Germany Will Have A Large Presence In Toronto

Posted on August 14, 2024August 14, 2024 by Glamour

Germany will have a large presence in Toronto with 24 productions and co-productions

The Toronto International Film Festival is getting ready to roll out the red carpets to welcome film lovers to Toronto as the largest North American film festival from 5 to 15 September, 2024. In total, over 200 films have been programmed to be screened during the 11-day festival. 24 German productions and co-productions will be shown in Toronto.

Like the other summer festivals, TIFF had to cope with the effects of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year. The organisers are therefore even more looking forward to making this year’s festival that bit more special. “This year’s festival will be a top-class event with films that reflect the world around us with humour and empathy,” Anita Lee, TIFF’s Programme Director, said.

There are several international and North American premieres as well as a world premiere among the German productions being shown in Toronto. EDGE OF NIGHT (MFP) will have its North American premiere in the Centrepiece section. Writer-director Türker Süer’s debut is set in a climate of mistrust where the state demands absolute – if not even blind – loyalty and the only options are to conform or rebel. Also premiering in North America is HAPPY HOLIDAYS (Red Balloon Film). This family drama by the Oscar-nominated Palestinian director Scandar Copti sees a fateful mix of personal quest, bad decisions and persistent social pressure putting the endurance of cherished relationships to the test. Ali Samadi Ahadi will also have the world premiere of SEVEN DAYS (brave new work) in Toronto. The drama revolves around the imprisoned human rights activist Maryam, who is granted a rare medical leave, giving her the chance to aescape Iran – but at a cost to her fight for equality and democracy. Mohammad Rasoulof’s THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG (Run Way Pictures) is already well known from Cannes and Locarno. The social drama about an Iranian investigating judge is being programmed as a Canadian premiere.

SAD JOKES (Postofilm) will have its international premiere in the Discovery sidebar which shows debut and second films by up-and-coming filmmakers from contemporary international cinema. This tragicomic second feature film by the writer-director-actor Fabian Stumm is set in contemporary Berlin and delivers a poignant depiction of modern queer life and the ability of an artist to persevere through all odds.

THE SUNSET SPECIAL 2 can be seen in the Short Cuts sidebar. Three years after the first part, filmmaker Nicolas Gebbe now returns with his sequel to take another ironic look at the formulaic nature of social media and luxury tourism.

Apart from the German productions and co-productions screening at the festival, German director Edward Berger, known for the Oscar® winner ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, will have the international premiere of his new film CONCLAVE in the section of Special Presentations. The German actor Daniel Brühl (GOOD BYE, LENIN!) can be seen in EDEN by Ron Howard, which will be shown as a world premiere in the Gala Presentation section.

An overview of the German films & co-productions in Toronto in 2024

Centrepiece
AN UNFINISHED FILM by Lou Ye (SG/DE, Essential Filmproduktion)
CROCODILE TEARS by Tumpal Tampubolon (ID/FR/SG/DE, 2Pilots Filmproduction)
EDGE OF NIGHT by Türker Süer (DE/TR, MFP)
HAPPY HOLIDAYS by Scandar Copti (DE/PS/FR/IT, Red Balloon Film)
SEVEN DAYS (SIEBEN TAGE) by Ali Samadi Ahadi (brave new work)
THE LEGEND OF THE VAGABOND QUEEN OF LAGOS by The Agbajawo Collective (NG/DE, Die Gesellschaft DGS)
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG by Mohammad Rasoulof (DE/FR/IR, Run Way Pictures)
THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE by Mo Harawe (AT/FR/DE/SO, NiKo Film)
TO A LAND UNKNOWN by Mahdi Fleifel (UK/FR/DE/GR/NL/QA/SA/PS, Salaud Morisset Germany)

Classics
TIME OF MATURITY (REIFEZEIT) by Sohrab Shahid Saless (PROVOBIS Gesellschaft für Film und Fernsehen)

Discovery
BONJOUR TRISTESSE by Durga Chew-Bose (CA/DE, Barry Film)
HORIZONTE by César Augusto Acevedo (CO/FR/LU/CL/DE, unafilm)
SAD JOKES by Fabian Stumm (Postofilm)

Platform
THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT by Gabrielle Brady (AU/MN/DE, Chromosom Film)

Primetime
FAMILIER SOM VORES (FAMILIES LIKE OURS) by Thomas Vinterberg (DN/FR/SE/CZ/NO/DE, Zentropa Berlin)

Short Cuts
THE SUNSET SPECIAL 2 by Nicolas Gebbe

Special Presentations
HARVEST by Athina Rachel Tsangari (UK/DE/GR/FR/US, MFP)
RUMOURS by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson (CA/DE, Maze Pictures)
THE ASSESSMENT by Fleur Fortuné (UK/DE/US, Augenschein Filmproduktion)
THE END by Joshua Oppenheimer (DN/DE/IR/IT/UK/SE, MFP)

TIFF Doc
TATA by Radu Ciorniciuc, Lina Vdovii (RO/DE/NL, Corso Film)

Wavelengths
GRAND TOUR by Miguel Gomes (PT/IT/FR/DE/JP/CN)
PEPE by Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias (DOM, NAM/DE/FR, Pandora Film Produktion)
VIET AND NAM by Quý Truong Minh (VN/PH/CH/SG/FR/QA/SA/DE, Scarlet Visions)

German Productions and Co-Productions in Venice

Posted on July 24, 2024July 24, 2024 by Glamour

A diverse selection of German productions and co-productions in Venice

The 81st Venice International Film Festival, organised by the Biennale di Venezia, will take place this year on the Lido di Venezia from August 28 to September 7, 2024. A total of 17 German productions and co-productions will be shown in various sections, and additional projects will be presented in the Venice Production Bridge. German Films will also be hosting a panel entitled ‘Getting the Money Abroad’ about XR.

