| With a total of four nominations for German films and German filmmakers in different categories, this year's Academy Awards® were already a great success for the German film industry in the run-up to the ceremony. In the "Best International Feature Film" category, THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE by İlker Çatak was nominated for Germany and the film PERFECT DAYS by German director Wim Wenders for Japan. In the "Best Documentary Feature Film" category, the minority German production FOUR DAUGHTERS by Kaouther Ben Hania and German producer Thanassis Karathanos was nominated alongside the other four entries. In addition, Sandra Hüller's nomination in the "Best Actress in a Leading Role" category was a great confirmation of her work in the lead role of the film ANATOMY OF A FALL. These accolades already showed the great international interest and the special appreciation abroad for German films and German filmmakers. At a reception in Los Angeles two days before the awards ceremony on Sunday, March 10, German Films celebrated German filmmakers and their projects with a get-together at the beautiful Eveleigh restaurant in West Hollywood. The day after, the German nominees were also fêted at the traditional brunch at Villa Aurora in the Pacific Palisades, once again enjoying the wonderfully sunny Californian weather. Even though there were no Oscars® for the German nominees in the end, German Films still want to congratulate all the nominees for their work, which has received well-deserved appreciation through the nominations. | |
| At Series Mania Forum, the industry section of Europe’s biggest festival for series content, Series Mania Festival, German Films was represented with a one-hour panel called FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN TALENTS. In discussion with presenter Francoispier Peliard Lambert (Le Film Francais), 2024 FACE TO FACE talents writer & director Soleen Yusef and actor Banafshe Hourmazdi, as well as this year’s European Shooting Star at the Berlinale, actor Katharina Stark, and screenwriter Marlene Melchior (LOVING HER, MAXTON HALL) talked about the state of the German series scene and current trends in series-making in Germany and worldwide. German Films also hosted a booth in the Delegates Hall of the Grand Palais, which turned out to be a lively meeting point for the German industry, and held a Cocktail Reception on March 20, celebrating 70 years of German Films in cooperation with MDM – Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung. | |
| The 26th edition of Cartoon Movie, the pitching and co-production forum opened its doors in Bordeaux from March 5 to 7, 2024 . It brought the whole of European creativity and diversity in animation to the screen and stage, with adventurous projects and passionate teams. The pitching event for the animation industry was attended by a total of 886 participants, including 264 buyers. This year, 55 animated feature film projects from 16 European countries were presented in Bordeaux, with a total budget of 397.6 million Euros, equivalent to 84 hours of animation. France led this year's selection (15 projects), followed by Belgium, Germany, and Spain (5 projects each). During the 3-day event, several prizes were awarded: the Euroregional Audiovisual Award, Eurimages Co-Production Development Award and Tributes Awards, with the 20,000 Euro Eurimages Co-Production Development Award going to Knudsen Pictures from Germany, among others: PESTA by Hanne Berkaak, produced by Mikrofilm (Norway), in collaboration with Xilam Films (France) & Knudsen Pictures (Germany). This year, 5 majority and 4 minority German co-productions were presented at Cartoon Movie. Majority co-productions were AGENT 203 by Damjan Mitrevski, Jo Daris (Toon2Tango), OUT OF FRAME by Toby Genkel (Ulysses Films), ELLI by Jesper Møller, Piet de Rycker, Jens Møller (Zooper Films, Lilian Klages), FLAMINGO FLAMENCO by Rob Sprackling (Studio100 International, Thorsten Wegener), and RAT KING by Nina Wels (Traumhaus Studios, Nina Prange). 4 minor co-productions: NIKO 3 - BEYOND NORTHERN LIGHTS by Kari Juusonen, Jørgen Lerdam (Ulysses Films), THE ISLAND OF SALAMANDERS by Catherine Maximoff (Fabian&Fred), PESTA by Hanne Berkaak (Knudsen Pictures), and HUMBUGGED by Todd Edwards (Fish Blowing Bubbles). | |
