The State of German Cinema

from Christian Petzold's "Barbara"

Over at the Goethe Institut site there is a discussion about the current state of German cinema. 

From an outsider’s view it would appear that German film is going strong with recent successes by Christian Petzold, Wim Wenders and his documentary Pina, films by Fatih Akin, and 2007 Oscar-winner The Lives of Others, among others.

 

One the one hand, "the German film industry is currently blessed by a greater variety and richness than it has had for decades.” 

However, in order to receive funding from the German Federal Film Fund a producer must demonstrate that the film has already been signed by a distributor and so there is concern that some films that receive distribution are not worth being screened and prevent innovative films from receiving funding: “it is not surprising that there should be a trend to funding proven forms, stories and names. The air on which artistic risk lives is getting thinner and thinner, because the public image of funding institutions is also at stake and uncertain ventures may endanger it.” 

 

There’s more on German film here. 

Arts & Faith Top 100 Films

Arts & Faith, affiliated with one of my favorite literary journals--IMAGE--has published their list of the top 100 films.

There are many European films on the list, as expected, including films from the usual suspects: Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, Wim Wenders, Robert Bresson, and Krystof Kieslowski, among others.

Recent films by the Dardenne Brothers (see previous post) and Romanian directors Cristi Puiu (The Death of Mr. Lazarescu) and Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days) also make the list.

The group would definitely make for an excellent film festival.

Learn about how the list was put together here.

Previewing the Berlin International Film Festival

The 61st Berlin International Film Festival kicks off tomorrow and Deutsche Welle previews what is in store for filmgoers:

The themes of family, identity and society link this year's films, largely drawn from the ranks of independent movie makers. Thirty-nine films--many with a documentary focus--explore the grave social changes and questions people from across the world face day to day.

The Coen Brothers commence the festival with their film “True Grit”, while Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog screen documentaries and Hungarian director Béla Tarr and the French animation filmmaker Michel Ocelot also present new work. 

Hopefully a number of the films will find their way to theatres here in the U.S.

Absinthe Recommends

Absinthe recommends the Arts and Ideas podcast from the BBC. Recently the German filmmaker Wim Wenders was interviewed and spoke about his return to Europe after living in the U.S. for many years. The novels Day In Day Out by Terezia Mora (translated by Michael Henry Heim) and The Book of Words by Jenny Erpenbeck (translated by Susan Bernofsky). Irving Singer writes about Ingmar Bergman in Ingmar Bergman, Cinematic Philosopher. Check out the winner of the Foreign-language Academy Award The Lives of Others, directed by Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck and the Danish film After the Wedding, directed by Susanne Bier.