| German Films has been successfully supporting, promoting and accompanying German feature films and German filmmakers with their works abroad for the past 70 years. The "Export Union der Deutschen Filmindustrie" was founded in Wiesbaden in 1954, restructured in 2004 and then renamed GERMAN FILMS SERVICE + MARKETING GMBH. German Films is planning numerous anniversary events for the coming year and kicked off this special year with a reception in Berlin during the film festival. Several guests followed the invitation and mingled at the Essenza restaurant on Potsdamer Platz. German Films' Managing Director Simone Baumann and Chairman of the Board Philipp Kreuzer were pleased to welcome a variety of filmmakers, colleagues from the industry, shareholders, partners and supporters as well as former German Films staff. German Films wants to use the anniversary in 2024 to put a special focus on "70 years of German cinema abroad" and therefore also presented a film programme entitled "70 Years of German Cinema - A Success Story" in a press conference at the Berlinale. The series has been compiled as a retrospective to look back over seven decades. The programme was curated by Alfred Holighaus, a development executive and producer at REAL FILM in Berlin and NORDFILM in Kiel. He selected a mixture of 17 feature films and documentaries, including East German feature films from the DEFA, for the film programme to offer a cross-section of the success story of German cinema, analysing the individual films and putting them all into context in a series of short essays. German Films completed the retrospective’s line-up with a selection of short films from this period. Selected titles from this film programme will be shown at German Film Weeks and film festivals like Raindance in London which will have Germany as its Guest of Honour in 2024 and Tallinn Black Nights which will set its focus on Germany this year. The aim of this film programme is to give German cinema abroad the special attention it so rightly deserves. | |
| From February 15 to 25, the 74th Berlin International Film Festival took place and presented a total of 199 films from 51 countries. From a German point of view, 2024 was special, because this year's Berlinale programme saw more German films in the festival line-up than ever before, with a total of over 50 German productions and co-productions - 35 of them being majority German productions. There were also numerous awards for German films, including the prize for Best Screenplay for Matthias Glasner for DYING and the prize for Best Film for DIRECT ACTION. The European Film Market 2024 was very successful as well. A record number of over 12,000 trade visitors from 143 countries attended this year's EFM at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival. The German Films booth #18 was very busy every day and, as in previous years, became an important contact point for visitors and festival as well as market participants. | |
| German Films was 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.” | |
| Congratulations to Katharina Stark on her Award as European Shooting Star 2024!
European Film Promotion announced her last year as one of ten European up-and-coming actors, which were selected by an international jury of experts.
German actor Katharina Stark is a graduate of the renowned Otto Falckenberg School in Munich. She appeared in numerous TV movies and films such as Anna Roller's feature film DEAD GIRLS DANCING. Katharina is currently starring as the Polish interpreter Eva Bruhns in the German Disney+ original mini-series THE INTERPRETER OF SILENCE. The jury was full of praise: "… Katharina executes an emotionally charged and demanding role with ease. Her character's depth is conveyed through a performance that is both understated and compelling.”
EFP presented the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS 2024 to the international film world during Berlinale’s first weekend. The programme culminated in a glamourous awards ceremony at the Berlinale Palast on February 19, 2024. The ten European Shooting Stars 2024 are: Thibaud Dooms (Belgium), Margarita Stoykova (Bulgaria), Suzy Bemba (France), Salome Demuria (Georgia), Katharina Stark (Germany), Éanna Hardwicke (Ireland), Valentina Bellè (Italy), Džiugas Grinys (Lithuania), Kamila Urzędowska (Poland) and Asta Kamma August (Sweden). | |
| In cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and the German Embassy in Rome, the Festival del Cinema Tedesco will take place from March 14 to 17, 2024 at the Cinema Quattro Fontane in Rome, Italy. Here, Italian audiences can experience and enjoy new German films.
The opening film FALLING INTO PLACE with and by Aylin Tezel will kick things off and German Films will close with the film LOLA RENNT by Tom Tykwer as part of the special anniversary retrospective "70 Years of German Cinema - A Success Story". Full list of films at the Festival del Cinema Tedesco:
FALLING INTO PLACE (Opening)
BLACK BOX
ELAHA
LIFE IS NOT A COMPETITION, BUT I'M WINNING
WHEN WILL IT BE AGAIN LIKE IT NEVER WAS BEFORE
Next Generation Short Tiger 2023 - short film compilation | |
| Despite severe cuts in public funding and a resulting reduction of the film programs, the 46th International Short Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand (France) turned out to be a great success again with the public and the industry, resulting in 166,000 admissions and more than 4,000 accreditations. The International Competition and the Lab Competition presented five German productions, another seven shorts and 2 VR works were screened in the special programs. In the International Competition, actress Ružica Hajdari received the Award for Outstanding Performance for BALKAN, BABY by Boris Gavrilović. The Special Mention of the Queer Jury went to SAIGON KISS by Hồng Anh Nguyễn (VN/AU/DE). EMPEROR by Marion Burger and Ilan J. Cohen (FR/DE) won the Best VR Film Award. Together with the AG Kurzfilm, German Films organised a stand at the film market where it provided information about the German films in the festival’s selection and the 25 films added recently to the online catalogue, 8 of them were presented also at the traditional market screening MATINÉE ALLEMANDE.