| In cooperation with the Goethe Institute and the German Embassy in Rome, the 4th edition of the Festival del Cinema Tedesco took place at Cinema Quattro Fontane. Here, the Italian cinephile audience could watch and enjoy new German films from March 14 to 17, 2024. The opening film, FALLING INTO PLACE, directed by and starring Aylin Tezel, kicked off the event. The subsequent talks in the packed auditorium, as well as a full screening for students with a Q&A session moderated by Mauro Donzelli the next morning, marked the beginning of the festival in Rome. In addition, FALLING INTO PLACE won the audience award: "Vince il premio del pubblico". Additionally, Muschirf Shekh Zeyn presented his short film KILLING BAGHEERA and the NGST NEXT GENERATIONSHORT FILM program, followed by a film talk moderated by Miriam Mauti. A very special conclusion was provided on Sunday evening by Tom Tykwer's RUN LOLA RUN, which (accompanied by an introduction by Cristiana Paternò and Simone Baumann, Managing Director of German Films) screened to a sold-out audience as part of the "70 Years of German Films" series. List of films at the GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL in Rome:
FALLING INTO PLACE (Opening Film) by Aylin Tezel
BLACK BOX by Aslı Özge
ELAHA by Milena Aboyan
LIFE IS NOT A COMPETITION, BUT I'M WINNING by Julia Fuhr Mann
WHEN WILL IT FINALLY BE LIKE IT NEVER WAS by Sonia Heiss
NGST Next Generation Short Tiger 2023 by Various
70 Years of German Films Special:
RUN LOLA RUN by Tom Tykwer | |
| Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art have announced the 53rd edition of New Directors/New Films (ND/NF), taking place from April 3 through April 14, 2024. For more than half a century, the festival has celebrated filmmakers who adress the present and anticipate the future of cinema, and whose bold work pushes the envelope in unexpected, striking ways. This year’s selection will introduce 25 features and 10 shorts, including one world premiere, 14 North American premieres, four U.S. premieres, and 16 New York premieres. A celebration of new filmmakers from around the world, ND/NF is a place to discover the next generation of key storytellers. Directors who were introduced to New York audiences in earlier ND/NF festivals include Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Kelly Reichardt, Pedro Almodóvar, Souleymane Cissé, Euzhan Palcy, Jia Zhangke, Spike Lee, Lynne Ramsay, Michael Haneke, Wong Kar-wai, Agnieszka Holland, Denis Villeneuve, Lino Brocka, Guillermo del Toro, Luca Guadagnino, and many others. These are the screenings of the German films: BLAGA'S LESSONS by Stephan Komandarev (114m)
April 9, 8:30 PM MoMA
April 14, 1:00 PM FLC A GOOD PLACE by Katharina Huber (108m)
April 4, 8:15 PM MoMA
April 7, 1:00 PM FLC OF LIVING WITHOUT ILLUSION by Katharina Lüdin (109m)
April 7, 3:45 PM FLC
April 8, 5:45 PM MoMA OMEN by Baloji (90m)
April 5, 6:00 PM FLC
April 6, 6:00 PM MoMA Films will screen at either the Film at Lincoln Center Walter Reade Theater (165 W 65th Street), and the Francesca Beale Theater (144 W 65th Street) or The Museum of Modern Art Titus 1 / Titus 2 Theaters (11 W 53rd Street). Learn more at newdirectors.org. | |
| FRG: 1971
IT IS NOT THE HOMOSEXUAL WHO IS PERVERSE, BUT THE SOCIETY IN WHICH HE LIVES
(OT: NICHT DER HOMOSEXUELLE IST PERVERS, SONDERN DIE SITUATION, IN DER ER LEBT) Never before in the German-speaking world had a film so clearly raised awareness of homosexuals as a socially discriminated minority as "It Is not the Homosexual…". The visual level, shot without sound, tells the story of Daniel and his changing life in the Berlin gay scene. In parallel, a manifesto unfolds on the soundtrack, discussing self-images, appealing to people to organize themselves and finally culminating in the thesis: "The most important thing for all gays is that we admit that we are gay". And: "Be proud of your homosexuality". The declamatory tone of the essay feature film provoked not only representatives of the bourgeois camp, for whom the work seemed too open and direct, but also members of the scene itself, who often perceived the film as befouling its own nest. German national broadcaster ARD initially refused to broadcast the film, and many screenings ended in tumultuous discussions. Despite this, or precisely because of this, Rosa von Praunheim, who only