On Tuesday, July 23, 2024, the President of the Biennale, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, and the Artistic Director of the Venice Film Festival, Alberto Barbera, announced the line-up of this year’s Festival. Now in its 81st edition, the Venice Film Festival remains true to its values and aims to raise the awareness of international cinema and promote it in all its forms as art, entertainment and industry in a spirit of freedom and dialogue.

RIEFENSTAHL (Vincent Productions) by Andres Veiel will be screened in the Out of Competition section. The German documentary film portrays the director, who always tried after the Second World War to deny her ideological closeness to the Nazi regime. Leni Riefenstahl only allowed one portrayal of her biography: her own. The estate of one of the most controversial women of the 20th century tells a different story.

The Orizzonti – Extra competition section will open with SEPTEMBER 5 (BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion, Constantin Film, Edgar Reitz Filmproduktion) by Tim Fehlbaum. The drama revolves around the sports team of the US broadcaster ABC, who suddenly have to switch in the middle of the night during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich from reporting on sports to live coverage of the Israeli athletes being taken hostage. The story focuses on Geoff, a young and ambitious producer, who wants to prove himself to his boss, the legendary TV director Roone Arledge. SHAHED (Arthood Film) by Nader Saeivar will also be shown in the section. The film is about Tarlan, who witnesses the murder of her friend Rana by her husband, an important figure in the government. When the police refuse to investigate the case, Tarlan decides to go public, putting her own family and herself in grave danger. The third German production in this section is GECENİN KIYISI (EDGE OF NIGHT) (MFP) by Türker Süer about two Turkish brothers who have to come to terms with their own convictions in a country during a period of political unrest.

Two other German productions will be screened in Orrizonti. HAPPY HOLIDAYS (Red Balloon Film) by Scandar Copti deals with the story of Palestinian woman Fifi, whose double life is revealed after a car accident in Jerusalem. The episodically involved stories show other characters in the Jewish-Arab cosmos also having to decide between truth, family and ideology. QUIET LIFE (Senator Film) by Alexandros Avranas centres on Sergei and Natalia, two political asylum seekers who have fled to Sweden with their two daughters Katja and Alina with the hope of starting a new, happy life. These hopes are dashed when their application is rejected.

The independent sidebar of Giornate Degli Autori will see the director Shahab Fotouhi presenting BOOMERANG (New Matter Films), a sociological snapshot of modern Tehran based on different fates, including a man in crisis, a marriage falling apart, and a couple of teenagers falling in love in public.

A total of 63 projects from 25 countries will be presented at Venice Immersive this year. The section is entirely devoted to immersive art and immersive media and includes all types of creative XR expression. Germany will be represented by the production BELOW DECK (TÒ SU) by Martina Mahlknecht and Martin Prinoth, which can be seen in Biennale College Cinema – Immersive – Out Of Competition. The VR theatre play combines documentary and fictional means to be able to have a look behind the luxurious façade of a cruise ship.

German Films will also host a panel for the programme on Venice Immersive Island (Lazzaretto Vecchio). Together with Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, FFF Bayern and Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, German Films will be addressing the subject of ‘Getting the Money Abroad: Opportunities and Challenges of International Coproductions With Germany in XR’ on Sunday, 1 September from 4:30 – 5:30 pm.

The German writer-director Julia von Heinz (TREASURE) will serve as a member of the International Competition’s jury. Chaired by Isabelle Huppert and together with seven other members, the Mostra jury will decide, among other things, on the winner of the Golden Lion.

Other German filmmakers will also be in various sections in Venice with international productions, including Albrecht Schuch who is in the acting ensemble of the Austrio-German production PEACOCK by Bernhard Wenger in Settimana Della Critica.

An overview of all of the German productions and co-productions in Venice:

Competition
HARVEST by Athina Rachel Tsangari (GB/DE/GR/FR/US, MFP)
MARIA by Pablo Larraín (IT/GB/CL/DE, Komplizen Film)

Out Of Competition – Non Fiction
RIEFENSTAHL by Andres Veiel (Vincent Productions)

Out Of Competition – Series
FAMILIER SOM VORES (FAMILIES LIKE OURS) by Thomas Vinterberg (DN/FR/SE/CZ/BL/NO/DE, Zentropa Berlin)

Orrizonti Extra
SEPTEMBER 5 by Tim Fehlbaum (DE/US, BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion, Constantin Film, ERF Edgar Reitz Filmproduktion)
GECENİN KIYISI (EDGE OF NIGHT) by Türker Süer (DE/TR, MFP)
SHAHED (THE WITNESS) by Nader Saeivar (DE/AT, Arthood Film)

Orrizonti
HAPPY HOLIDAYS by Scandar Copti (DE/PS/FR/IT/QA, Red Balloon Film)
QUIET LIFE by Alexandros Avranas (DE/FR/EE/SE/GR/FI, Senator Film Produktion)

Venice Classics
FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT by Michael Lurie, Eric Friedler (AU/DE)
LES FLOCONS D’OR (GOLDFLOCKEN) by Werner Schroeter (DE/FR, Janus Film und Fernsehen)

Venice Immersive – In Competition
SYMBIOSIS/\DYSBIOSIS: SENTIENCE by Tosca Terán, Brendan Lehman, Andrei Gravelle, Sven Steffens (CA/DE/CL, The Mycelial Network)

Biennale College Cinema – Immersive – Out Of Competition
BELOW DECK by Martina Mahlknecht, Martin Prinoth (DE/IT, TÒ SU)
DUCHAMPIANA by Lilian Hess (FR/DE, mYndstorm productions)

Giornate Degli Autori
BOOMERANG by Shahab Fotouhi (DE/IR, New Matter Films)
SANATORIUM UNDER THE SIGN OF THE HOURGLASS by Quay Brothers (GB/DE/PL, MFP)

