The Toronto International Film Festival (September 8-18, 2022) completed its 45th edition program with its closing press conference today. Long and short films as well as documentaries and series will celebrate their world premiere at the largest festival in North America. Further titles under German direction premiered at renowned summer festivals and are programmed with their North American premiere in Toronto.  

The German filmmaker Edward Berger has long since made a dazzling name for himself internationally. Now he celebrates the world premiere of his new feature ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (DE/US, Amusement Park Film) in the Special Presentations section in Toronto. Based on the book by Erich Maria Remarque the Netflix production tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches. In addition, the minor German films CORSAGE by Marie Kreutzer (AT/LU/DE/FR, Komplizen Film), HOLY SPIDER by Ali Abbasi (DK/DE/FR/SE, One Two Films) and TRIANGLE OF SADNESS by Ruben Östlund (SE/UK/USA/FR/GR/DE, Essential Filmproduktion) will be screened in the section.

Five German co-productions will be shown in the Contemporary World Cinema section: AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Makbul Mubarak (ID/FR/DE/PL/SG/PH/QA, NiKo Film), FIXATION by Mercedes Bryce Morgan (CA/US/DE), WAR SAILOR by Gunnar Vikene (NO/DE/MT, Rohfilm Factory, Studio Hamburg), SPARTA by Ulrich Seidl (AT/FR/DE, Coproduction Office, Essential Filmproduktion) and VICTIM by Michal Blaško (CZ/SK/DE, Post Republic).

The Wavelengths section will feature the co-production PACIFICATION by Albert Serra (FR/ES/DE/PT, Tamtam Film), the Discovery section will show the films DAUGHTER OF RAGE by Laura Baumeister de Montis (NI/FR/DE, Heimatfilm), RETURN TO SEOUL by Davy Chou (FR/BE/DE, Vandertastic Films) and SNOW AND THE BEAR by Aslan Yesim (TK/DE/SB, Riva Film).Another Netflix production will celebrate its world premiere at TIFF Docs: IN HER HANDS by Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen (DE/US, Moon Dogs). The documentary MARIUPOLIS 2 by Mantas Kvedaravičius(LT/FR/DE, Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion), which premiered at this year's Festival de Cannes, will also be screened in Toronto.The section Short Cuts has two German entries in the line-up: TREMOR by Rudolf Fitzgerald Leonard (Problemkind Filmproduktion) – During water therapy for his chronic spasms, Leon is involved in an incident that gradually disrupts all aspects of his life – and BACKFLIP by Nikita Diakur (DE/FR) – Park. Apartment. 6-core processor. My avatar learns a backflip.Baran Bo Odar’s and Jantje Friese’s new Netflix series 1899 (DE/US, Dark Ways) will be shown in the section Primetime. The eight episodes follow the mysterious circumstances around the voyage of an immigrant ship from Europe to New York.Two young German talents will participate at this year’s TIFF Filmmaker Lab talent development program, which takes place during the Toronto International Film Festival. The German-Australian screenwriter and director Aaron Lucas wants to tell stories with heart in unconventional ways, fusing the surreal and the absurd with the everyday and the mundane. He directed several short films and music videos, he is in Toronto with his film LUNA. Also the German-Argentinean screenwriter and director Sophia Mocorrea will join the TIFF Filmmaker Lab with her film MARRIAGE BY ABDUCTION. For her projects she traveled to countries like Vietnam, Bolivia, Peru, but also her second home Argentina.