| Of the five German films in the festival's official line-up, Laura Lehmus’ SWEET DISASTER was the one celebrating its world premiere in London, while SECOND THOUGHTS by Zora Rux and Wiebke Pöpel’s HELMUT LACHENMANN - MY WAY were shown in the UK on the big screen for the first time. Although audiences are only slowly returning to the cinemas as the situation with the pandemic is still precarious, the festival nevertheless attracted a young and open-minded audience which engaged in lively discussions in a relaxed atmosphere with the three filmmakers who had specially travelled to London to present their films in person.
By complying with the appropriate COVID-19 protocols, the festival was able to hold the evening and networking events as well as the panel discussion organised by German Films and entitled "FACE TO FACE: Diverse Voices from Germany: The Language of Music", with the film composer and FACE TO FACE talent Freya Arde (MY WONDERFULLY SAME WEEK WITH TESS) and her British musician colleague Segun Akinola (DR. WHO). The two spoke with the moderator and the festival’s Head of Industry, Jennifer Handorf, about music being the universal language of cinema. "I had a very refreshing exchange of ideas and experiences with my distinguished colleague Segun Akinola and was surprised about the similarity of our approach. London was simply charming and vibrant - thank you for making this possible, German Films," composer Freya Arde said after the event which had attracted an interested audience of around 30 in total.
All the German films at the Raindance Film Festival 2021 are listed here. | |
| Simone Baumann, managing director of German Films: "With the election of Philipp Kreuzer, we have not only been able to gain a new chairman of the supervisory board who brings extensive international expertise and many years of experience in the industry, but also a capable successor who will continue Peter Herrmann's excellent work. To him, we would like to express our gratitude for his constant commitment and excellent strategic advice, from which our work has benefited for more than six years. We are confident that the upcoming cooperation with Philipp Kreuzer will be just as positive and are delighted with the decision." Kreuzer is managing director of maze pictures, a company specialising in international co-productions, which he founded together with Jörg Schulze in 2015. Before that, the trained lawyer worked at Eurimages in Strasbourg and the Bavaria Film Group, among others. Philipp Kreuzer is a member of the German Producers Association, the European Film Academy, and the German Film Academy. In addition to Kreuzer, the six-member supervisory board of German Films currently consists of Petra Müller, managing director of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Peter Dinges, board member of the German Federal Film Board (FFA), Manuela Kehlenbach, head of the Film Industry & International Film Affairs department in the office of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), Antonio Exacoustos, Head of International Sales and Productions at The Playmaker Munich and representative of the Association of German Film Exporters (VDFE), as well as Sabine Pollmeier, producer at Parnass Film and board member of AG DOK. Shareholders of German Films – and thus represented in the shareholders' meeting – are: German Producers Alliance, German Documentary Association (AG DOK), German Short Film Association (AG Kurzfilm), FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, German Federal Film Board (FFA), Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Deutsche Kinemathek, Association of German Film Exporters (VDFE) and the German Producers Association. | |
| The official programme kicked off after the Meeting was opened on November 17 by Peter Dinges, CEO of the FFA, and Olivier Henrard of the CNC, with Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, welcoming the guests. The format curated by Erwin Schmidt encouraged an intensive exchange in a relaxed atmosphere thanks to the programme being made up of shorter items, with more opportunities for interactive participation as well as hybrid roundtables. In the evening, the managing directors of German Films and UniFrance, Simone Baumann and Daniela Elstner, also welcomed the producers and film funders present and reflected on the eventful day over dinner together at La Redoute.
The event focused on such topics as diversity, disruption to the production and distribution landscapes as a result of the streaming services, and challenges to film funding. The question of how diversity can be promoted in the film industry was discussed on November 18 by Helge Albers, CEO of MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, and Julie Billy, a producer at June Films and the co-founder of Collectif 50/50 which campaigns for gender equality and diversity in the film industry. Patrick von Sychowski moderated the panel on "The Future of Cinema and the Feature Films of the Future" with Bettina Brokemper (Heimatfilm), Priscilla Gessati (LʼEntrepôt cinéma) and Mathieu Robinet (TANDEM Films) to address the difficulties and opportunities the industry will be facing in the coming years.
