Wackersdorf – Be Alert Courageous and Solidaric

  • “Shoplifters” by Hirokazu Kore-eda wins Top Award at 36th Munich International FilmFest

    [caption id="attachment_30641" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Shoplifters Shoplifters[/caption] The 36th Munich International Film festival drew to a close today Saturday, July 7, 2018 with the award ceremony and “Shoplifters” by Hirokazu Kore-eda won the ARRI/Osram Award for best international film.The Audience Award went to the film “Wackersdorf – Be Alert, Courageous and Solidaric” by Oliver Haffner.

    ARRI/Osram Award

    “Shoplifters” by Hirokazu Kore-eda received the ARRI/Osram Award for best international film. “In his film ‘Shoplifters’, Hirokazu Kore-eda breaks up the smallest cell of society, the family, into shards that gain the right to rearrange and reinvent themselves. The protagonists change their names and functions, developing their own ethics and morality, not bound by the biological laws of family or ultimately of society. In doing so, ‘Shoplifters’ opens up new possibilities and ultimately offers… hope,” said the jury. The jury of the ARRI/Osram Award was comprised this year of multitalented actress, composer, singer, and performing artist Meret Becker; cult American actress Amanda Plummer; and Blixa Bargeld, co-founder of the German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten. The latest films by ten renowned directors were in competition for the ARRI/Osram Award for best international film in the CineMasters section of the festival.

    CineVision Award

    “Border” by Ali Abbasi was honored with the CineVision Award for best new international film. The jury explained its decision thusly: “‘Border’ is not only a very unsettling film; it’s disturbing as well. In the deepest sense of the word, this film disturbs us in the comfort of our certainties and norms and convictions. What is beauty? What is normal? What does monstrosity look like? This film shows us how many wonderful but also horrible things there are all around us that we no longer notice because our senses are dulled. The main character in the wonderful film ‘Border’ has a delicate sense of smell. She is a hounded, anxious outsider whose perspective allows us to take a terrifying look underneath our mask of normality and behold the grotesque face of humanity.” Honorable mention was given to the Taiwanese film “The Great Buddha+” by director Hsin-Yao Huang, who uses “whimsical imagery and fantastical, comic dialogue to illustrate the lives of two naive underdogs who attempt to cope in a completely absurd world while their normality is also full of wonderfully noticed absurdity. It’s an ambiguous view of society that’s given a playful and surprising form,” said the jury.

    FIPRESCI Prize

    “All Good” by Eva Trobisch received the 2018 FIPRESCI Prize. The jury of the International Federation of Film Critics was comprised of Jan Storø from Norway, Peter Krausz from Australia, and Andrzej Fogler from Poland. They explained their decision as follows: “The FIPRESCI Prize goes to “All Good” by Eva Trobisch for its intelligently directed and prescient story of the way a troubling incident experienced by a woman spirals into an increasingly challenging situation.”

    Audience Awards

    The festival’s audience awards were also presented on the final day of the festival. The Bayern 2 and SZ Audience Award went to the film “Wackersdorf – Be Alert, Courageous and Solidaric” by Oliver Haffner. The film depicts the story surrounding the protests against the construction of a nuclear reprocessing plant in Wackersdorf in rural Bavaria in the early 1980s. This year’s Kinderfilmfest Audience Award went to “100% Coco” by Tessa Schram. For the first time, the prize includes the sum of 1,000 euros, sponsored by SZ Familie. The film is about 13-year-old Coco, whose eccentric fashion style appears distasteful until she becomes famous as “Style Tiger”.

    ONE FUTURE PRIZE

    This year’s ONE FUTURE PRIZE, awarded by the Interfilm Academy, went to “A Letter to the President” by Roya Sadat. The jury, comprised of Navina Neverla, Verena Marisa, and Tomasz Rudzik, explained its decision in these words: “‘A Letter to the President’ is a moving, utterly sophisticated film that tells of the contradictions in the Afghan legal system and the inequality of men and women ten years after the official withdrawal of the Taliban. This film tells the story of an unflinchingly strong woman who, in spite of all adversity and deeply rooted patriarchal structures, is prepared to stand up for her own freedom as well as for that of other women. An immediate, convincing story given lots of atmosphere, written dramatically, acted and directed superbly, and told in the sensitive images of classical narrative cinema, ‘A Letter to the President’ tells of one woman’s struggle against deeply rooted prejudice and overpowering patriarchal structures. Her integrity and her courage to resist are an example to us all. All this is told by the equally brave young Afghan director Roya Sadat, the first female practitioner of her craft in the post-Taliban era.” Honorable mention went to the documentary “Welcome to Sodom” by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes. In the jury’s words: “This film tells of a dystopia that has long been part of our globalized reality. ‘Sodom’ is a place that concerns all of us, a global topic that raises the most pertinent questions about environmental politics as well as about social and cultural issues.”

