»You couldn’t invent a better metaphor for America’s economic insanity.«
– Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix

»Nothing is really normal about this life.«
– Jackie and David Siegels’ adopted daughter

Real-estate billionaire David Siegel and his ex-model wife Jackie are planning to build the biggest private residence in the world: a 90,000 square-metre home for themselves and their eight children. A building where marble cladding alone is worth US$ 5 million, with fairytale-like stairways and a decadent luxury that simply boggles the imagination. The architectural plans, by the way, were inspired by the Palace of Versailles and the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. However, when the economic crisis breaks out and the housing bubble bursts, the Siegels’ life work comes under threat.
Director Lauren Greenfield first met the couple in 2007 at the height of their financial success. Thanks to their immense wealth, the Siegels were rated as the very epitome of the American Dream. Yet after the crash of 2008, the wreckage of their Versailles building plans become a challenge for the whole family. And it is Jackie – surprisingly enough – who deals with things best. A story about decadence, ambition, loss and the craters of the American Dream.

Awards for ›The Queen of Versailles‹
Best Direction Award, Sundance Film Festival 2012 | Best Documentary, Florida Film Critics 2012 | 5 Best Movies, New York Times 2012 | 10 Best Movies, Slate Magazine 2012 | Best Documentary Prize, BIFFDOC 2012

Film programme A Better Life