Settimana Della Critica
PEACOCK (PFAU) by Bernhard Wenger (AT/DE, Cala Film)

VENICE PRODUCTION BRIDGE

Gap Financing Market
Fiction
NO GOOD MEN by Shahrbanoo Sadat (DE/FR/NO/DN, Adomeit Film, Amerikafilm)

Immersive
BODY/MEMORY by Stefano Casertano (DE/IT, Daring House)
LALALABYRINTH (WT) by Pedro Harres (Reynard Films)
RESONANZ by David Adler and Ioulia Isserlis (DE/DN, Anotherworld VR)

Biennale College Cinema – Immersive Projects
EDIFICE by Andreea Ion Cojocaru (DE/US, Numena)

Final Cut
Docu-Fiction
ANCESTRAL VISIONS OF THE FUTURE by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese (FR/DE/LS)

German Films supports foreign theatrical releases of German films

Posted on June 29, 2024June 29, 2024 by Glamour

German Films supports foreign theatrical releases of German films with 306,000 Euro

In the second meeting of 2024, German Films „Distribution Support” awards committee decided to support 45 foreign theatrical releases of German films. In total 306,000 Euro were allocated.

The committee decided to support the following films:

AFIRE in Sweden (Distributor: Njutafilms, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: July 12, 2024, Grant: 6,000 €)
BLIND AT HEART in the Netherlands (Distributor: Cherry Pickers, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: July 25, 2024, Grant: 8,000 €)
CHANTAL AND THE MAGIC KINGDOM in Hungary (Distributor: InterCom, World Sales: Picture Tree International, Theatrical Release: August 29, 2024, Grant: 7,000 €)
CUCKOO in Switzerland (Distributor: Praesens-Film, World Sales: Weltkino, Theatrical Release: August 8, 2024, Grant: 4,000 €)
DYING in Switzerland (Distributor: Filmcoopi, World Sales: Match Factory, Theatrical Release: May 30, 2024, Grant: 11,000 €)
DYING in Romania (Distributor: Freealize, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: October 11, 2024, Grant: 3,000 €)
DYING in Norway (Distributor: Selmer Media, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: October 18, 2024, Grant: 9,000 €)
DYING in France (Distributor: Bodega Films, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: September 11, 2024, Loan: 20,000 €)
ELAHA in North Macedonia (Distributor: Cutaway, World Sales: Pluto Film, Theatrical Release: October 10, 2024, Grant: 3,000 €)
ELLI AND THE GHOSTLY GHOST TRAIN in Switzerland (Distributor: Praesens-Film, World Sales: Wild Bunch, Theatrical Release: June 27, 2024, Grant: 8,000 €)
EMPTY NETS in Australia (Distributor: Green Frog Production, World Sales: Pluto Film, Theatrical Release: September 1, 2024, Grant: 3,000 €)
ETERNAL YOU in Austria (Distributor: Filmdelights, World Sales: Dogwoof, Theatrical Release: September 6, 2024, Grant: 4,500 €)
ETERNAL YOU in UK and Ireland (Distributor: Dogwoof, World Sales: Dogwoof, Theatrical Release: June 28, 2024, Grant: 10,500 €)
EVERYTHING’S FIFTY FIFTY in Switzerland (Distributor: DCM Film Distribution, World Sales: Picture Tree International, Theatrical Release: August 29, 2024, Grant: 8,000 €)
FÜHRER AND SEDUCER in Switzerland (Distributor: Elite Film AG, World Sales: Beta Film, Theatrical Release: August 22, 2024, Grant: 11,000 €)
FÜHRER AND SEDUCER in Sweden (Distributor: Noble Entertainment, World Sales: Beta Film, Theatrical Release: September 6, 2024, Grant: 7,000 €)
FÜHRER AND SEDUCER in Denmark (Distributor: Mis. Label Aalborg, World Sales: Beta Film, Theatrical Release: September 19, 2024, Grant: 7,000 €)
FÜHRER AND SEDUCER in Norway (Distributor: Star Media Entertainment, World Sales: Beta Film, Theatrical Release: October 11, 2024, Grant: 5,000 €)
FÜHRER AND SEDUCER in Czech Republic (Distributor: DonArt Production, World Sales: Beta Film, Theatrical Release: October 20, 2024, Grant: 4,000 €)
FÜHRER AND SEDUCER in Spain (Distributor: A Contracorriente Films, World Sales: Beta Film, Theatrical Release: December 5, 2024, Grant: 12,000 €)
FALLING INTO PLACE in Spain (Distributor: Syldavia Cinema, World Sales: Telepool / Global Screen, Theatrical Release: July 19, 2024, Grant: 10,000 €)
GIANTS OF LA MANCHA in Greece (Distributor: Rodebud.21, World Sales: Studio 100, Theatrical Release: July 4, 2024, Grant: 5,000 €)
GIRL YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE in Hungary (Distributor: Vertigo Media, World Sales: Voltage Pictures, Theatrical Release: May 23, 2024, Grant: 8,000 €)
GONDOLA in Spain (Distributor: Reverso Films, World Sales: Coccinelle Film Sales, Theatrical Release: Novemver 22, 2024, Grant: 3,000 €)
HOLLYWOODGATE in UK and Ireland (Distributor: Curzon Film World, World Sales: Cinephil, Theatrical Release: August 16, 2024, Grant: 10,000 €)
IVO in Austria (Distributor: Filmcasino & Polyfilm, World Sales: Loco Films, Theatrical Release: June 21, 2024, Grant: 2,500 €)
LUCY WANTED in Croatia (Distributor: Radar, World Sales: The Playmaker Munich, Theatrical Release: September 12, 2024, Grant: 4,500 €)
LUCY WANTED in Serbia (Distributor: Cinefest, World Sales: The Playmaker Munich, Theatrical Release: August 29, 2024, Grant: 3,000 €)
MUSIC in the United States and Canada (Distributor: The Cinema Guild, World Sales: Shellac, Theatrical Release: June 28, 2024, Grant: 3,000 €)
ONE LAST EVENING in Poland (Distributor: Aurora Films, World Sales: Beta Cinema, Theatrical Release: May 24, 2024, Grant: 6,000 €)
SUN AND CONCRETE in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (Distributor: Unlimited Media, World Sales: Moonrise Pictures, Theatrical Release: August 30, 2024, Grant: 8,000 €)
SCHOOL OF MAGICAL ANIMALS 2 in Israel (Distributor: Red Cape Distribution, World Sales: Global Screen, Theatrical Release: September 5, 2024, Grant: 10,000 €)
SISI & I in the United States (Distributor: Film Movement, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: July 12, 2024, Grant: 5,000 €)
SCORCHED EARTH in Greece (Distributor: Danaos Films, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: August 8, 2024, Grant: 3,000 €)
THE CHAOS SISTERS FEAT. PENGUIN PAUL in Estonia (Distributor: Unlimited Media, World Sales: The Playmaker Munich, Theatrical Release: August 9, 2024, Grant: 4,000 €)
THE CHAOS SISTERS FEAT. PENGUIN PAUL in Latvia (Distributor: Unlimited Media, World Sales: The Playmaker Munich, Theatrical Release: August 9, 2024, Grant: 4,000 €)
THE CHAOS SISTERS FEAT. PENGUIN PAUL in Lithuania (Distributor: Unlimited Media, World Sales: The Playmaker Munich, Theatrical Release: October 11, 2024, Grant: 4,000 €)
THE UNIVERSAL THEORY in Romania (Distributor: Contactory Studio / Cay Films, World Sales: Charades, Theatrical Release: October 4, 2024, Grant: 3,000 €)
TWO TO ONE in France (Distributor: KMBO, World Sales: The Playmaker Munich, Theatrical Release: September 4, 2024, Grant: 13,000 €)
TWO TO ONE in Greece (Distributor: Rodebud.21, World Sales: The Playmaker Munich, Theatrical Release: July 25 ,2024, Grant: 3,000 €)
TWO TO ONE in Austria (Distributor: Filmladen Filmverleih, World Sales: The Playmaker Munich, Theatrical Release: July 25, 2024, Grant: 6,000 €)
TWO TO ONE in Switzerland (Distributor: Filmcoopi, World Sales: The Playmaker Munich, Theatrical Release: July 25, 2024, Grant: 9,000 €)
WILD HEART – RIDE TO FREEDOM in Poland (Distributor: Bomba Film, World Sales: Sola Media, Theatrical Release: September 27, 2024, Grant: 9,000 €)
WOW! MESSAGE FROM OUTER SPACE in Poland (Distributor: Vivarto, World Sales: Playmaker Munich, Theatrical Release: Novemver 8, 2024, Grant: 8,000 €)
WEEKENDREBELS in Japan (Distributor: SDP, World Sales: Picture Tree International, Theatrical Release: Novemver 15, 2024, Grant: 11,000 €)

