| In 2020 326 German films in 62 countries generated a total Box Office of 32,2 million euros and were seen by more than 5,1 million cinema-goers around the globe.
This represents a drastic drop of around 70 percent from the results of previous years, and was mainly caused by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
Detailed analyses of German films abroad in 2020 are available on the German Films Website.
For further information, please contact Andrea Schiefer. | |
| This year's Competition included the German films FABIAN – GOING TO THE DOGS by Dominik Graf, I'M YOUR MAN by Maria Schrader, for which Maren Eggert was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance, MR BACHMANN AND HIS CLASS by Maria Speth, the winner of the Silver Bear Jury Prize, NEXT DOOR by Daniel Brühl, and the Georgian-German co-production WHAT DO WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SKY? by Alexandre Koberidze.
Other German productions and co-productions could be seen in the ENCOUNTERS, BERLINALE SPECIAL, BERLINALE GENERATION KPLUS, BERLINALE SHORTS, PANORAMA, FORUM, BERLINALE SERIES sections and, of course, in the PERSPEKTIVE DEUTSCHES KINO sidebar.
But this year's German entries not only convinced the jury - they also generated a great deal of interest among the international buyers: Beta Film signed several deals for I'M YOUR MAN and Daniel Brühl's directorial debut NEXT DOOR, among others. Rights for I'M YOUR MAN have already gone to numerous European, Asian and CIS territories, and Bleecker Street picked the film up for the USA.
“We are quite overwhelmed by the response to our films and the numbers of sales that proved possible, even in these challenging times, when distributors fall in love. We would like to thank Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian for including I’M YOUR MAN and NEXT DOOR in this year’s Competition, two distinctly accessible films that can cross over to a wide audience. Also a big thank you to the EFM for making this digital event so efficient – and for providing cinema screenings where possible. They were much appreciated, too,” Thorsten Ritter, Executive Vice President at Beta Cinema, said.
FABIAN – GOING TO THE DOGS, which is being distributed by Les Films du Losange, also found international buyers such as Kino Lorber in the USA. ARRI Media sold the North American rights for the Marxist vampire comedy BLOODSUCKERS to the new boutique distributor Crescendo House.
Films Boutique has also been able to close international deals for MR BACHMANN AND HIS CLASS.
All information about the German films screening at the Berlinale 2021 can be found here.
You can find the reel with the German line-up presented by Helena Zengel here. | |
| This year's FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS campaign was launched in cooperation with the trade magazine Deadline in the form of a virtual panel entitled FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS: Female Talent at the Forefront at the EFM. The panel was moderated by the journalist Diana Lodderhose for Deadline, and she talked with Freya Arde, Ulé Barcelos, Sarah Blaßkiewitz and Lorna Ishema about them starting out as well as their experiences and artistic approaches in the film industry. On 1 March, the campaign film premiered at our German Films virtual booth during the Berlinale's European Film Market.
More news about our FACE TO FACE Talents can be found on German Films' social media channels. If you want to learn more about the director Sarah Blaßkiewitz, check out episode 10 of our SHORT TAKE podcast series.
The current issue of the magazine German Films Quarterly (GFQ) not only dedicates its cover to the eight women, but also features a portrait of their work. The current GFQ issue can be read online for free here.
All you need to know about this year's FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS - THE FILMMAKERS campaign can be found here. The campaign film can be seen here. | |
| Associations, film schools, funding bodies, broadcasters, world distributors, and other film and television institutions were surveyed. The aim of our initiative is to compile data and ascertain facts about the topic of diversity, to improve the German film industry‘s networking in this respect, to stimulate exchange, and thus to facilitate change. The initiative is presented in detail in the current issue of German Films Quarterly. The results of the survey will be published in the next four issues of German Films Quarterly (GFQ). In GFQ 2, the issue to be published for the Cannes Film Festival, the following will have their say: film schools, acting associations (Interessenverband Deutscher Schauspieler and Bundesverband Schauspiel BFFS), the Verband der Agenturen für Film Fernsehen und Theater (Association of Film and TV Agents, VDA) and the Federal Casting Association. GFQ 3 will appear to coincide with the film festivals in Locarno, Venice and Toronto. In this issue we will publish the results from the Association of German Screenwriters, the Association for Film and Television Dramaturgy, VeDra, and from various television broadcasters and their editorial offices. GFQ 4 will be issued for the television trade fair MIPCom in Cannes, and the American Film Market. In this magazine, responses from the Association of Directors, numerous producers (including AG Dok and AG Kurzfilm) and various funding institutions will follow. GFQ 1/2022 will be published in time for the Berlinale, and will conclude the series. This issue of the magazine will feature answers from the German Minister of State for Culture and Media, from world distributors, the German Film Academy, the Academy for German Television, the Queer Media Society, Pro Quote Film, and Women in Film and Television (WIFTG Germany). In addition, German Films is planning corresponding thematic events in cooperation with international festivals. A survey examining the most successful German films abroad under the aspect of diversity is already in progress. The period covered by the survey is the past three years. The current issue of German Films Quarterly can be found here for free. | |