Initiated in 2003 by the German-French Film Academy, this year's event finally provided the participating European filmmakers with a personal platform again after the 2020 edition had gone digital. Opportunities to make new contacts, share expertise and promote cultural cooperation were taken up, as was participation in the event's co-production market where it is not uncommon for the groundwork to be laid for upcoming co-productions.
More information about the German-French Film Meeting can be found on the website: www.das-rendez-vous.org/filmtreffen
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| Maria Schrader's futuristic romantic comedy opened the 25th Berlin & Beyond Film Festival in San Francisco on November 15. Producer Lisa Blumenberg and lead actor Dan Stevens were on hand to introduce their film to the audience in the sold-out cinema. On November 16, a special screening was held in New York at the Quad Cinema as part of the German Film Office’s Oscar® campaign for I’M YOUR MAN with the director and screenwriter Maria Schrader in attendance. Members of the Academy and other industry associations were invited. Over 70 guests attended and took part in the Q&A moderated by the critic Tomris Laffly (Variety, New York Critics Circle), followed by a small reception in the cinema lobby. The film was very well received.
The announcement of the shortlist for the Best International Feature Film category will take place on December 21, 2021 - the tension’s rising!
I’M YOUR MAN is also one of the four finalists of the Arab Critics’ Award for European Films which was launched by European Film Promotion and the Arab Cinema Center and will be presented at a gala ceremony during the Cairo International Film Festival on December 1.
More information about the Arab Critics’ Award can be found here:
https://www.efp-online.com/en/news/2021/20211123_arab_critics_awards_finalists.php | |
| While Dominik Graf's literary adaptation opened the festival at the Khudozhestvenny Cinema, Sabrina Sarabi's NO ONE’S WITH THE CALVES kicked off the anniversary edition at the Oktyabr Cinema. The eponymous screen adaptation of the Friedrich Hölderlin Award-winning novel by Alina Herbing celebrated its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival in the Filmmakers of the Present sidebar where the protagonist Saskia Rosendahl also won the Best Actress award. Since the guests could not be onsite due to the precarious pandemic situation, director Sabrina Sarabi answered some questions about the film via a live stream, and Lisa Bierwirth, the director of LE PRINCE, spoke about her feature-length debut in a virtual Q&A.
Other programme highlights, for example, included the award-winning film MOSTLY MINIMALISTIC by Natja Brunckhorst, a subtle comedy about too much and too little in love, or THE EXAM by Shawkat Amin Korki: This drama had its world premiere at this year's Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI Prize there.
The programme of the 20th Festival of German Films in Moscow:
Feature Films:
FABIAN - GOING TO THE DOGS by Dominik Graf
NO ONE’S WITH THE CALVES by Sabrina Sarabi
MOSTLY MINIMALISTIC by Natja Brunckhorst
THE PEPPERCORNS AND THE TREASURE OF THE DEEP SEA by Christian Theede
COPILOT by Anne Zohra Berrached
THE LAST EXECUTION by Franziska Stünkel
LE PRINCE by Lisa Bierwirth
CONTRA by Sönke Wortmann
THE EXAM by Shawkat Amin Korki
COMMITMENT PHOBIA by Helena Hufnagel
PETROV'S FLU by Kirill Serebrennikov
Documentaries:
WHO WE WERE by Marc Bauder
NUCLEAR FOREVER by Carsten Rau
Short films:
AVANT CARD by Stella Raith
THEORIE UND PRAXIS by Leonie Minor
TO THE LAST DROP by Simon Schnellmann
NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER programme 2021
Series:
ECHOS by Jakob M. Erwa
More information about the event is available here: www.germanfilms.ru | |
| The award in the category "Best Film" went to Andreas Kleinert's black-and-white drama DEAR THOMAS, which deals with the life and resistance of the German writer Thomas Brasch. According to the jury, the work's powerful storytelling and masterful realisation of the biographical genre cast a spotlight on one of the most important figures in German literature. Albrecht Schuch, who plays the main role in the biopic, was also able to accept the award for Best Actor. The German European Shooting Star 2021 has made a name for himself in recent years with leading roles in successful productions such as BAD BANKS, SYSTEM CRASHER, BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ, FABIAN - GOING TO THE DOGS and THE ROYAL GAME. In DEAR THOMAS, Schuch once again shines with his multi-faceted and authentic interpretation of the exceptional German artist.