Please be aware that all release dates are subject to change.

Applications for the next sitting of the awards committee meeting can be submitted up until September 16, 2024.

The “Distribution Support” funding program was launched in 2005 and supports the theatrical release of German films abroad. Subsidies are awarded for additional measures over and above the release campaign which had already been planned by the foreign distributors. The support up to a maximum of 50,000 Euros is allocated in the form of a conditionally repayable loan. Funding of up to 15,000 Euros can also be allocated as a Grant.

The guidelines and the application form for “Distribution Support” can be downloaded here.

21 German productions and co-productions in Karlovy Vary’s mix of genres and themes

Posted on June 19, 2024June 19, 2024 by Glamour

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

The line-up for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) has been announced – and it promises to be an exciting programme. The 58th edition will take place this year from 28 June to 6 July in the Czech spa town. A total of 21 German productions and co-productions can be seen in various sections of the programme.

“The official selection of the 58th KVIFF offers a unique epicentre of genres and themes that move contemporary cinema,” says Karel Och, Artistic Director of the KVIFF, when describing this year’s programme. 15 of the 32 films in the official selection are debuts, plus several other world premieres.

In the main Crystal Globe Competition, 12 films will be competing for the Crystal Globe this year, including the German production XOFTEX (Arden Film) by Noaz Deshe – a drama shot with real-life asylum seekers and inspired by real stories. The film follows the Palestinian-Syrian teenager Nasser who is waiting with his brother in a Greek refugee camp for a decision on their asylum application.

A German production is also screening in the Proxima Competition section. The drama THE ALIENATED (FORTIS FEM FILM) by Anja Kreis revolves around mysterious events in a city where a woman claims to be carrying the Antichrist in her belly. Also screening in this section are the two German co-productions HICBIR SEY YERINDE DEGIL(NOTHING IN ITS PLACE) (Flaneur Films) by Burak Çevik and LAPILLI (Berlin University of the Arts) by Paula Ďurinová.

The films ARCHITECTON (ma.ja.de.) by Victor Kossakovsky, DIRECT ACTION (CASKFILMS) by Guillaume Cailleau, Ben Russell and DYING (Port au Prince, Schwarzweiss Filmproduktion, Senator Film Produktion) by Matthias Glasner, some of them award-winners from this year’s Berlinale, will be shown in the Horizon section.

