GOETHE FILMS: Past Forward – Directors before Cannes

Presented by the Goethe-Institut
May 7 + 9 + 14

Photo: © Komplizen Film

GOETHE FILMS presents three celebrated German filmmakers before their Cannes successes. What did Maren Ade create before her Oscar-nominated absurdist comedy-drama TONI ERDMANN? Which film brought Valeska Grisebach multiple awards before WESTERN took global cinemas by storm? Where was Ulrich Köhler before IN MY ROOM and international retrospectives?

May 7, 6:30pm: EVERYONE ELSE (Germany, 2009, 123 min.) by Maren Ade, with Birgit Minichmayr, Lars Eidinger

EVERYONE ELSE tells the intimate love story of Gitti and Chris, an odd couple battling their way through a holiday of secluded togetherness. A subtly humorous, cruelly meticulous study of the contradictory desires of a couple searching for their own identity.

2 Silver Bears Berlinale 2009. FIPRESCI Critics Award 2009

“A sun-kissed German film about a young couple in love and in doubt … lovely, delicate work.” – New York Times

Preceded by a video interview with Maren Ade.
Followed by A SUMMER WITHOUT GITTI (Germany, 2009, 10 min.) by Maren Ade
A “director’s cut” of material from EVERYONE ELSE, reconstructing the holiday narrative with just the male partner.

May 9, 6:30pm: BUNGALOW (Germany, 2002, 85 min.) by Ulrich Köhler, with Lennie Burmeister, Devid Striesow, Trine Dyrholm

BUNGALOW follows 19-year-old Paul, who deserts from the army and hides in his parents’ bungalow in the middle of nowhere. When Paul’s older brother Max visits the bungalow with his girlfriend Lene, tensions heat up between the two brothers, as the fraternal conflict soon turns into a competition for Lene.

Best First Feature Award San Francisco 2003

“Köhler’s films are distinctive in how they double as provocative and plausible thought experiments.” – BFI British Film Institute

Preceded by ROCKET (Germany 1998, 10 min.) by Ulrich Köhler & Nina Könnemann
The ten last minutes of a party, where all and nothing is said and done.

May 14, 6:30pm: BE MY STAR (Germany, Austria, 2001, 65 min.) by Valeska Grisebach, with Nicole Gläser, Christopher Schöps

BE MY STAR follows 14-year-old Nicole, whose expectation for something happening in her life becomes reality when she meets Christopher, a boy of the same age. They attempt to realize the ideas of love they have formed by observing adults, which clashes with their reality.

FIPRESCI Critics Award 2001

Preceded by BERLINO (Germany, 1999, 26 min.) by Valeska Grisebach
A moving documentary about displacement, set on a Berlin building site.

The Berlin production company Komplizen Film focuses on the development of feature films, international and high-end series. It stands behind numerous filmmakers such as Maren Ade, Ulrich Köhler and Valeska Grisebach, but also emerging artists like Xaver Böhm, who presented his debut film O BEAUTIFUL NIGHT at the Berlinale 2019. Komplizen Film produces local films for an international audience, films that take risks. They work with filmmakers distinguished by a unique signature and believe in long-term cooperation with directors.

GOETHE FILMS screen at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 4, 350 King St W, Toronto, ON
With English subtitles; open to audiences 18+
Tickets $10 at TIFF Bell Lightbox in person or by phone 1-888-599-8433 or online

Ticket raffles, updates & background on our blog “German Film @ Canada”
www.goethe.de/canada/germanfilm