Taking to the streets for May Day in mid-February: a feature film from Berlin, 1. Mai – Das Ende vom Lied (1st of May - All Belongs to You), will open what is now the seventh edition of the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section on February 8, 2008. This episodic film directed by Jakob Ziemnicki, Sven Taddicken (Emmas Glück/Emma’s Fortune), and duo Carsten Ludwig and Jan-Christoph Glaser recounts legendary and true tales about Labour Day in present-day Kreuzberg. Twenty-four hours set between a local square and a hospital, the Lausitzer Platz and the Urban Krankenhaus; something between a political pageant and a carnival of afflictions. Three stories – unfolding at the same time and place – merge into a film.
With these first seven films, half of the section’s programme has been confirmed before Christmas. Today’s topics are also those of tomorrow’s generation of filmmakers. They are what constitute the focus of this year’s programme of Perspektive Deutsches Kino, which once again rests on three pillars: feature-length movies with exciting stories and individuals, in front of and behind the camera; remarkable documentaries, both in content and form; and a strong showing of talent from German film academies and schools.
Filmmaker Steffi Niederzoll from the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne (KHM - Kunsthochschule für Medien) succeeds in approaching her protagonist Lea without depriving her of mystery. And the secret of Jakob, who is perceived by his surroundings as a man, is the catalyst for a late, though not-too-late, tale of self-discovery in Bettina Eberhard’s film Lostage (Star-Crossed) (KHM as well).
The heroes in Teenage Angst by Thomas Stuber (Baden-Württemberg Film Academy) are also on a quest to find themselves. And yet these pupils of an elite boarding school are not squeamish about the means they use to do so. Whereas in the milieu where eight-year-old Robin is struggling for his parents’ love, nobody has even heard of a boarding school. This film by Hanno Olderdissen (a student of the Internationale Filmschule in Cologne) portrays a family whose circumstances exceed the limits of what’s bearable.
"For some time now we’ve been observing and presenting films by this most recent generation of filmmakers that are gripping in content and mature in form. Though particularly noteworthy about this year’s works is how close they are thematically to contemporary topics," remarks head of Perspektive Deutche Kino Alfred Holighaus about the selection to date. "They deal with violence between youths and in families. And they deal with spirituality, intersexuality and the clash of cultures. These filmmakers are exploring and touching crucial sore spots."
For instance, on a soccer field: in the documentary Football Under Cover by David Assmann and Ayat Najafi this field is in Teheran and everything is ready for a home match between the Iranian women’s national team and a multicultural women’s team from Berlin-Kreuzberg. The protagonists of the documentary Jesus liebt dich (Jesus Loves You) by Lilian Frank, Michaela Kirst, Robert Cibis and Matthias Luthardt aren’t interested in sports. They’ve come to Germany from all over the world to convince people to get back on the right path, the path of faith.
With these first seven films, half of the section’s programme has been confirmed before Christmas. Today’s topics are also those of tomorrow’s generation of filmmakers. They are what constitute the focus of this year’s programme of Perspektive Deutsches Kino, which once again rests on three pillars: feature-length movies with exciting stories and individuals, in front of and behind the camera; remarkable documentaries, both in content and form; and a strong showing of talent from German film academies and schools.
Filmmaker Steffi Niederzoll from the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne (KHM - Kunsthochschule für Medien) succeeds in approaching her protagonist Lea without depriving her of mystery. And the secret of Jakob, who is perceived by his surroundings as a man, is the catalyst for a late, though not-too-late, tale of self-discovery in Bettina Eberhard’s film Lostage (Star-Crossed) (KHM as well).
The heroes in Teenage Angst by Thomas Stuber (Baden-Württemberg Film Academy) are also on a quest to find themselves. And yet these pupils of an elite boarding school are not squeamish about the means they use to do so. Whereas in the milieu where eight-year-old Robin is struggling for his parents’ love, nobody has even heard of a boarding school. This film by Hanno Olderdissen (a student of the Internationale Filmschule in Cologne) portrays a family whose circumstances exceed the limits of what’s bearable.
"For some time now we’ve been observing and presenting films by this most recent generation of filmmakers that are gripping in content and mature in form. Though particularly noteworthy about this year’s works is how close they are thematically to contemporary topics," remarks head of Perspektive Deutche Kino Alfred Holighaus about the selection to date. "They deal with violence between youths and in families. And they deal with spirituality, intersexuality and the clash of cultures. These filmmakers are exploring and touching crucial sore spots."
For instance, on a soccer field: in the documentary Football Under Cover by David Assmann and Ayat Najafi this field is in Teheran and everything is ready for a home match between the Iranian women’s national team and a multicultural women’s team from Berlin-Kreuzberg. The protagonists of the documentary Jesus liebt dich (Jesus Loves You) by Lilian Frank, Michaela Kirst, Robert Cibis and Matthias Luthardt aren’t interested in sports. They’ve come to Germany from all over the world to convince people to get back on the right path, the path of faith.