The 19th edition of the German-French cooperation program Soirée Allemande celebrated its premiere to enthusiastic response of a packed cinema. Six new films representing the diversity of German short filmmaking were selected from the more than 500 German submissions to the festival: the narrative shorts I SEE THEM BLOOM by Mykyta Gibalenko, SENTIMENTAL STORIES by Xandra Popescu, the animations IT’S JUST A WHOLE by Bianca Scali, the documentary SILENT NIGHT by Philipp Schaeffer and Jonathan Schaller, the animated documentary THE WAITING by Volker Schlecht, and the experimental documentary WEEDING by Lea Sprenger, Franca Pape and Amelie Vierbuchen. The directors Xandra Popescu, Bianca Scali, Philipp Schaeffer, Jonathan Schaller, Lea Sprenger and Franca Pape were present at the premiere and mingled with the international guests at the reception that was held afterwards with the support of the German Consulate Lyon. The short film program is a collaboration between AG Kurzfilm, German Films, the International Short Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand, the Goethe-Institute Lyon and the Kurzfilm Agentur Hamburg and will go on tour as SHORT EXPORT. The program can be booked by the Goethe-Institutes and their partners around the globe, it’s available with English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic subtitles. An overview of all German films in Clermont-Ferrand here. | |
| German Films and the German Federal Film Board (FFA) annually introduce young talents and their short films to international audiences of professionals through their initiative NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER. The 2024 jury, Alexandra Gramatke (Kurzfilm Agentur Hamburg), director Sophie Linnenbaum and Dr. Christian Bräuer (Yorck Kinos) met in Berlin on February 1 to screen the submitted films and decide on this year’s selection and the Short Tiger winners. Their decisions will be revealed soon, the new program will premiere on Saturday, April 20 at the 36th Filmfest Dresden and on Tuesday, May 21 as a Market Screening during the Festival de Cannes. | |
| FRG/YUG/F: 1962
TREASURE AT SILVERLAKE
(OT: DER SCHATZ IM SILBERSEE) After the war, there was hardly a film series that echoed West Germany’s longing for harmony, international acceptance and a new moral compass more than the Karl May films. In 1962, producer Horst Wendlandt took an enormous risk and the highest budget to date for a post-war German film and dared to shoot an action-packed German western with “Treasure at Silverlake“. Taking the classic US western as a model, the recipe for success included its own unmistakable elements. Young physical actors like Götz George, who performs standing jumps onto horses and jackknives in series, had hardly been seen in West German cinema after 1945 with its physically reduced heroes. In addition, the films emphasized the naivety and moral simplification inherent in May’s novels, which was reinforced by Martin Böttcher’s catchy and extremely accentuated music. With the aid of captivating images of the Yugoslavian landscape and drawing on his experience of successful mountain and “Heimat films“, director Harald Reinl managed to condense all of this into an idiosyncratic Heimat film western melange. “Treasure at Silverlake“ became a million-selling success in Germany and was sold in over 60 countries. The film was not only the prelude to around 20 other westerns financed from Germany. Above all, its success paved the way for the triumphant advance of the most vital and popular film genre in Europe from the mid-1960s onwards, the Italian Western.