Up-and-coming German filmmakers also made their mark in Tallinn: In the "First Feature" section, the jury awarded Francesco Sossai's OTHER CANNIBALS the prize for best debut feature film.
The most popular film with the festival audience, however, was WHISPERS OF WAR by Florian Hoffmann. The drama about a primary school teacher from Berlin who can no longer ignore the conflict in his Kurdish hometown Cizre won the Audience Favorite Award, donated by the City of Tallinn.
More information on the German entries in Tallinn can be found here...
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| The Berlin-based actor Tua El-Fawwal was born in Egypt in 1998 and moved to Germany at the age of nine. After graduating from high school, she heard about a casting call for the series DRUCK, the German adaptation of the original Norwegian series SKAM. They were looking for an actor who could credibly portray an excellent student, feminist, boxer and Muslim. Tua El-Fawwal was cast in the role and her performance garnered her the 2020 German Acting Award for Best Newcomer. In her acceptance speech, she described her experiences as an actress who also wears the hijab privately, and strongly criticised the lack of diversity in German cinema.
In the interview, Tua not only talks about her favourite series and childhood heroes, but also reveals the place that makes her happy, no matter what is happening around her. In addition, the new episode focuses on the role family plays, what role Tua would personally like to play in the future, and what work she would find fulfillment in if she hadn’t become an actor.
Whet your appetite? All the episodes are available on our website and wherever podcasts can be accessed.
Information about new episodes and guests will be regularly posted on the SHORT TAKE Instagram channel: https://www.instagram.com/shorttake/
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| PEKING CELEBRATES GERMAN CINEMA - TO BE CONTINUED IN DECEMBER
The 9th Festival of German Films in Beijing opened on November 6 with the screening of FABIAN - GOING TO THE DOGS at the Goethe-Institut after the official cinema programme initially had to be postponed due to cinemas being closed in Dongcheng District.
There were live Q&As with Tom Schilling on FABIAN, Maria Speth on MR BACHMANN AND HIS CLASS, Franziska Stünkel on THE LAST EXECUTION and Jens Meurer on AN IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT after the screenings at the Goethe-Institut,
The festival’s official programme can then be shown in the cinemas in December. Maren Eggert took part in a Q&A which will be presented with the screening of the opening film I’M YOUR MAN. Franka Potente also addressed some words to the Chinese audience for the forthcoming screening of HOME.
The festival brochure as well as other information can be found on the website (https://festivalofgermancinema.com/). The festival's Chinese social media channels also provide information about the programme:
Weibo: https://weibo.com/p/1006062456072377/wenzhang
WeChat: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/yijIbBn-Uh-QyKwc_k1GYQ -------------------------------------------- KINO! FILM SALON: RUN LOLA RUN
The focus of the next session of the English-language online film club KINO! FILM SALON will be on Tom Tykwer's cult film RUN LOLA RUN – the work that gave German actress Franka Potente her international breakthrough. More than 20 years later, Potente has established herself as an artist who is influential on many levels. Apart from acting, she is active as a musician and author, and has now made her first feature film as a director with HOME. HOME will be available digitally in the USA from December 3. All those cinephiles who want to revisit the beginning of Potente's extraordinary career with RUN LOLA RUN are cordially invited to participate in the last edition of the KINO! FILM SALON for this year:
RSVP: https://bit.ly/kinosalonrsvplola
Date and Time: Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 11am - 12pm PDT, 2pm - 3pm EDT, 8pm - 9pm CET.
Hosted by Sydney Levine
KINO! FILM SALON is a production of Telescope Film, in collaboration with the German Film Office. In December, Telescope's German Films microsite has a spotlight section dedicated to Franka Potente and her work. -------------------------------------------- CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: TORINO FEATURE LAB 2022.
Creative teams of directors and producers now have until January 17, 2022 to apply for the young talent programme of the FeatureLab which is organised in cooperation with the Polish Film Institute and German Films as part of the Torino Film Lab. The focus is on first or second feature film projects at an advanced stage of development: whether they be fiction films, creative documentaries, experimental films or animated films. Selected applicants will participate in a week-long workshop in June and an online module in the autumn, followed by a final session and participation in the TFL Meeting Event in November. The fee per team of two people is € 3,000.