THE GARDEN CADENCES (Flaneur Films) by Dane Komljen will be screened in the Imagina section. The documentary film is about Jone. She is one of the Mollies, the queer-feminist collective that lived in a caravan park at Berlin’s Ostkreuz for a decade. THE GARDEN CADENCES traces her last summer before she was evicted. The second majority German production in this section is BEAUTIFUL DEAD WOMAN by Jan Soldat. The experimental short film reorganises female death scenes from 300 episodes of the “Ein Fall für zwei” TV series.

Another short film is programmed in the Pragueshorts at KVIFF section. The four-minute animated film DORMOUSE by Julia Ocker is about the eponymous animal and its sleepy vice. A STUDY IN EMPATHY (North Ship Film) by Hilke Rönnfeldt – already known for being selected to many festivals – will be screened in Karlovy Vary in the EFP programme Future Frames: Generation Next Of European Cinema.

An overview of all of the German productions and co-productions in Karlovy Vary:

CRYSTAL GLOBE COMPETITION
XOFTEX by Noaz Deshe (DE/FR, Arden Film)

PROXIMA COMPETITION
THE ALIENATED (VERTRIEBENE) by Anja Kreis (DE/MD/FR, FORTIS FEM FILM)
HICBIR SEY YERINDE DEGIL (NOTHING IN ITS PLACE) by Burak Çevik (TR/DE/KR, Flaneur Films)
LAPILLI by Paula Ďurinová (SK/DE, Universität der Künste Berlin)

HORIZONS
ARCHITECTON by Victor Kossakovsky (DE/FR, Ma.ja.de.)
DIRECT ACTION by Guillaume Cailleau, Ben Russell (DE/FR, CASKFILMS)
SLEEP WITH YOUR EYES OPEN (DORMIR DE OLHOS ABERTOS) by Nele Wohlatz (BRA/ARG/TWN/DE, Blinkerfilm)
MY FAVOURITE CAKE (KEYKE MAHBOOBE MAN) by Maryam Moghaddam, Behtash Sanaeeha (IR/FR/SWE/DE, Watchmen Productions)
PEPE by Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias (DOM/NAM/DE/FR, Pandora Film Produktion)
DYING (STERBEN) by Matthias Glasner (Port au Prince, Schwarzweiss Filmproduktion, Senator Film Produktion)

MAGINA
THE GARDEN CADENCES by Dane Komljen (Flaneur Films)
OF OTHER TOMORROWS NEVER KNOWN by Natasha Tontey (ID/DE)
BEAUTIFUL DEAD WOMAN (DIE SCHÖNE TOTE) by Jan Soldat (DE/AT)
UNDR by Kamal Aljafari (PS/DE)

OUT OF THE PAST
PARIS, TEXAS by Wim Wenders (DE/FR/UK, Road Movies)

PRAGUESHORTS AT KVIFF
DORMOUSE (SIEBENSCHLÄFER) by Julia Ocker

THE WISH TO BE A RED INDIAN: KAFKA AND CINEMA
CLASS RELATIONS (KLASSENVERHÄLTNISSE) by Jean-Marie Straub, Danièle Huillet (DE/FR, Janus Film und Fernsehen)
THE CASTLE (DAS SCHLOSS) by Rudolf Noelte (Rudolf Noelte Filmproduktion, Alfa Film)
THE TRIAL by Orson Welles (FR/IT/DE, Hisa-Film)
METAMORPHOSIS (DIE VERWANDLUNG) by Jan Nemec

FUTURE FRAMES: GENERATION NEXT OF EUROPEAN CINEMA
A STUDY IN EMPATHY (EINE STUDIE IN EMPATHIE) by Hilke Rönnfeldt (DE/DK, North Ship Film)

Germany at Raindance Festival

Posted on May 22, 2024May 22, 2024 by Glamour

Germany is Guest of Honour at this year’s Raindance Festival in London

©Neon

The 32nd edition of the Raindance Film Festival will be a special one this year since Germany will be the “Guest of Honour”. The UK’s largest independent film festival will be held in London from 19 to 28 June, 2024. Together with Raindance, German Films will join forces with Raindance in not only presenting current productions by German filmmakers, but also looking back on seven decades of successful German films at the cinema as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations.

“We are delighted that Germany will be the Guest of Honour at Raindance,” Simone Baumann, Managing Director of German Films explains. “This is particularly a double honour for us in 2024 when German Films is celebrating its 70th anniversary. There aren’t that many German films in British cinemas. So this is a great opportunity to put a spotlight on German cinema and showcase German filmmakers for a British audience. German Films also holds the Raindance Festival in great esteem because it gives first-time filmmakers a chance and provides a forum for emerging independent and arthouse talent to present their projects.”

The film CUCKOO (Fiction Park Entertainment) by Tilman Singer will open the Raindance Film Festival at the Curzon Mayfair cinema. The horror film centres on 17-year-old Gretchen (starring Hunter Schafer) who has to move from her American home to join her father and the new family at a resort in the German Alps. But something doesn’t seem quite right here as Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and disturbing visions. Director Tilman Singer will present his film in person in London.

The rest of the festival’s line-up includes the German productions and co-productions ETERNAL YOU (Beetz Filmproduktion) by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck, FALLING INTO PLACE by Aylin Tezel (Weydemann Bros.), IT’S BURNING by Erol Afsin (Stereo Films Medienproduktion) and WHAT YOU SEE OF ME by Isabelle Caps-Kuhn. Directors Hans Block, Aylin Tezel and Erol Afsin will also be travelling to the UK to present their films at the festival.

The German focus will also feature the short film programme Next Generation Short Tiger 2024 as well as the 2009 film THE WHITE RIBBON (X Filme Creative Pool GmbH) by Michael Haneke from the ‘70 Years Of German Cinema – A Success Story’ retrospective. The German actor and the lead actor in the film, Christian Friedel, who is now also known for his performance in the recent Oscar® winner THE ZONE OF INTEREST, will be coming to the film festival and holding a masterclass in conversation with the film curator Sandra Hebron, currently Head of Screen Arts at NFTS and former Artistic Director of the London Film Festival, before the film’s screening.