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  • 16 German Films to World Premiere in New German Cinema Section of Filmfest München

    [caption id="attachment_29565" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Mackie Messer – Brechts Dreigroschenfilm Mackie Messer – Brechts Dreigroschenfilm[/caption] 16 German film productions are celebrating their world premiere in the New German Cinema section of the Filmfest München – Munich International Film Festival. Starting things off is Joachim A. Lang’s “Mackie Messer – Brechts Dreigroschenfilm“, the opening film of the 36th Filmfest München, whose message is Brecht’s aphorism “In the contradiction lies the hope.” Against the backdrop of historical circumstances, Oliver Haffner’s feature film “Wackersdorf – Be Alert, Courageous and Solidaric” raises a sensitive question about political activism: as personal as it is suspenseful, the film depicts opposition to the construction of a nuclear reprocessing plant in 1980s Bavaria. “Safari – Match Me If You Can” by Munich director Rudi Gaul is about love in the digital age. A new dating app, Safari, makes the Bavarian capital a vehicle for self-promotion. Arthur Schnitzler’s stage play “La Ronde” is catapulted into the present day, with hilarious consequences. Robert Bohrer and Emma Rose have submitted a most unusual “Love Movie”.  An apathetic thirtysomething falls in love with a war photographer, and together they experience all the highs and lows of a relationship. Jakob Lass, whose “Love Steaks” earned the Förderpreis Neues Deutsches Kino in four categories in 2013, is back in Munich. In his latest film, “Right Here Right Now”, we live through the last night of a Hamburg club and everything that a good farewell party entails. Partying is also a theme in Henning Gronkowski’s “Yung”. The film portrays Berlin teenagers on their (often wrong) way through the city and through life. Naturally this includes hedonism, sexuality, and drugs. Several of the films in this year’s New German Cinema section broach the issue of relations between the sexes. Linus de Paoli’s thriller “A Young Man with High Potential” is the shocking story of a highly intelligent but prudish student of computer science who turns to chemical substances when rejected by the object of his affection. By contrast, in Leonel Dietsche’s “The New End”, only the men survive in a post-apocalyptic world in which might makes right. Philipp Eichholtz’s comedy “Everything Always All the Time” is a bit more playful and lighthearted. In, Kim would like to be a man. That isn’t such an easy thing when others must first get used to this kind of new identity. In Eva Trobisch’s drama, the protagonist tells herself things will be “All Good”. Since being raped, she does everything she can to keep up appearances — in order not to lose her job. Ann-Kristin Reyels’ “We Were Just Playing” is another film in which a character has a dark secret. Miro and Jona come from different worlds and want to be friends nonetheless. Damian John Harper’s “In the Middle of the River” is about a traumatic incident: a young man returns to his home town to kill his grandfather. At the moment of truth, his plan is thwarted and the two men are forced to spend the rest of the day with each other. Family situations with a potential for conflict are also at the root of Michael Klier’s chamber play “Family Idiots”, about a mentally disabled girl whose family must decide whether to send her to an institution. It’s a moral question that threatens to pit the family members against each other. Katinka Narjes’ film “Sirens” is also about family ties: the bond between two sisters is indestructible, yet they must learn to let go. Two documentaries are part of the New German Cinema section in 2018. In “The Brasch Family”, Annekatrin Hendel tells the story of three generations of a German family full of