, because we made these things differently, which leads to the fact that we were able to produce a show that looks very high quality with less money,” Esra says. “People were always like, ‘No, that’s not gonna work,’ and we were like, ‘That’s how we do it, with no money. It has to work.’ So we learned from them and they learned from us.”
When it comes to storytelling, the pair are keen to share their perspectives of the world around them. They are both German-born Muslims who come from immigrant backgrounds – Esra is Turkish, Patrick is Mexican.
“In Germany, there’s always the same perspectives told, the same voices and the same stories, and we cannot identify ourselves in these movies or series,” Esra says. “We want to give our people the voice and the space to show what we struggle with in this country, and that’s what we are telling in our series.
“There’s also the thing in Germany when there are stories about people like us, about people from our community, it’s always shown from the other perspective. We are always portrayed like criminals, which affects our life in society dramatically. ‘My people are dying on the street.’ ‘The police are attacking our people.’ Movies like that have an impact on society, and we feel a responsibility to portray our people like we really are. While others show us as criminals, we show our people as superheroes, because that’s what we are.”
The idea behind All Heroes are Bastards emerged from news reports from Germany and around the world that left them feeling “powerless.” “We feel like somebody has to be there to rescue us, so we came up with the idea to make a show with a superhero who helps us with all these problems, with police brutality, with wars going on, the press talking bad about us,” Patrick says, “and we invented the story of these three superheroes who are facing the same problems we are facing, but they have the power to resist and make changes.”
“We built a world where we are not so powerless,” adds Esra.
In fact, the idea of children disappearing was based on real-world reports of Muslim children being taken from their families by German authorities. They then came up with four characters who would gain superpowers after coming into contact with an ancient artefact – three heroes and the show’s main antagonist.
“Our main superhero can control electricity. Then we have someone who controls gravity. She stops bullets, for instance,” Esra says. “We have someone who can change her appearance, and the antagonist has the power of illusion, so she’s manipulating what others are seeing.”
Those weren’t always the powers entrusted to the characters, however, with Patrick and Esra considering numerous other abilities as they wrote the scripts for the six-part series. It is produced by their Picture Me Rollin and bildundtonfabrik (How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), Pauline) for ARD.
Due to debut this fall, All Heroes are Bastards was screened last month as part of the Berlinale Series Market during the Berlin International Film Festival. It is distributed globally by Global Constellation.
“We didn’t know what was possible [to shoot] with special effects,” Esra says. “But when we found our coproduction partner, which has huge post-production and special effects departments, they were like, ‘Everything is possible, we won’t say no to anything.’”
“Actually, in the writing process, it wasn’t that important which superpowers they would have,” Patrick notes, “because we always focus on the plot, the story, the characters and the emotions. The superpowers always changed a little bit because they weren’t that important – but they are important for the entertaining stuff and the action scenes.”
“The strength of our show is that we are very character-driven and it’s very emotional,” Esra adds. “It’s also important for us to have funny moments, because there are very hard topics, so we let the people have some relief. That is more important than the superpowers.”
Writing the show together, they first focused on which scenes they wanted to see and why they were important. They then built the plot around those scenes. “Because at the end, this is what will stay in mind when people leave the show,” Esra said. “We also had other writers who came in at the last step and supported us. While we were in pre-production, as we were also involved as producers and directors, we needed help because we couldn’t do it all. We also have two kids!”
That means they often take their work home with them, “but it’s with a passion,” says Esra. “We love to talk about our series, our scripts and our characters. It’s fun. We also had these conversations when we were making YouTube just for fun. Now it’s our job. That’s the only difference.”
However, Esra admits she “hates” writing. “At the beginning it’s fun, but at a certain step, I’m like, ‘OK, I’m out. I don’t want to write anymore.’”
Then when it comes to directing, she often focuses on the actors and their performances, while Patrick will be behind the camera establishing the look of the show. They also put a lot of emphasis on rehearsals, as they like to cast actors who have never worked on a set before.
The cast is led by Kebir Sargin (also known as Sero El Mero), who makes his acting debut, alongside David Mayonga (Girl You Know It’s True), Funda Bostanlik (Cinayet-I Ask) and Pegah Ferydoni (A Murder at the End of the World).
“Casting is very important. We cast it ourselves in our office. We always look on social media, and we had a casting call where we invited people to send casting videos,” Esra says. “I would say we’ve found a lot of people who had never acted before who have talent. That’s what people always tell us, that we have an eye for talent. I think that’s true.”
Asked about achieving the look of the show, the pair praise DOP Mahmoud Belakhel, who previously worked with them on Hype and listened to the references and examples they gave him before offering his own ideas. “He’s like, ‘Say no more. I know what you mean,’” says Esra. “He’s also like us, with so much passion behind his work.”
With a limited budget, supported by ARD, the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and the German Motion Picture Fund, they found that decision-making was key. “During the whole process, it’s all about decisions,” Esra says. “It is very important that we are also executive producers, because we can make these decisions. We don’t have to ask someone else. Normally the producer comes and says, ‘Hey, it’s nice that you want to have this, but you cannot have it.’ Then we have to talk and we decide, and we have the power to make the final decision – and this is important. This made a lot of things better. The power of decision-making is in our hands. That’s why we have such a great show.”
Like Hype, All Heroes are Bastards is shot in Cologne, centring on the Porz neighbourhood where they live in order to showcase parts of the city that aren’t often seen on screen.
“When a show’s about Cologne, they show the tourist places. But we show the hood, where we came from,” Patrick says. “We are proud that we are from there. A lot of people who succeed, they leave the city or leave our hood. But we were like, ‘No, we’re building our office there,’ and we stay there, near to the people. The shoot was actually in front of our office.”
Now considering their next move, Esra and Patrick say they would never write scripts for other people, as they would always want to direct their own scripts. But they would consider directing for others if the right project came along. For their next project, they’re developing a feature film they hope will be the first Ramadan movie, a “positive family romcom” in the same vein as a Christmas film.
“There’s globally no Ramadan movie with positive vibes, and that’s what we want to do. A romcom during Ramadan,” Esra says.
As for the advice they would offer other content creators looking to step into the television and film industry, “connection is everything,” Esra notes. “Networking is everything. It’s not about what you can do or what your talent is. It’s about who you know. It’s really like that.”
Patrick adds: “Also, think big, because we used to think small back in the YouTube days, and then somebody opened the door and now we always think big, because we know everything can be possible. So think big and try to connect with people.”
Like that? Watch this! Suggested by AI, selected by DQ
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4 Blocks: A Lebanese-German clan boss in Berlin desperately tries to go legit, but a police informant, family loyalty and racist policing drag him deeper into a fight for his community’s survival.
Misfits: After a freak storm, young offenders doing community service develop dangerous powers that reflect their social anxieties, forcing them to decide whether they’ll remain outcasts or become deeply flawed protectors.
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