“We are privileged to be welcoming Germany as our special Guest of Honour this year – especially since this is a significant year for the 70th anniversary of German Films,” Elliot Grove, the founder of Raindance Festival, says. “All of us at Raindance are looking forward to the future of German cinema and supporting future generations of filmmakers from Germany because we can hardly wait to see what the next 70 years will bring.”

As part of the supporting programme, German Films Managing Director Simone Baumann and a BFI representative will give a talk on the subject of ‘German film funding models for international co-productions’. Mona Cathleen Otterbach, a production designer and ambassador of this year’s FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS campaign, will take a closer look at her work in the field of production design and also present the Face To Face programme at an industry event.

The festival, including the German focus, is being organised with the support of the Goethe-Institut London and the German Embassy in London where a festive reception will also be held in honour of the German filmmakers during the film festival.

More information about this year’s Raindance Festival here.

An overview of all the German productions and co-productions at the Raindance Festival:

Opening Film
Curzon Mayfair
CUCKOO by Tilman Singer (Fiction Park Entertainment)

ETERNAL YOU (DE/USA, Gebrüder Beetz Filmproduktion) by Hans Block, Moritz Riesewieck
FALLING INTO PLACE by Aylin Tezel (DE/UK, Weydemann Bros.)
IT’S BURNING (ES BRENNT) by Erol Afsin (Stereo Films Medienproduktion)
WHAT YOU SEE OF ME (WAS DU VON HIER SEHEN KANNST) by Isabelle Caps-Kuhn (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg)

70 YEARS OF GERMAN CINEMA WORLDWIDE (1954 – 2024)
THE WHITE RIBBON (DAS WEISSE BAND) by Michael Haneke (DE/FR/AT/IT, X Filme Creative Pool GmbH)

NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER 2024

Film Review: Godzilla Minus One

Posted on February 17, 2024February 17, 2024 by Glamour

Godzilla Minus One. Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. Produced by Minami Ichikawa, Shūji Abe, Kenji Yamada, Kazuaki Kishida, Gō Abe, and Keiichirō Moriya.

The 37th film in the franchise delivers a mutated Godzilla as a result of the radioactive sea spray contamination during Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll. The story is set in 1945, a tragic year in Japan’s history.

Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) seems to have failed his duty as a kamikaze pilot, bringing shame to his name. Due to shock and fear, he is also unable to shoot Godzilla when the monster attacks his garrison on Odo Island. The only survivors of the attack are Shikishima and Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki), a lead mechanic who blames Shikishima for failing to shoot Godzilla.

Returning back home, Shikishima finds out that his parents were killed during the bombing of Tokyo—massive air raids known as Operation Meetinghouse. He finds a girl, Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe), who also lost her parents during the raids, and an orphan baby named Akiko, rescued by Noriko. Trying to rebuild his life, he decides to take care of them and live as a family.

As Godzilla continues his devastating path towards Japan, Shikishima finds a job as a minesweeper and his crew is commissioned by the Japanese government to stop Godzilla before the kaiju reaches the mainland.

The film includes two relevant elements. For one, its social and historical commentary. The story unfolds during WWII, few months before the detonation of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The scene where Shikishima returns home captures the extensive damage by the Operation Meetinghouse raids. Napalm-carrying bombs were dropped over Tokyo, causing between 83,000 to 97,000 deaths and more than a million people left homeless due to the destruction of over 260,000 buildings. In the film, Shikishima, Noriko, and Akiko suffered the death of their parents. Noriko and Akiko were also left homeless. Shikishima rebuilding his house gives a sense of back to normality, a feature that might reference the Japanese efforts to rebuild the country’s infrastructure and its social fabric.

The other element is the visual effects. Godzilla Minus One is the Japanese style to create epic monster movies. 610 VFX shots, of which 100 were water shots, were created by a group of 35 artists, supervised by Screenwriter/Director Takashi Yamazaki and VFX Director Kiyoko Shibuya. The fluidity of movement, the eyes and body details, the destruction of Ginza, and the explosions are such a technical achievement that the film has received an Academy nomination for Best Visual Effects.

Another significant aspect of the film are the themes of guilt, redemption, and love, all of them universal attributes that connect strongly with the audience. The navigation of Shikishima through rejection, loss, and heroism, makes him a compelling character that gives him a human factor impossible to resist.

The question left in the air is: What lurks below Sagami Bay?

Godzilla Minus One

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. Visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki and Kiyoko Shibuya. Produced by Minami Ichikawa, Shūji Abe, Kenji Yamada, Kazuaki Kishida, Gō Abe, and Keiichirō Moriya. Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki. Minami Hamabe. Yuki Yamada. Munetaka Aoki. Hidetaka Yoshioka. Sakura Ando. Kuranosuke Sasaki.

Cinematography by Kōzō Shibasaki. Edited by Ryūji Miyajima. Music by Naoki Satō. Production companies: Toho Studios and Robot Communications. Distributed by Toho.

Film Review: Yoshiki: Under the Sky

Posted on January 11, 2024January 11, 2024 by Glamour

Yoshiki: Under the Sky is directed by Yoshiki. Produced by Sid Ganis, Mark Ritchie, Doug Kluthe, and Aaron Latham-James.

Featuring the skyline of Los Angeles, Yoshiki: Under the Sky is a film that explores the intimate relationship between personal pain and music. International musician Yoshiki shares the way he was able to channel his personal tragedies into art in the form of music.

The film is a music documentary with the collaboration of other world-renowned stars: Sarah Brightman, Jane Zhang, Scorpions, SixTONES, Nicole Scherzinger, St. Vincent, Sugizo, Hyde, Lindsey Stirling, and The Chainsmokers.