came out himself through this film, became an important figure in the gay movement. "It Is not the Homosexual…" had an enormous socio-political impact by triggering a new, modern liberation movement for gays and lesbians in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – and beyond. After screenings in 1972 at the New York Museum of Modern Arts and in London, among other venues, the film continued to travel through international film festivals and cultural institutions and has had a lasting influence on the development of the global LGBTQ+ movement and its cinematic reflection. (Oliver Baumgarten) Director: Rosa von Praunheim Screenplay: Rosa von Praunheim, Martin Dannecker, Sigurd Wurl DoP: Robert van Ackeren Editor: Jean-Claude Peroué Production: Werner Kließ for Bavaria Atelier GmbH Runtime: 67 Min. Premiere: July 4, 1971 in Berlin Cast: Bernd Feuerhelm, Berryt Bohlen, Ernst Kuchling et al. Rights: Bavaria International (in Germany distributed by Missing Films) | |
| The focus of the next session of the English-language KINO! FILM SALON online film club on April 14th will be Nicolette Krebitz‘s drama adventure WILD. Celebrating its world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition of the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in 2016, lead actress Lilith Stangenberg delivers a furious tour-de-force performance exploring the „wolf meets girl“ connection. It’s a wild ride of a young woman that breaks the limits of civilization. Our curator Jim Kolmar selected this movie: "Nicolette Krebitz’s WILD is a difficult film to describe. Essentially, the story is about Ania (Lilith Stangenberg), a young woman whose anarchist tendencies are ignited by an encounter with a wolf, forcing her to confront and perhaps escape her relationship with civilized society. However, WILD soon reveals itself as a kind of philosophical provocation asking increasingly knotty questions about conformity, society and desire, and more than willing to present us with some truly transgressive, taboo images in their service as Ania’s relationship with the wolf becomes increasingly disturbing. It’s a fearless, visceral film, shot through with forbidden lust, and asks us to consider that the line between the feral and the erotic is finer than we might like to think." RSVP: https://bit.ly/kinofilmsalonwild Date and time: Sunday, April 14th at 11:00am – 12:00pm PT, 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET, 8:00pm – 9:00pm CET.
Hosted by Jim Kolmar KINO! FILM SALON is a production of Telescope Film, in collaboration with the German Film Office | |
| Episode 58 - April 4, 2024:
In our brand-new ShortTake episode, we talk to actor and one of this year's FACES of German Films, Banafshe Hourmazdi, about Titanic and My Heart will go On by Celine Dion as well as cake. This episode will be fun, we promise! Episode 59 - April 25, 2024:
In April's second ShortTake episode, we talk to another actor and a member of our German Films' campaign FACE TO FACE Jan Bülow. Jan talked to us about why balance makes relationships great, how he always has space for dessert, and a particularly captivating scene in the original Blade Runner. You can find all of the episodes on our website and wherever podcasts are available. SHORT TAKE on Instagram! | |
| Episode 3 - April 16, 2024: A special place in Germany’s collective film-historic memory is held by SISI - the films, the person – fictional and real. Naturally when we had the chance to talk to producer, director and showrunner Andreas Gutzeit about his very watchable and very successful TV series SISI, we took it. Find out what the series does differently and where it may have some common ground with the classic film trilogy. You can find all of the episodes on our website and wherever podcasts are available. DEEP DIVE GENRE on Instagram! | |
| Award for THE AMAZING MAURICE
Among the winners of the British Animation Awards 2024 was THE AMAZING MAURICE by Toby Genkel (DE/UK, Ulysses Filmproduktion). The animation film was nominated in two categories - Best Feature Animation and Best Voice Performance - and won in the latter. The British Animation Awards 2024 winners were announced at a fun-filled ceremony at the BFI South Bank on the evening of March 7th, 2024. Locarno Film Festival: Submissions Open for Networking Program Match Me!