(Oliver Baumgarten) Director: Harald Reinl Screenplay: Harald G. Peterson, based on a novel by Karl May DoP: Ernst W. Kalinke Editor: Hermann Haller Composer: Martin Böttcher Production: Horst Wendlandt for Rialto Film Preben Philipsen, Jadran film, S.N.C. Paris. Runtime: 111 Min. Premiere: December 12, 1962 in Stuttgart Cast: Lex Barker, Pierre Brice, Götz George, Herbert Lom, Karin Dor, Eddi Arent Marianne Hoppe, Ralf Wolter et al. Rights: Rialto Film (in Germany distributed by Croco Filmverleih) | |
| The focus of the next session for the English-language KINO! FILM SALON online film club on March 17 will be Hans-Christian Schmid’s drama REQUIEM. Lead actor Sandra Hüller was discovered for the big screen in her first role, and the film celebrated its world premiere in the International Competition of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2006. Eventually, Sandra Hüller was awarded with numerous prizes: the Bavarian Film Award 2005 (Best Newcomer Actress), Silver Bear 2006 (Best Actress), FIPRESCI Award Berlin 2006, German Film Awards 2006 (Best Actress), Tallinn Black Nights 2006 (Best Actress). Her outstanding performance in the global box office hit TONI ERDMANN was the starting point for her international career. The film received an Oscar® nomination in the category BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM in 2017. Her most recent films include ANATOMY OF A FALL by Justine Triet (five Oscar® nominations, including BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE) and ZONE OF INTEREST by Jonathan Glazer (five Oscar® nominations). Our curator Jim Kolmar selected this movie: „Hans-Christian Schmid’s film is a carefully calibrated study of an epileptic young woman from a conservative Christian family who finds her faith tested when university brings her a new found taste of personal freedom. She soon finds herself confronted with the prospect of demonic intervention at play. As richly creative and theologically fraught as REQUIEM is, the film is perhaps most memorable for the lead performance by Sandra Hüller in her first major role. And what a role. It’s an impassioned, volatile performance that veers between tremulous delicacy and an explosive rage that feels absolutely organic (and terrifying). It’s no surprise that her career continues to ascend, and this film provides more than a glimpse of why.“ RSVP: https://bit.ly/kinofilmsalonrequiem Date and time: Sunday, March 17 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 57 - March 14, 2024:
In our brand-new ShortTake episode we talk to actor Jane Chirwa – about being creative, The Color Purple and trying to do it all. After all her motto is: Just do it! You can find all of the episodes on our website and wherever podcasts are available. SHORT TAKE on Instagram! | |
| Episode 1 - March 5, 2024:
We’re starting with bit of an Heimatfilm outlier: Christmas cult classic 3 HASELNÜSSE FÜR ASCHENBRÖDEL. I talked to fellow 3 HFNA enthusiast Barbie Heusinger and our conversation ran the gamut from our favorite scenes, to the question if the film is a “good film” (spoiler alter: it is!) and what Heimat means and the continuing appeal of the genre. What a great to start our fourth season. Episode 2 - March 26, 2024:
In this Deep Dive Genre episode we talk to a true and tested Heimatfilm expert – director Hans Steinbichler! He redefined the genre with his debut film HIERANKL and is showing again what the genre can do with his latest feature film, A WHOLE LIFE (EIN GANZES LEBEN). Along the way we talk about the uniqueness and magic of the word Heimat, the compliment of having done an “Alpen-Scorcese” and the delight of musicals. You can find all of the episodes on our website and wherever podcasts are available. DEEP DIVE GENRE on Instagram! | |
| EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2024 opens for submissions
The 32nd edition of EnergaCAMERIMAGE at International Film Festival Toruń will take place from November 16 to 23, 2024 in Poland this year. All filmmakers, producers and distributors are invited to submit feature films, documentaries, music videos, TV series episodes and student etudes for the festival's consideration. Deadline for submissions is May 31, 2024. There are no entry fees for entries made before or on that date. Late entry fees (PLN 300 per entry) are charged for submissions made after May 31, 2024. More infos about EnergaCAMERIMAGE and the terms and conditions for submissions here. | |
| German productions and co-productions at Cinequest, Tampere, Glasgow at BFI Flare and Bengaluru. | |
| Awards for German productions and co-productions at Rotterdam, Clermont-Ferrand and Berlinale. | |
| International releases of German films in March 2024 supported by the German Films Distribution Support program: ANSELM in Italy (World Sales: Hanway, Distributor: Lucky Red, Theatrical Release: March 4, 2024)
ANSELM in Bulgary (World Sales: Hanway, Distributor: Cinelibri, Theatrical Release: March 29, 2024)
AFIRE in Ukraine (World Sales: The Match Factory, Distributor: Traffic Films, Theatrical Release: March 20, 2024)
ONE FOR THE ROAD in Greece (World Sales: Beta Cinema, Distributor: Filmtrade, Theatrical Release: March 7, 2024)
RHEINGOLD in Norway (World Sales: The Match Factory, Distributor: Manymore, Theatrical Release: March 8, 2024)
SOMEDAY WE'LL TELL EACH OTHER EVERYTHING in Poland (World Sales: The Match Factory, Distributor: Aurora Films, Theatrical Release: March 15, 2024)
THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE in France (World Sales: Be for films, Distributor: Tandem, Theatrical Release: March 6, 2024)
THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE in Ukraine (World Sales: Be For Films, Distributor: Arthouse Traffic Films, Theatrical Release:March 14, 2024)
THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE in UK, Ireland (World Sales: Be For Films, Distributor: Curzon Film World, Theatrical Release: March 22, 2024) Please note: Correct at time of going to press. Changes may occur at any time. | |
| German Films Service + Marketing GmbH
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