German films at the Cannes Film Festival
With the drama Toni Erdmann, Germany is in the main competition of the prestigious film festival.
A music teacher with a penchant for joking pays a surprise visit on his successful daughter – and it comes to a confrontation. With the drama Toni Erdmann by the German director Maren Ade, a German film has a chance for Cannes’s Golden Palm. The work is one of 20 nominated films in the main competition of the famous film festival held on the French Mediterranean coast. The music teacher in Toni Erdmann is played by the Austrian actor Peter Simonischek, his daughter by the award-winning German actress Sandra Hüller. Toni Erdmann is the first German film to be nominated for the main competition of the renowned film festival since 2008.
German co-productions in the competition
Along with Toni Erdmann, there are four German co-productions in the competition: Elle by Paul Verhoeven (FR/DE/BE), Slack Bay by Bruno Dumont (FR/DE), Paterson by Jim Jarmusch (US/DE) and Personal Shopper by Olivier Assayas (FR/DE) with the German actor Lars Eidinger. In the section entitled “Un Certain Regard” there are also four German co-productions: Apprentice by Boo Junfeng (SG/DE/FR), Clash by Mohamed Diab (EG/FR/DE), Beyond the Mountains and Hills by Eran Kolirin (IS/BE/DE) and The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki by Juho Kuosmanen (FI/DE/SE).
As part of the Cinéfondation, “L’Atelier” gives film projects in development the opportunity to present themselves and this year chose the German-Turkish co-production Iguana Tokyo by Kaan Müjdeci. In 2015 the director, who lives in Berlin, celebrated his world premiere at the International Film Festival in Venice with the film Sivas, winning the jury’s Special Prize.
23 new German films at the film market
From 13 to 18 May 2016 at the film market at Cannes, German Films is presenting, under the label “New German Films”, a total of 23 current German films (http://www.german-films.de/fileadmin/mediapool/pdf/Downloads_General/ScheduleA4_Cannes_2016_color.pdf).
In the short film programme “Next Generation Short Tiger” (http://www.german-films.de/activities/next-generation-short-tiger/), German Films and the German Federal Film Board (FFA) will show current German short films in a selection of twelve films. German animated films are represented by five entries. The films are devoted to political issues such as right-wing extremism, Europe in chaos, and the death penalty, but also to humorous stories such as ones about a pianist who drives his rabbit crazy, Prince Alfred who doesn’t want to go to school, and a street sweeper at a vernissage.
69th Festival de Cannes. 11 to 22 May 2016
