The Original Film and Its Theft
In late 2023, Berlin-based film students Julius Drost and Moritz Henneberg uploaded their animated short film, "Butty," to YouTube. The film features a clumsy cleaning robot. After the short gained popularity, the students removed it from YouTube to submit it to film festivals.
In early 2024, Drost and Henneberg received an invitation to submit "Butty" to a film festival in Bulgaria, which is classified as an Oscars-qualifying animation event. However, this invitation was later rescinded after the festival organizers found that a version of the film had been posted online elsewhere.
The students discovered that a slightly modified version of their film had been uploaded. According to reports, the stolen version was renamed "T130" (or "T-130"), had one scene removed and new music added, and was credited to Samuel Felinton as writer, director, animator, and producer. Felinton, a high school student in the United States, then presented the film as his own, submitted it to multiple festivals, and reportedly won awards. He also promoted it on a local television show.
The stolen film was renamed "T130," had one scene removed and new music added, and was credited entirely to a US high school student.
Documentary and Confrontation
Drost and Henneberg considered legal action but found it to be prohibitively expensive. Instead, they produced a documentary about the incident with director Igor Plischke, US filmmaker W Ian Ross, and producer Christopher Zwickler. Titled "The Talented Mr F," the film documents the students' trip to Morgantown, West Virginia, to confront Felinton.
Their investigation reportedly included finding inconsistencies in the rebranded film, such as German brands and European plug points in a story that was set in the US. During the confrontation, the sources state that Felinton did not deny taking the film but appeared not to fully understand why the act was wrong. Director Igor Plischke is quoted as saying Felinton had a "concept of being someone" without understanding how to achieve it.
Screening
The documentary "The Talented Mr F" is being screened as part of the German Film Festival, which runs until May 27.