| The social drama THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE (if...productions) by İlker Çatak has been nominated for an Oscar® in the Best International Feature Film category. This was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. This is the second time in a row that the German candidate has now entered the race for the Foreign Oscar®. "We are overwhelmed and overjoyed! Being nominated for the most famous film award in the world feels like a dream. Thanks to all our partners and supporters along the way (first and foremost, Sony Pictures Classics, Alamode, ZDF and arte, MOIN Filmförderung, BKM and German Films), but, above all, to our entire team who have worked tirelessly over the last few weeks to achieve this success. Being a teacher is a profession where you assum responsibility for a future generation. The question is whether the adults of tomorrow will have experienced personal development and fairness or just academic pressure and obedience? We pay tribute to the people who take up this profession and hope that this nomination will contribute to more visibility for their work!", director Ilker Çatak and producer Ingo Fliess declared after the nomination was announced. The film PERFECT DAYS by German director Wim Wenders was also nominated in the Best International Feature Film category, and the German co-production FOUR DAUGHTERS by Kaouther Ben Hania (FR/TN/SA/DE, Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion) was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature Film category. German actress Sandra Hüller received a nomination in the Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role category for ANATOMY OF A FALL. Simone Baumann, German Films: "We are delighted that the German entry is again one of the nominations in the Best Foreign Language Film category. This is a special recognition and shows that German films are generating a lot of interest on an international level. THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE is evidently touching a nerve by presenting the microcosm of a school as the arena for social discussions and differences. The film has been sold to territories all over the world with just a few exceptions. Congratulations to all the team of THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE! We would like to congratulate Wim Wenders on the nomination of his film PERFECT DAYS in the Best International Feature Film category. Special congratulations are also due to Sandra Hüller for her nomination: Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. This is also a very special achievement for the entire German film industry. We are now keeping our fingers crossed for all the German participants and their films!" The 96th Oscar® awards ceremony will be held on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood.
Further information about the Oscars® can be found here. | |
| German Films is delighted to showcase this year's exceptional talents from the German film scene to the global film industry at the Berlinale. "FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS 2024 – THE FILMMAKERS," features unique, impressive, and diverse individuals. Each of them has found a very personal and interesting path into the film industry, collectively illustrating the vibrant and diverse nature of work and creativity within the film sector. The FACES 2024 stand for the excellent reputation that German film and series productions enjoy internationally, and they are eager to present their work at festivals around the world. This year’s selection extends from actor Jan Bülow, writer and director Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay, actor Banafshe Hourmazdi, writer and director Moritz Müller-Preißer, and production designer Mona Cathleen Otterbach, to writers and directors Eva Trobisch and Soleen Yusef. “We at German Films see it as our task to support upcoming talents from the German film industry and to accompany them on their way to becoming successful filmmakers,” Simone Baumann, Managing Director of German Films, explains. “It is particularly important to us to show that the film industry is incredibly diverse and that we have fantastic talents in a wide variety of trades here in Germany. We are proud to present seven filmmakers as ambassadors for our campaign this year, whose diverse CVs and professional backgrounds symbolize creativity in the film industry.” | |
| The most important North American festival for independent films celebrated an anniversary in 2024: the Sundance Film Festival was entering its 40th edition. The film festival took place from January 18 to 28, 2024 in Park City and Salt Lake City. A total of 82 films in 12 categories were screened, including two German productions and one German co-production. For the fourth time, the Berlin-based production company Beetz Brothers Film Production were invited to Utah to present one of its extraordinary projects. The German documentary ETERNAL YOU, which was screened in the World Cinema Documentary Competition program, was presented by directors Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck on stage at the festival. BAIGAL NUUR - LAKE BAIGAL (Alisi Telengut) by Alisi Telengut was screened in the Animation Short Films section. The short film had already screened in Annecy, Toronto and Tallinn in 2023 and celebrated its US premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. German director Nora Fingscheidt‘s new film THE OUTRUN starring Saoirse Ronan, written by Amy Liptrot, had its world premiere in Utah as well. They presented their film in person together with coproducers Shirin Hartmann and Paul Zischler as well as Jonas Weydemann (Weydemann Bros.). | |
