In Kalkofe’s words, “the deepest sewage boxes all have one thing in common: an opening in the bottom.”

– In Kalkofe’s words, “the deepest sewage boxes all have one thing in common: an opening in the bottom.”

For the loyal fans, it was a time of uncertainty: the infamous film festival “#SchleFaZ – The worst films of all time” was on the verge of being canceled. But today (8 p.m.) this trashy TV festival is returning for a new season. Instead of Tele 5, it has now found a new home on the RTL subsidiary channel Nitro. Oliver Kalkofe speaks to the German Press Agency about tears, a new beginning and serial killers in an aerobics studio.

Question: Hello Mr. Kalkofe, it has been eight months since “#SchleFaZ” took a break; what about the return?

Answer: When we announced the incredible news that “#SchleFaZ” would continue on Nitro and RTL+ after his departure from Tele 5, it was one of the most emotional and joyful moments I have ever experienced on stage. The fans' initial sadness and despair quickly turned into tears of joy and hugs. It was truly incredible to watch!

We are thrilled that the entire “#SchleFaZ” team is back and that Nitro has not asked for any changes. So we can proudly say: Nothing has changed and it remains as wonderfully terrible as ever! In a way, it is both a rebirth and a new beginning. We feel the entire support of the RTL family for the project and that is an incredibly satisfying feeling at our age.

Two Bond stars can't save it

Question: What can fans expect?

Answer: First of all, good news for fans: Of course, the infamous “one shark movie per year” rule still applies; this time we have “Sand Sharks” in the program. Sand sharks, people! After shark attacks in hurricanes, this is probably the strangest image you can imagine. We've finally found the right time to tackle this film.

Another treat is “Aerobicide,” a mix of aerobics, pop gymnastics, and slasher movies. All the while they train, twerk, and murder.

Then we have a forgotten action classic from the late 1970s: “The Lone Fighter.” Packed with double James Bond power, it stars George Lazenby, the original 007, and Harold Sakata, who rose to fame as Oddjob in “Goldfinger.” But even two James Bond stars can't save a truly trashy movie.

King Kong rip-off with a hairy twist

Question: More highlights?

Answer: What else do we have? “Ape” is another 1970s gem that focuses on a giant hairy ape. It's basically just another low-budget King Kong spin-off, but we managed to make it the perfect “#SchleFaZ” post.

The monkey has some great moments: the poor intern in the monkey costume who had to smash a few cardboard houses and was clearly wearing sneakers. And there is a long, exciting water fight against a dead shark from the fish market.

Question: The first film of the season comes directly from the RTL archive.

Answer: We are particularly proud of the season opener, “SOS Barracuda: Death Plays Roulette” from 1999. Why? Because we have an excellent RTL original for the fans. Although it is difficult to find something suitable for “#SchleFaZ” in the high-quality RTL program variety, we managed it!

This film has Heinz Hoenig as the main villain, Verona Feldbusch before her Pooth days and Maren Gilzer. It's a “Die Hard” rip-off, but this time the action takes place on a gambling fishing trawler off Travemünde. And the role of Bruce Willis is played by Nick Wilder, famous for his role as Mr. Kaiser in the Hamburg-Mannheimer commercials.

This is real “#SchleFaZ” gold! As a “Die Hard” fan, this over-the-top, ultra-ambitious high school theater production attempt is the perfect, worthy start to the new RTL season.

“Turn a bad movie into a good evening”

Question: What makes “#SchleFaZ” so successful?

Answer: “#SchleFaZ” was originally just a fun idea for the summer. We never thought it would become such a phenomenon. In America and England it was popular to watch bad films with friends and laugh at their unintentional humor, but in Germany it was less common.

But it does provide an outlet; you take something that is just bad and make it into something funny. Through our editing, we turn a bad movie into a good night.

Just watching it, you would be annoyed by the poor quality of the film. But with us, you can laugh and have a great time. Plus, everyone is obviously full of passion and love behind it. The audience appreciates being treated honestly because that is not always the case on television.

Complaints? “It’s the directors or producers”

Question: In eleven years, has anyone involved in a film – a director, cameraman or even an actor – ever complained that their artistic work was being ridiculed?

Answer: Yes, there have been complaints and positive reactions from actors. The ability to poke fun at oneself and maintain a certain sense of humor and distance from one's own work is a key skill for actors.

Some creators or producers tend to exaggerate their projects, lacking humor and distance. Take, for example, Troll 2, a film that has become a cult classic thanks to its unintentionally funny scenes. At first, the director was happy to see the audience laughing, but later he became impatient and frustrated when they laughed at what he considered inappropriate. Such people can be sensitive when their work is criticized.

Similarly, some companies were hesitant to make their films available to us because they feared a negative connotation. However, I see “#SchleFaZ” as a re-evaluation of films that, despite good intentions, did not achieve the expected success. It is beneficial for the films if we can look at them from a distance and laugh at them, as this increases their appeal through our self-irony and resilience.

Will we ever go out? I doubt it. In our early days, we took what we could get, but soon realized it wasn't enough. Many movies are bad because they're boring and uninspired. Our motto is “Beautiful Shit.” We look for movies that are so bad they're funny, driven by an involuntary passion. Tracking down these hidden gems requires careful searching, which I've been doing for years, buying and streaming potential candidates like a relentless collector.

I currently have a list of around 150 titles that are perfect for “#SchleFaZ”. I send these to the sender, who then contacts the rights holders and negotiates the rights. Sometimes we think we've reached the end, but I've learned: Even the deepest holes have a bottom. You can always keep digging if you're brave enough.

ABOUT THE PERSON: Career advisors recommended Oliver Kalkofe (58), a native of Lower Saxony, to take a job as a ship dealer. Instead, he became a TV critic after taking a few detours. Kalkofe gained a large fan base with his parodies of TV junk, which he developed for Radio ffn and later showed on Premiere. In addition to his success as a TV critic, Kalkofe has also made a name for himself as a screenwriter (eg for the movie “Der Wixxer”) and voice actor. He lives in Berlin.

Question: Which country is Oliver Kalkofe originally from? Answer: Oliver Kalkofe is originally from Lower Saxony, Germany.

Question: Where can fans watch the new season of “#SchleFaZ” now? Answer: Fans can watch the new season of “#SchleFaZ” on the RTL subsidiary channel Nitro.

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