Yoshiki shows his skills as a composer, pianist, guitarist, and drummer. The duo with The Chainsmokers’ drummer Matt McGuire is truly epic. Yoshiki’s talent allows him to blend effortlessly with different styles of music. He can easily create rock, pop, or classical music. And now, he does his directorial debut, performing some of his most famous songs with a wide variety of artists.

The cinematography by Ken Whales, Michael Pessah, and Rachel Bickert enhances the inspirational message of the film. It’s a poetic combination of light and color, as stunning as the music itself. The visuals intertwined with music become a lyrical element to elevate the value of this production.

The devastation from personal loss has been a constant in Yoshiki’s life, and somehow, his lyrics create some sort of magic that talks to his fans all over the world. Yoshiki’s music is an evidence that some of the most beautiful art comes from a place of pain. One touching moment of the film is the message Yoshiki shares with a Japanese fan whose wife is terminally ill. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s also an example of how music can be uplifting, even when we go through difficult experiences. And that’s exactly how certain music becomes the soundtrack of one’s life.

The closing of the film couldn’t be more sublime. Voices from around the world join Yoshiki’s interpretation of “Endless Rain”, a song that reflects the spirit of the film. It penetrates your skin, going straight to your heart. It’s a poem to the healing power of music, transcending the pain, no matter how deep it might be.

Yoshiki: Under the Sky

Directed by Yoshiki. Produced by Sid Ganis, Mark Ritchie, Doug Kluthe, and Aaron Latham-James. Starring Yoshiki, Sarah Brightman, Jane Zhang, Scorpions, SixTONES, Nicole Scherzinger, St. Vincent, Sugizo, Hyde, Lindsey Stirling, and The Chainsmokers. Cinematography by Ken Whales, Michael Pessah, and Rachel Bickert. Edited by Spencer Lee, Takashi Uchida, David Swift, Merritt Lear, Jim Yukich, Claire Didier, Imran Virani, and Bryan Roberts. Music by Yoshiki.

Production company: A List Media Entertainment.

Distributed by: Abramorama.

Film Review: Air

Posted on January 5, 2024January 9, 2024 by Glamour

Air is directed by Ben Affleck. Written by Alex Convery. Produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, and Jason Michael Berman.

In the world of basketball clothing, Adidas and Converse were two of the hotter brands back in 1984. Converse, in particular, meant basketball. Nike, on the other hand, was considered a brand for joggers. What Adidas and Converse had is that they appealed to rappers and Black people in general, two influential sectors in the basketball scene.

Air is a movie that captures the period when Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) and his team wanted to change the status quo and turn Nike around to start appealing to the basketball fans. At the center of this exciting times was Michael Jordan (Damian Delano Young), the young player seen as the potential biggest star in the history of basketball. For Knight and his team, signing Michael Jordan was a bold and expensive move that would allow Nike to become the hottest sports brand in existence.

Air centers around the extraordinary effort by Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), Nike’s basketball talent scout, to convince Jordan to sign with Nike over its competitors Adidas and Converse. It is during the pitch meeting that Vaccaro delivers an emotional and inspiring speech that serves as the pivotal moment in the story. The pitch is so moving that Jordan’s parents, Deloris (Viola Davis) and James (Julius Tennon), see their dreams reflected in those words.

The film features a stellar cast that can make it a serious contender in the race to the Oscars. As an actor, director, and producer, Affleck shows his versatility and experience as an artist. It’s no surprise that he is one of the most active entertainers in the industry, having received several awards and nominations. His screen magnetism is evident throughout the film, and the same goes to the rest of the main actors. Damon’s portrayal of Vaccaro, in particular, is both convincing and inspiring. His performance carries a lot of the weight of this film. It won’t be a surprise if he gets another Academy nomination.

The soundtrack, compiled by Affleck and Music Supervisor Andrea von Foerster, is a fascinating collection of some of the most popular 80s songs. “Money for Nothing”, “Ain’t Nobody”, “My Adidas”, and “Born in the U.S.A.”—with a brief explanation about its meaning—are some of the titles included in the film that become a special touch to enhance the compelling message of the story.

The story of Nike as a corporation is not just a story about a successful conglomerate. It features the special relationship between corporations and the stars that make sports the exciting arena that inspires and, at times, make some dreams come true. The film shows Michael Jordan as a sports star born in the basketball court, but also a financial star born in Nike’s corporate office. Air Jordan brought in $162 million the first year. Michael Jordan makes approximately $400 million a year in passive income. Deloris Jordan made made that relationship very clear in the film: “A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into it”.

Air

Directed by by Ben Affleck. Written by Alex Convery. Produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, and Jason Michael Berman.

Production companies: Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, Artists Equity, and Mandalay Pictures.

Distributed by: Amazon Studios (United States) and Warner Bros. Pictures (International).

Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, and Viola Davis.

Creative team: Cinematography by Robert Richardson. Edited by William Goldenberg. Music by Andrea von Foerster.

Air poster — Air. Photo courtesy of Amazon/MGM Studios.

Film Review: Creed III

Posted on December 23, 2023December 23, 2023 by Glamour

Creed III is directed by Michael B. Jordan. Screenplay by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin. Story by Ryan Coogler, Keenan Coogler, and Zach Baylin. Based on characters created by Sylvester Stallone. Produced by Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, Elizabeth Raposo, Jonathan Glickman, and Sylvester Stallone.

Following the steps of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) in the original Rocky film, Creed (Michael B. Jordan) and Dame (Jonathan Majors) also need to fight to prove their worth. Both characters are at different stages in their lives, but they need a common ground to settle their differences. Guilt and feelings of being left behind set the stage for an exceptional drama with the world of boxing as the background.