history, conflicts, and twists. In the meantime, Lola Randl, a previous guest at Filmfest München, offers a subjective and personal exercise in self-experimentation with “The Bees and the Birds”, moving to the countryside and exploring alternative ways of living both in front of and behind the camera. As usual, the best achievements by new directors in the New German Cinema section will be awarded the Förderpreis Neues Deutsches Kino. The FIPRESCI Award will also be given for the fourth time to the best film in the section. All the films in the New German Cinema section: “A Young Man with High Potential” by Linus de Paoli, Germany 2018 starring Adam Ild Rohweder, Amanda Plummer, Paulina Galazka, Vanja Bajdarova, Pit Bukowski Schattenkante, Hahn Film “Alles ist gut” (“All Good”) by Eva Trobisch, Germany 2018 starring Aenne Schwarz, Andreas Döhler, Hans Löw, Tilo Nest, Lina Wendel TRIMAFILM GmbH, Starhaus Filmproduktion, BR “Ende Neu” (“The New End”) by Leonel Dietsche, Germany 2018 starring Sylvester Groth, Georg Friedrich, Milena Tscharntke, Samuel Schneider, Mick Morris Mehnert Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, SWR, Paxfilm “Familie Brasch” (“The Brasch Family”) by Annekatrin Hendel, Germany 2018 starring Marion Brasch, Katharina Thalbach, Christoph Hein, Bettina Wegner, Florian Havemann IT WORKS! Medien GmbH, von Vietinghoff Filmproduktion, RBB, SWR, MDR “Idioten der Familie” (“Family Idiots”) by Michel Klier, Germany 2018 starring Lilith Stangenberg, Jördis Triebel, Hanno Koffler, Florian Stetter, Kai Scheve Michael Klier-Film, almost famous UG, RBB, Arte “In the Middle of the River” by Damian John Harper, Germany/USA 2018 starring Eric Hunter, Max Thayer, Nikki Lowe, Matthew T. Metzler, Ava Del Cielo Weydemann Bros., ZDF – Das kleine Fernsehspiel, Arte “Kim hat einen Penis” (“Everything Always All the Time”) by Philipp Eichholtz, Germany 2018 starring Martina Schöne-Radunski, Christian Ehrich, Stella Hilb, Matthias Lier, Lana Cooper Von Oma gefördert “Liebesfilm” (“Love Movie”) by Robert Bohrer, Emma Rosa Simon, Germany 2018 starring Eric Klotzsch, Lana Cooper, Hartmut Becker, Sabine Vitua, Gerdy Zint BASIS BERLIN Filmproduktion, Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB), ZDF – Das kleine Fernsehspiel “Mackie Messer – Brechts Dreigroschenfilm” by Joachim A. Lang, Germany 2018 starring Lars Eidinger, Tobias Moretti, Hannah Herzsprung, Joachim Król, Claudia Michelsen Zeitsprung Pictures GmbH, SWR, Arte, Velvet Films “Nixen” (“Sirens”) by Katinka Narjes, Germany 2018 starring Odine Johne, Lucy Wirth, Emelie Harbrecht, Roland Bonjour Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) “Safari – Match Me If You Can” by Rudi Gaul, Germany 2018 starring Justus von Dohnányi, Sunnyi Melles, Elisa Schlott, Juliane Köhler, Max Mauff Rat Pack Filmproduktion GmbH, Tele München GmbH, Martin Richter Filmproduktion “So was von da” (“Right Here Right Now”) by Jakob Lass, Germany 2018 starring Niklas Bruhn, Tinka Fürst, David Schütter, Mathias Bloech, Bela B. Felsenheimer C-Films Deutschland GmbH, DCM Pictures GmbH, Tatami Films GmbH “Von Bienen und Blumen” (“The Bees and the Birds”) by Lola Randl, Germany 2018 starring Lola Randl DETAiLFILM GmbH, Tohuwabohu GmbH “Wackersdorf” (“Wackersdorf – Be Alert, Courageous and Solidaric”) by Oliver Haffner, Germany 2018 starring Johannes Zeiler, Anna Maria Sturm, Peter Jordan, Fabian Hinrichs, Sigi Zimmerschied if… Productions, BR, Arte “Wir haben nur gespielt” (“We Were Just Playing”) by Ann-Kristin Reyels, Germany 2018 starring Finn-Henry Reyels, Roman Bkhavnani, Silke Bodenbender, Godehard Giese kurhaus production Film & Medien GmbH, ZDF – Das kleine Fernsehspiel “Yung” by Henning Gronkowski, Germany 2018 starring Janaina Liesenfeld, Emily Lau, Joy Grant, Abbie Dutton G.G. Production GmbH, deutschfilm GmbH

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