More information about the programme and the application process can be found here:
http://www.torinofilmlab.it/training/training/133-featurelab-2022 -------------------------------------------- ANNECY MIFA PITCHES - CALL FOR ANIMATION FILM PROJECTS
The MIFA Pitches will be held during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (June 13-18, 2022),. They enable authors and producers to have an exchange of ideas and get in touch with potential international partners for projects at an early stage of development. The best projects will be awarded prizes. Projects can apply in the categories of short film, feature film, TV series/TV special and digital experience (interactive/transmedia). The rules and regulations can be accessed on the festival website (https://www.annecy.org/take-part/submit-a-project). The deadline is February 8, 2022. -------------------------------------------- SHORT DOCUMENTARY SEAHORSE ON US TV
The short documentary SEAHORSE by Nele Dehnenkamp (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg) has been successfully screening at international festivals since its premiere at DOK Leipzig 2020 and the international premiere at IDFA Amsterdam 2020. After winning "Best Documentary Short" at this year’s Atlanta Film Festival, the film entered the Oscar race and has already been nominated for the IDA Documentary Award in the category for student films, which will be presented on February 5, 2022. On November 29, the US broadcaster PBS aired SEAHORSE as part of its "POV Shorts" series (https://www.pbs.org/pov/watch/seahorse/), and the film has since been available for streaming. "POV" has presented documentaries on PBS since 1988 and included shorts there since 2018. -------------------------------------------- EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS: GERMAN FILMS NOMINATED
On November 9, the last remaining nominations for the 34th European Film Awards were announced during the European Film Festival in Seville. The nominees didn’t only include some co-productions with German participation like QUO VADIS, AIDA or GREAT FREEDOM; there’s also a German project with the chance of winning the award in the Best Documentary category with Maria Speth's sensational documentary MR BACHMANN AND HIS CLASS. The award ceremony will take place on December 11 in Berlin. However, only nominees and award winners have been invited to attend the ceremony due to COVID-19.
More about the European Film Awards and the nominees:
https://www.europeanfilmawards.eu/en_EN?p=1 | |
| German films and co-productions at Henares, Tallinn, Los Angeles, Leuven and Bucharest. | |
| Awards for German films and co-productions at Montclair, Espinho, Chicago, Carthage and Toruń. | |
| ADVENTURES OF A MATHEMATICIAN in France (Distributor: Rezo Films, World Sales: Indie Sales, Theatrical Release: 01 December 2021)
ADVENTURES OF A MATHEMATICIAN in Russia (Distributor: Rocket Releasing, World Sales: Indie Sales, Theatrical Release: 02 December 2021)
SCHOOL OF MAGICAL ANIMALS in Russia (Distributor: Rocket Releasing, World Sales: Global Screen, Theatrical Release: 02 December 2021)
UNDINE in Brazil (Distributor: Imovision, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: 02 December 2021)
DRAGON RIDER in Bosnia & Herzegovina (Distributor: Blitz F.V.D., World Sales: Constantin Film, Theatrical Release: 09. December 2021)
COCOON in Brazil (Distributor: Olhar Distribuição de Filmes, World Sales: m-appeal, Theatrical Release: 09 December 2021)
LARA in Brazil (Distributor: Imovision, World Sales: Beta Cinema, Theatrical Release: 09 December 2021)
STAY STILL in Mexico (Distributor: Bestiario Films, World Sales: Intramovies, Theatrical Release: 10 December 2021)
NOW in Italy (Distributor: Just Wanted, World Sales: The Party Film Sales, Theatrical Release: 12 December 2021)
DRAGON RIDER in Croatia (Distributor: Blitz d.o.o., World Sales: Constantin Film, Theatrical Release: 16 December 2021)
NO HARD FEELINGS in Brazil (Distributor: Olhar Distribuição de Filmes, World Sales: m-appeal, Theatrical Release: 16 December 2021)
THE ROYAL GAME in Ukraine (Distributor: Traffic Films, World Sales: Studiocanal, Theatrical Release: 16 December 2021)
CAVEMAN in Switzerland (Distributor: Praesens Film, World Sales: Constantin Film, Theatrical Release: 23 December 2021)
Status: Newsletter publication date. Please be aware that all release dates are subject to change. | |
| German Films Service + Marketing GmbH
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Fax +49-89-59 97 87-30 | |
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