The movie delves into different universal themes that appeal to a wide audience. Family dynamics, cheering for the underdog, and overcoming difficult challenges in life are relatable experiences that shape the latest installment of the franchise. Even though these themes have been used many times over, Creed III excels in integrating them into the story to reverberate in people’s hearts and minds, as they portray the very nature of human society.

Another moving message captured by the film is adapting to change when things don’t go your way. For Bianca (Tessa Thompson), she had to quit performing as a singer—her passion in life—due to hearing loss. Adjusting to her new reality and making the best of what she has left, she becomes a music producer instead, a less protagonist role in the music industry.

Another factor that makes the story to travel is the use of different languages: English, Spanish, sign language to communicate with Amara (Mila Davis-Kent), and the unique language of boxing. Training, sparring, how fights are set up, and what drives a boxer to fight are elements featured in this film. To add a touch of reality, Creed III features the following professional boxers: Canelo Álvarez, Florian Munteanu, Tony Bellew, José Benavides Jr., and Teófimo López.

In his role of director and as a homage to an attribute of Anime, Jordan has Creed and Dame go through a quiet space for an internal conversation during the intensity of their title fight. This visual technique highlights the complex relationship between the two characters, adding a powerful emotional effect to the fighting sequence.

Jordan demonstrates that he is a tour de force in the prestigious world of cinema. In Creed III, he serves as actor, director, and producer, three of the most demanding roles in filmmaking. Jordan delivers an exciting and engaging story, keeping the spirit of the original Rocky film alive and still leaving room for more expansion of the franchise.

Creed III

Directed by Michael B. Jordan. Screenplay by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin. Story by Ryan Coogler, Keenan Coogler, and Zach Baylin. Based on characters created by Sylvester Stallone. Produced by Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, Elizabeth Raposo, Jonathan Glickman, and Sylvester Stallone.

Production companies: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Proximity Media, and Outlier Society.

Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (North America). Warner Bros. Pictures (International).

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Mila Davis-Kent, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad.

Creative team: Cinematography by Kramer Morgenthau. Edited by Tyler Nelson and Jessica Baclesse. Music by Joseph Shirley.

Film Review: American Fiction

Posted on December 19, 2023December 19, 2023 by Glamour

American Fiction is directed by Cord Jefferson. Screenplay by Cord Jefferson, based on Erasure, by Percival Everett. Produced by Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson, and Jermaine Johnson.

For Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), a writer living in Los Angeles, it’s just another day. Another fight. Even though he is capable of writing about the Greeks, the publishing industry refuses to accept his point of view about subjects considered exclusive to White people. Being labeled a Black writer rather than just a writer starts to take a toll on Monk, specially at his middle age phase.

To complicate things further, he goes back to his hometown in Boston and finds his mother Agnes (Leslie Uggams) experiencing the early stages of Alzheimer’s. While in Boston, Monk tries to reconnect with his sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross)—a gynecologist who takes care of their mom—but she dies suddenly, leaving him with the responsibility to care for Agnes. His brother Cliff (Sterling K. Brown), a plastic surgeon in Tucson, only visits once in a while and is not reliable.

Writer/Director Cord Jefferson uses comedy and stereotypes to explore the nuances of American society’s expectations of Black artists. Monk seems trapped in that perpetual realm where Black artists try to express and propose new ideas about pretty much any subject, only to find out that they are expected to continue the narrative of oppression and underdevelopment that White audiences like so much. And that’s exactly what Monk decides to do, give the readers what they want and play the game, with unexpected consequences.

American Fiction presents the two faces of the story. For one, White audiences are eager to read about the Black experience, but only if that experience involves poverty, oppression, violence, and harsh upbringing. Anything outside of that context is off-limits. The film is also a symbol of the frustrations of Black writers when they are not taken seriously if they try to explore topics that are not related to their past struggles of racism and mistreatment, two themes that been exploited persistently by mainstream media for decades in a form of detrimental cultural appropriation.

An amazing play titled Hooded or Being Black for Dummies by Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm comes to mind when we talk about appropriation. In the play, the protagonist writes a manual for a fellow Black man about how to be Black. The manual, however, falls into the hands of a White man, who starts to speak and behave like a Black person, signifying the appropriation of the Black experience. Likewise, the White audiences in American Fiction seem to be in a relentless pursuit of Black stories, an attitude to show empathy and imply a new era of equality, whether real or imaginary. This can either be a true new beginning, or the perpetuation of a pervasive entrenchment of inequality.

American Fiction is based on Erasure, the 2001 novel by Percival Everett. Jefferson’s adaptation includes the subplots of Erasure: Sexual identity, family, professional jealousy, and ultimate surrender to the devouring forces of the American readership. One of the most poignant aspects of the film is how Jefferson tied together the various subplots of the story to reach a cohesive denouement without preaching what’s right or wrong. Rather, he allows the audience to come out with their own conclusions, opening the door for further discussions on the subject matter.

The film is also a technical treat, the cinematography by Cristina Dunlap plays well with the lighting intensities both in the interior shots as well as the exterior ones, highlighting the humorous and dramatic feel of the scenes. The score by Laura Karpman is a vibrant combination of bossa nova and jazz that gives a distinct mood to the entire film.

American Fiction

Directed by Cord Jefferson. Screenplay by Cord Jefferson. Based on Erasure by Percival Everett. Produced by Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson, and Jermaine Johnson. Executive producers: Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, Percival Everett, Michael Bowes.

Production companies: Orion Pictures, MRC Film, T-Street Productions, and 3 Arts Entertainment.

Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios.

Starring Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Keith David, Okieriete Onaodowan, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Raymond Anthony Thomas, Miriam Shor, J.C. MacKenzie, Patrick Fischler, and Michael Cyril Creighton.

Creative team: Cinematographer Cristina Dunlap. Edited by Hilda Rasula. Music by Laura Karpman.

Category Archives: Film

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