The German presence at the Festival del Film in Locarno (3 – 13 August 2016) was rarely as large as this year. Angela Schanelec was prominently featured in the International Competition with THE DREAMED PATH (Filmgalerie 451) along with feature debutant Michael Koch with MARIJA (DE/CH, Pandora Film Produktion, Little Shark Entertainment). Over 6,000 spectators saw Christian Schwochow's PAULA (DE/FR, Pandora Film Produktion, Grown Up Films) about the painter Paula Modersohn-Becker, and Maria Schrader was greeted by loud cries of 'Bravo!' for STEFAN ZWEIG: FAREWELL TO EUROPE (X Filme Creative Pool) on the Piazza Grande. Corinna Belz’s 'out of competition' documentary PETER HANDKE – IN THE WOODS, MIGHT BE LATE (zero one film) and the retrospective on cinema in the young Federal Republic of Germany were very well received in Ticino. German actor Mario Adorf accepted the award for his life's work in fluent Italian.

Prizes for German co-productions in Locarno…

Photos on Facebook…

German Films joined forces with regional funding organizations Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and MFG Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg for a reception attended by leading industry figures in honor of the Germany productions...

The end of August sees the international film industry coming together at the prestigious 73rd Venice International Film Festival (31 August – 10 September 2016), one of the oldest in the world, before then travelling straight on to the Toronto International Film Festival (8 – 18 September 2016). Founded in 1976, the festival in Ontario has developed into the most important one in North America and one of the most popular internationally. Filmmakers from Germany are well represented at both events.

WIM WENDERS AND GERMAN LEADING LADIES IN VENICE

Wim Wenders, internationally one of the most well-known of the German directors, will be celebrating the world premiere of his latest feature film THE BEAUTIFUL DAYS OF ARANJUEZ (FR/DE, Neue Road Movies) in the Venezia 73 Competition. AUSTERLITZ by Sergei Loznitsa, produced by Imperativ Film from Germany, can be seen 'out of competition'. THE EREMITES (DE/AT) by Ronny Trocker, with zischlermann filmproduktion serving as the German majority producer, was invited to screen in the Orizzonti sidebar. German cinema will also have visibility on the Lido thanks to its actresses: Nina Hoss is in the Competition jury, and Paula Beer can be seen as one of the leads in François Ozon's FRANTZ (FR/DE, X Filme Creative Pool) in the Competition.

More about the German films in Venice…

36 GERMAN FILMS AND CO-PRODUCTIONS IN TORONTO

The Special Presentations section, which is reserved for outstanding films by leading filmmakers, will be showing Maren Ade's Cannes hit TONI ERDMANN (DE/AT, Komplizen Film) and Werner Herzog's latest feature film SALT AND FIRE (DE/US/FR, Construction Film) about a mysterious abduction with Geman actress Veronica Ferres, Gael Garcia Bernal and Michael Shannon in the leads. Marie Noëlle's MARIE CURIE - THE COURAGE OF KNOWLEDGE about five fateful years in the brilliant scientist's life will have its world premiere in Contemporary World Cinema. THE BEAUTIFUL DAYS OF ARANJUEZ by Wim Wenders will be coming straight from Venice to screen in the Masters sidebar. In addition, there will be screenings of the Locarno competition titles THE DREAMED PATH by Angela Schanelec in Wavelengths and MARIJA by Michael Koch in Discovery as well as a number of German documentaries and shorts such as GAZA SURF CLUB by Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine (Little Bridge Pictures), MALI BLUES (gebrueder beetz filmproduktion) by Lutz Gregor, and Petra Epperlein's KARL MARX CITY (US/DE). The German producer Amir Hamz was selected for the European Film Promotion's PRODUCERS LAB TORONTO.  

All of the German films and co-productions in Toronto…

TONI ERDMANN REPRESENTS GERMANY IN OSCAR® RACE

The feature film TONI ERDMANN by Maren Ade (DE/AT/MC, Komplizen Film, Missing Link Films) will represent Germany as the official submission for the 89th Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film. This has been decided by an independent jury appointed by German Films. Jury representative Felicitas Darschin (Bundesverband Regie) announced the decision at a press presentation in the presence of producers Janine Jackowski and Jonas Dornbach and actor Thomas Loibl in Munich.

More about the jury statement and reactions of the filmmakers...


STUDENT OSCARS FOR THREE GERMAN SHORTS

Success at the Student Oscars for Germany's young filmmakers just keeps coming: 2016 follows last year with another three prizes going to German short film productions at the 43rd Student Academy Awards®. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, AYNY - MY SECOND EYE by Ahmad Saleh (Academy of Media Arts Cologne/KHM) will receive the Gold Medal in the Foreign Animation category. WHERE THE WOODS END by Felix Ahrens (Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF) and INVENTION OF TRUST by Alex Schaad (University of Television and Film Munich (HFF)) will be presented with awards in the Foreign Narrative category. Whether these will be Gold, Silver or Bronze Medals will be revealed at an awards ceremony on 22 September 2016 in Los Angeles. More...