Interview:
Evelyn Rack, Editor of joint Cannes Jury Prize-winning "Sound of Falling"
When editor Evelyn Rack took part in Berlinale Talents in 2023, she had already walked the Berlinale red carpet the year before with "We Might as Well Be Dead", the opening film of the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section. That same year she was a Talent, she had another two films screening at the festival. Her latest work has taken her from the Haupstadt to the French Riveria, where Mascha Schilinski's "Sound of Falling" screened In Competition and just (jointly) won the Jury Prize!
While Evelyn was in Cannes, before the excitement of the awards ceremony, we caught up with her to hear how she felt about being there, her process, her connection to the Berlinale and Berlinale Talents and more.
Congratulations on the Cannes selection. How does it feel to have your work acknowledged in one of the world’s most prestigious competitions?
Honestly, I still can’t quite believe it. It feels both surreal and deeply moving to see our work recognized in such a renowned context. Especially as a debut film from Germany — no one really expected us to make it all the way to Cannes. That makes it even more meaningful that the film has found its place here. It shows that artistic perseverance and a distinct perspective truly matter.
Can you tell us a bit about your experience working on "Sound of Falling" and your approach to it?
"Sound of Falling" deliberately resists classical narrative structure. If you surrender to it, the film becomes a physical experience — one shared by the characters and, ideally, the audience. In the edit, we had no real references to rely on. We move freely through time, without chronology, and had to actively resist more conventional storytelling paths.
Many describe the film as something that draws them in — that seeps under the skin. That’s exactly what we were aiming for. Over nearly ten months, together with director Mascha Schilinski and junior editor Billie Mind, we repeatedly reshaped the structure: Where does each scene belong? What holds the film together? At what point does it become too narrative and risk losing its premise? It felt like solving a puzzle over and over again — guided by our own responses as the film’s first viewers.
The first reviews have been incredibly enthusiastic. Why do you think the film has been so well received? What makes it unique?
I believe it’s the artistic integrity. The film makes no compromises — every element, from editing to sound, from script to directing and cinematography, is intricately and purposefully connected. There’s a shared creative stance that runs through every decision.
Do you have a particular method or process with which you approach each new project?
Every project feels like starting over. Each film is its own universe — something to enter and discover. I love building that universe from the raw material, together with the director. It always feels new, always different. At the same time, I trust that the best possible version of the film will emerge — even if the process sometimes feels like navigating an unsolvable riddle. That combination of curiosity and trust really defines how I work.
You are no stranger to the Berlinale, with "Drifter" and "Ararat" in 2023 and "We Might as Well Be Dead" in 2022. Does the festival hold a special place for you?
Absolutely. Even before I began making films, I was a devoted Berlinale guest — sometimes watching four or five films a day. The moment the Berlinale trailer started, my heart would light up. When I began making films — still very early on, studying at the independent film school filmArche and later at the Filmuniversity Babelsberg — the idea of one day screening at the Berlinale felt incredibly far off. So seeing that same trailer in front of my own film "We Might as Well Be Dead" was an unforgettable moment. It felt like coming home.
Could you tell us a bit about your experience at Berlinale Talents — any particular highlights or lasting takeaways?
At Berlinale Talents, I experienced how the film industry can be both global and incredibly familiar at the same time. One of the key messages we heard was to trust in the power of coincidence — and that’s something I’ve carried with me. Even at an overwhelming festival like Cannes, I remind myself to stay open and trust that I’ll meet the people I’m meant to meet. The most meaningful conversations often happen when and where you least expect them.
Do you have any advice for emerging professionals in your field?
Be radically open — to people, to process, to the unexpected.
Evelyn Rack is a Berlin-based film editor whose work spans over twenty feature-length fiction and documentary films, showcased at major international festivals such as the Berlinale, Tribeca, DOK Leipzig, Sitges, and the Cannes Competition. Her latest works include WE MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD (Berlinale 2022), HOUSE WITH A VOICE (DOK Leipzig 2024), ARARAT and DRIFTER (both Berlinale 2023). She was selected as a Berlinale Talent and Perspektive Match Talent and was nominated for the Heiner Carow Prize for Best Editing. Her most recent work, SOUND OF FALLING, directed by Mascha Schilinski, premiered at Cannes 2025 in the Main Competition. Evelyn is a member of the European Film Academy (EFA).
Find out more about Evelyn and her work here.