Heading into its 9th edition, Locarno Pro's networking initiative Match Me! is looking for emerging producers. The platform, aimed to strengthen the participants’ international network within the film industry, is welcoming producers with 2 to 5 years of experience from the countries of its partner organizations to apply. The program takes place at the 77th Locarno Film Festival during its industry program Locarno Pro (August 8 to 13, 2024). Submissions will close on April 26, 2024. Find more information here. Calls for submissions Apply for Central European Documentary Coproduction Market (CEDOC) in Krakow, Poland (May 29- 31, 2024).
Deadline: March 31, 2024. More info here. Apply for 65th edition of the Festival dei Popoli in Florence, Italy (November 2-10, 2024)
Deadlines for online registration are based on the film production date. More info here. Apply for the 28th Ji.hlava IDFF in Jihlava, Czech Republic (October 25 – November 3)
Deadlines for online registration are based on the film production date. More info here. Apply for 22nd edition of Doclisboa in Lisbon, Portugal (October 17-27, 2024)
Deadline: March 31, 2024. More info here. Apply for Cinalfama Lisbon, in Lisbon, Portugal (July, 2024).
Deadline: April 10, 2024. More info here.
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| Awards for German productions and co-productions at Tampere, Brussels and Thessaloniki. | |
| International releases of German films in April 2024 supported by the German Films Distribution Support program: AFIRE in Poland (Distributor: Aurora Films, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: April 5, 2024)
AFIRE in Denmark (Distributor: Camera Film, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: April 11, 2024)
BLACK BOX in Spain (Distributor: Distribución de películas Barlovento, World Sales: Beta Cinema, Theatrical Release: April 12, 2024)
DYING in Austria (Distributor: Filmcasino & Polyfilm BetriebsGmbH, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: April 26, 2024)
ELAHA in UK and Ireland (Distributor: 606 Distribution, World Sales: Pluto Film, Theatrical Release: April 26, 2024)
EMPTY NETS in Spain (Distributor: Puntal Films, World Sales: Pluto Film, Theatrical Release: April 29, 2024)
LASSIE - A NEW ADVENTURE in Romania (Distributor: Contactory Studio (Cay Films), World Sales: Global Screen, Theatrical Release: April 12, 2024)
MIA AND ME: THE HERO OF CENTOPIA in Greece (Distributor: Paragoges & Dianomes Tainion Neo Films, World Sales: Studio 100 Film, Theatrical Release: April 18, 2024)
MUSIC in Spain (Distributor: L'Atalante Cinema, World Sales: Shellac, Theatrical Release: April 19, 2024)
SCHOOL OF MAGICAL ANIMALS 2 in Poland (Distributor: New Horizons Association, World Sales: Global Screen, Theatrical Release: April 5, 2024)
STELLA. A LIFE. In Sweden (Distributor: Noble Entertainment, World Sales: Global Screen, Theatrical Release: April 12, 2024)
STELLA. A LIFE. in South Korea (Distributor: Mediasoft Films, World Sales: Global Screen, Theatrical Release: April 17, 2024)
STELLA. A LIFE in Spain and Andorra (Distributor: Twelve Oaks Pictures, World Sales: Global Screen, Theatrical Release: April 26, 2024)
THABO - THE RHINO ADVENTURE in Hungary (Distributor: ADS Service, World Sales: Sola Media, Theatrical Release: April 11, 2024)
THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE in UK and Ireland (Distributor: Curzon Film World, World Sales: Be for Films, Theatrical Release: April 12, 2024)
WEEKENDREBELS in Israel (Distributor: Nachshon Films, World Sales: Picture Tree International, Theatrical Release: April 18, 2024) Please note: Correct at time of going to press. Changes may occur at any time. | |
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