| COCOON in Mexico (Distributor: Bestiario Films, World Sales: m-appeal, , Grant: 6,500 €)
COCOON in Czech Republic (Distributor: Mezipatra, World Sales: m-appeal, Grant: 2,000 €)
CORTEX in Russia (Distributor: Rocket Releasing, World Sales: ARRI Media International, Grant: 9,888 €)
CURVEBALL in Austria (Distributor: Polyfilm, World Sales: ARRI Media International, Grant: 5,000 €)
EVER AFTER in UK (Distributor: Exploitation Films, World Sales: Picture Tree International, Grant: 5,000 €)
GOD, YOU’RE SUCH A PRICK in Hungary (Distributor: ADS Service, World Sales: Picture Tree International, Grant: 6,000 €)
I WAS AT HOME, BUT … in Brazil (Distributor: Zeta Films, World Sales: Deutsche Kinemathek, Grant: 3,000 €)
MAYA THE BEE 3: THE GOLDEN ORB in Spain (Distributor: Media Solutions Partners, World Sales: Studio 100 Media, Loan: 35,000 €)
NOW in Ukraine (Distributor: LLC KISFF Films, World Sales: The Party Film Sales, Grant: 1,800 €)
ORAY in France (Distributor: Urban Distribution, World Sales: Pluto Film Distribution, Grant: 10,000 €)
ROCCA CHANGES THE WORLD in North Macedonia (Distributor: CutAway, World Sales: Radar, Grant: 2,200 €)
THE AUDITION in Italy (Distributor: PFA Films, World Sales: Les Films du Losange, Grant: 10,000 €)
THE ELFKINS: BAKING A DIFFERENCE in Turkey (Distributor: Yeni Bir Film, World Sales: Sola Media, Grant: 7,500 €)
THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES in the Netherlands (Distributor: Paradiso Entertainment Nederland, World Sales: Global Screen, Loan: 25,000 €)
UNDINE in Hong Kong + Macao (Distributor: Golden Scene, World Sales: The Match Factory, Grant: 2,976.60 €)
WALCHENSEE FOREVER in Austria (Distributor: Polyfilm, World Sales: Deckert Distribution, Grant: 4,000 €)
Applications for the next sitting of the awards committee meeting can be submitted up until 1 April 2021.
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 10,000 Euros can also be allocated as a grant.
The guidelines and the application form for "Distribution Support" can be downloaded here. | |
| Why chocolate and COLUMBO are the perfect combination for Sibel Kekilli, why Reza Memari would have liked to become a monk if he hadn't ended up in the film industry, and how it is that Narges Rashidi can recognise good ice cream at a glance - you can catch all of this in the latest episodes of German Films' SHORT TAKE podcast.
It's also worth having another listen: the German series WILD REPUBLIC had its world premiere on 25 March as a digital event and can be seen on Magenta TV from 15 April. We had already spoken with the three young German talents Maria Dragus (MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS), Emma Drogunova (THE TOBACCONIST) and Aaron Altaras (UNORTHODOX) last year.
All episodes of SHORT TAKE: THE GERMAN FILMS PODCAST can be found on our website and wherever podcasts are available. | |
| 43. MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (22.-29. April)
1 German film in the competition:
BLOODSUCKERS (BLUTSAUGER) by Julian Radlmaier (Faktura Film)
German Films supports the Russian-speaking Podcast POCALIGARIM
Since March 2021 German Films has been supporting the Russian speaking podcast POCALIGARIM. POCALIGARIM is a podcast about German Cinema, created in Moscow by Russian film journalists - Ksenia Reutova, Ira Posrednikova and Maria Buneeva. The main aim of the podcast is to showcase interesting insights about German Cinema in all its facets to a Russian speaking audience. Specialties are portraits, hot-button topics, history reviews and news about German film industry today.
The episodes of the podcast are released on Tuesdays, every other week, on the POLICARIM platform: https://taplink.cc/pokaligarim
The podcast is also available on Apple, Spotify, Castbox, Youtube, SoundCloud, Yandex Music and Google.
Latest episodes:
March 22: Bruno Ganz: Angel from WINGS OF DESIRE, dictator from DOWNFALL
March 9: We Children from Bahnhof Zoo - book, film, series
February 23: German actresses and actors in American films and series
February 9: Berlinale - democratic, scandalous, political
More Information about the Podcast POCALIGARIM can be found here. | |
| A German co-production won an award at SXSW in Austin. | |
| CORTEX in Russia (Distributor: Rocket Releasing, World Sales: ARRI Media International, Theatrical Release: 25 March 2021)
TRAUMFABRIK in Argentina (Distributor: Irazabel Films, World Sales: Picture Tree International, Theatrical Release: 25 March 2021)
CLOSE TO THE HORIZON in Taiwan (Distributor: MovieCloud, World Sales: Studiocanal, Theatrical Release: 01 April 2021)
UNDINE in UK + Ireland (Distributor: Curzon Film, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: 02 April 2021)
ORAY in France (Distributor: Urban Distribution, World Sales: Pluto Film Distribution, Theatrical Release: 07 April 2021)
CURVEBALL in Spain (Distributor: Cinemarán, World Sales: ARRI Media International, Theatrical Release: 09 April 2021)
COCOON in Mexico (Distributor: Bestiario Films, World Sales: m-appeal, Theatrical Release: 15 April 2021)
UNDINE in Hong Kong + Macau (Distributor: Golden Scene, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: 15 April 2021)
COCOON in Czech Republic (Distributor: Mezipatra, World Sales: m-appeal, Theatrical Release: 22 April 2021)
THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES in the Netherlands (Distributor: Paradiso Entertainment, World Sales: Global Screen, Theatrical Release: 29 April 2021)
Status: Newsletter publication date. Please be aware that all release dates are subject to change. | |
| German Films Service + Marketing GmbH
Herzog-Wilhelm-Straße 16
80331 München/Deutschland Tel +49-89-59 97 87-0
Fax +49-89-59 97 87-30 | |
| |
|