| In its 53rd edition, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) film festival took place from January 25 to February 4, 2024. From a German perspective, 19 productions and co-productions were represented in various sections this year - including a particularly pleasing five world premieres of major German films. The German production SR (Blinkerfilm) was screened in the Tiger Competition section and celebrated its world premiere there. Director Lea Hartlaub was on location for a screening and Q&A of her documentary. In the second competition section for feature-length films, Big Screen Competition, MILK TEETH (Weydemann Bros.) by Sophia Bösch took part, also as a world premiere. The German director and main actor Mathilde Bundschuh presented their film in a Q&A on stage. Two further world premieres were shown in the Harbor section - ZONE (Madonnenwerk) was presented by director-producers Christina Friedrich and Franz Liebig and Stephan Holl from Rapid Eye Movies dialled in director Alexander Kluge live on stage when his film COSMIC MINIATURES celebrated its premiere. In the Art Directions section, ASUNDER (Germany, USA, New Zealand), a three-channel video projection by artists Tega Brain, Julian Oliver and Bengt Sjölén could be seen in the Installations sub-category. On the first weekend of the festival, German Films also once again hosted a reception where German filmmakers and industry experts in Rotterdam could meet and exchange ideas. | |
| The first catalogue update for 2024 with a total of 26 new shorts has just been published. The members of the AG Kurzfilm – German Short Film Association and a jury selected a broad spectrum of short films - fiction films, animated films, experimental films and documentaries as well as various hybrid forms. All of the short films added to the catalogue have been completed and premiered since August 2023. Everyone interested can search for German short films in the online catalogue using a wide range of functions, keywords, themes, categories, etc. International film professionals can also screen the films online after registering. More than 1,000 short films produced since 2004 are now available for viewing. A selection of the new films will be presented at the market screening “Matinee Allemande” at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival on Wednesday, February 7 - at 11am at the Salle Conchon, more info about the screening here. The next catalogue update will go online in mid-May, around the time of the Festival de Cannes. | |
| FRG 1956
THE CAPTAIN FROM KOEPENICK
(DER HAUPTMANN VON KÖPENICK) In 1955, the Cold War’s increasing escalation led to the founding of the Bundeswehr in West Germany. This remilitarization just ten years after the Nazi dictatorship had been crushed was the subject of controversial debate in the still young West German society. In cinemas, this debate was accompanied by a wave of extremely successful feature films such as the three-part “08/15” (1954/55) or “Canaris” (1954), films that raved about the noble virtues of officers and the comradeship of soldiers in the Wehrmacht and thus spoke out in favor of the so-called “rearmament”. Helmut Käutner, on the other hand, like Bernhard Wicki and Wolfgang Staudte, was one of the directors who took a critical stance with their films and still enjoyed great success. In "The Captain from Koepenick", which Käutner co-wrote with Carl Zuckmayer, the creator of the literary original, he warned against the worship of militarism in a satirical and pointed style. Heinz Rühmann plays a social outcast in the German Empire who is suddenly accepted by everyone as an authority figure thanks to a second-hand uniform. “There you see what discipline is,” we hear the Kaiser proudly praise his obedient subjects at the end: “No nation on earth can imitate us.” It wasn't just millions of German viewers who enjoyed digs like these. The film was sold to 53 countries and was one of the first West German films to be shown successfully in the USA. Heinz Rühmann was awarded Best Actor in Venice and San Francisco, and the film received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 1957. Even for Käutner, a regular in the Cannes competition, this honor remained unique. (Oliver Baumgarten) Director: Helmut Käutner Screenplay: Helmut Käutner, Carl Zuckmayer, based on a play by Carl Zuckmayer DoP: Albert Benitz Editor: Klaus Dudenhöfer Composer: Bernhard Eichhorn Production: Walter Koppel for Real-Film Hamburg. Runtime: 93 Min. Premiere: August 16, 1956 in Cologne Cast: Heinz Rühmann, Hannelore Schroth, Martin Held, Ilse Fürstenberg, Walter Giller et al. Rights: Beta Film (in Germany represented by DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut Filmmuseum) | |
