"As we landed on Cambodian soil it slowly became clear to me what kind of task this documentary project was going to be", remembers Notkar Mahr. "I realised that it wasn't about documenting the events, stories and lives of the Cambodian protagonists in the most unobtrusive way possible. Instead I should develop a relationship to the family which would enable me to take statements from the protagonists without any false sense of shame. I still today feel honoured to have been chosen for this job on these special requirements."
These filming trips and further research within Germany eventually lead to a concrete vision of the film, including selected protagonists, shooting locations and a clear yet multi-faceted story which was able to convince not only the Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein but also the Young German Cinema Board of Trustees to grant production funding.
After being granted the funding, Kem, Neis and Heinen presented their project to the editor of Arte, Ulrike Dotzer, and proposed a coproduction. She was very touched by the idea of BONNE NUIT PAPA and could imagine it filling an evening in their broadcasting slot 'great documentaries'. The agreement of NDR/Arte completed the financing with a total budget of 280,000 Euros.
