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Drama

Sleeping Sickness (2011): Cast, Box Office & Plot

Sleeping Sickness (2011) movie poster

Sleeping Sickness is a 2011 drama directed by Ulrich Köhler, starring Pierre Bokma as Ebbo Velten, Jenny Schily and Jean-Christophe Folly. It runs 1 hour 31 minutes and earned $245,317 worldwide.

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Sleeping Sickness (2011) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 31m (91 min)
Director
Ulrich Köhler
Genre
Drama
Original language
German
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Sleeping Sickness About?

The premise of Sleeping Sickness without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Ebbo Velten runs a sleeping‑sickness programme in Africa, finding purpose, while his wife Vera feels adrift in Yaoundé’s expatriate community and anguished by the distance from their 14‑year‑old daughter Helen, who studies in Germany. Facing the loss of Vera, Ebbo must decide whether to leave the continent. Years later, French‑Congolese doctor Alex Nzila arrives in Cameroon to evaluate a development project and meets the withdrawn Ebbo, whose disappearance haunts the assessment.

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Cast & crew

Sleeping Sickness Cast & Characters

Pierre Bokma leads the cast as Ebbo Velten, with Jenny Schily as Vera Velten and Jean-Christophe Folly as Alex Nzila. Directed by Ulrich Köhler; 11 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Sleeping Sickness

· 7 more
From the director

More from Ulrich Köhler

More films directed by Ulrich Köhler, best-rated first: In My Room, Bungalow (2002), A Voluntary Year and Windows on Monday.

Full filmography
Plot

Sleeping Sickness Plot Summary

What happens in Sleeping Sickness from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 11 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Ebbo Velten, Pierre Bokma, works in Cameroon on a sleeping sickness aid project and lives with his wife, Vera, Jenny Schily. Their daughter, Helen Velten, Maria Elise Miller, usually attends a boarding school in Wetzlar, Germany, but visits them. There are few patients, though European aid remains generous, and Velten’s family plans to move back to Europe while he stays behind to continue the work.

Full summary

The whole story of Sleeping Sickness, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Sleeping Sickness Box Office

Sleeping Sickness grossed $245,317 worldwide.

2011 box office

Worldwide gross

$245.3K

International
$245.3K
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Sleeping Sickness?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What disease is the aid project Ebbo Velten works on in Cameroon trying to combat?

Details

Sleeping Sickness Also Known As

5 alternative titles, including “La maladie du sommeil” and “Uyku Hastalığı”.

Also known as
  • La maladie du sommeil
  • Uyku Hastalığı
  • Sen o Afryce
  • Spalna bolezen
  • 嗜睡症

Seen Sleeping Sickness?

FAQ

Sleeping Sickness FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, post-credit scenes and language of Sleeping Sickness, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Sleeping Sickness?

Sleeping Sickness runs 1 hour 31 minutes (91 minutes).

When was Sleeping Sickness released?

Sleeping Sickness was released on February 12, 2011.

Who directed Sleeping Sickness?

Sleeping Sickness was directed by Ulrich Köhler.

More films by Ulrich Köhler

Who is in the cast of Sleeping Sickness?

Sleeping Sickness stars Pierre Bokma as Ebbo Velten, Jenny Schily as Vera Velten and Jean-Christophe Folly as Alex Nzila, among 11 credited actors.

How much did Sleeping Sickness make at the box office?

Sleeping Sickness grossed $245,317 worldwide.

Does Sleeping Sickness have a post-credit scene?

No. Sleeping Sickness has no extra scene during or after the credits.

What language is Sleeping Sickness in?

The original language of Sleeping Sickness is German.

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