| The next session of the English-language KINO! FILM SALON online film club on February 11 will focus on Ramon Zürcher‘s light family comedy THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT. It was Ramon Zürcher’s graduation film at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin and celebrated its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2013. Eventually, more than 80 film festivals worldwide presented the film. U.S. film critic Sheila O’Malley (RogerEbert.com) loved the film and reviewed it: "THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT doesn't provide answers, and doesn't reveal its underlying structure or mythology. The mystery is almost total. That's the fun of it“. Our curator Jim Kolmar selected this movie: "The premise of THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT from 2013 couldn’t be simpler - it’s essentially a quiet domestic drama of an everyday Berlin family going about their daily business. But, in the hands of director Ramon Zürcher, this idiosyncratic charmer soon becomes a meticulous, oddball dance of the uncanny and familiar, almost surreal in its playfulness. Buoyed by some beautifully pitched acting, the film includes one of the most memorable feline performances in recent memory (and don’t forget the dog). Whimsical but never twee, carefully choreographed but never contrived or forced, THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT is a masterclass in minimalist filmmaking, and a joy to watch“. RSVP: https://bit.ly/kinofilmsalonstrangelittlecat Date and time: Sunday, February 11 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 by Telescope Film, in collaboration with the German Film Office | |
| Episode 55 - February 1, 2024:
For our second SHORT TAKE episode of 2024 we talked to director Tamara Denić. Persistence, love for her job as director and eating as a hobby – the Student Oscar®-Winner is the full package. Listen to our conversation – jumping between fun and philosophy - in this brand-new ShortTake episode. Episode 56 - February 22, 2024:
Actror Katharina Stark is currently making waves in the series THE INTERPRETER OF SILENCE. And she’s the German EFP Shooting Star 2024. In this SHORT TAKE episode we talk about everything from Greek poets, to the joy of a good bass drop and, of course, Emma Thompson. You can find all of the episodes on our website and wherever podcasts are available. SHORT TAKE on Instagram! | |
| German Films Booth at EFM
During the Berlinale German Films will be at the EFM - European Film Market from February 15 to 21, 2024. Come find us at Booth #18 in the Gropiusbau! European Short Pitch 2023/2024
The European Short Film Pitch has been supporting the development of short film projects, young talents and European co-productions since 2007. Twelve projects in development and four works-in-progress were selected for the 17th edition in 2023/2024. The works-in-progress include the upcoming short DUTY FREE by German director Hilke Rönnfeldt, produced by Heimathafen Film. All the projects will be presented to the international industry at the hybrid Coproduction Forum in collaboration with the Travelling Film Festival in Rennes (France). German Student Short Nominated at the Annie Awards 2024
The Annie Awards, organized by the International Animated Film Society ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972, honor the best international achievements in the field of animation each year. For the 51st edition, the short COLLAGE by G. Besen Dilek, a graduation film from the Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg that is also included in German Films’ current Next Generation Short Tiger program, received a nomination in the category “Best Student Film”. The winners will be announced at an award ceremony in Los Angeles on February 17, 2024. Applications for VDR industry days at the Visions du Réel International Film Festival Nyon
In 2024 German Films is once again cooperating with the Visions du Réel International Film Festival in Nyon and is offering committed producers of documentary and/or hybrid-experimental films the opportunity to apply. The 55th edition of the festival will take place from April 12 to 21, 2024. All information about the application process can be found here. | |
| Awards for German productions and co-productions at El Gouna, Les Arcs, Palm Springs, Sydney and Angers. | |
| International releases of German films in February 2024 supported by the German Films Distribution Support program: BLACK BOX in Spain (Distributor: Distribución de películas Barlovento, World Sales: Beta Cinema, Theatrical Release: February 23, 2024)
ELAHA in France (Distributor: Wayna Pitch, World Sales: Pluto Film, Theatrical Release: February 7, 2024)
HOLLYWOODGATE in Sweden (Distributor: Edge Entertainment, World Sales: Cinephil, Theatrical Release: February 23, 2024)
HOLY SHIT in Austria, Switzerland (Distributor: Filmdelights, World Sales: Autlook Filmsales, Theatrical Release: February 23, 2024)
ONE FOR THE ROAD in Greece (Distributor: Filmtrade, World Sales: Beta Cinema, Theatrical Release: February 15, 2024)
STELLA. A LIFE. in Switzerland (Distributor: DCM Film Distribution Switzerland, World Sales: Global Screen, Theatrical Release: February 1, 2024)
THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE in Turkey (Distributor: Yeni Bir Film, World Sales: Be For Films, Theatrical Release: February 2, 2024)
THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE in Spain (Distributor: A Contracorriente Films, World Sales: Be For Films, Theatrical Release: February 2, 2024)
THE UNIVERSAL THEORY in France (Distributor: Ufo Distribution, World Sales: Charades, Theatrical Release: February 21, 2024)
Please note: Correct at time of going to press. Changes may occur at any time.
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