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Für ServusTV und Zdf entsteht ein neuer Krimi-Zweiteiler mit dem schönen Titel „Mama ist die Best(i)e“. Produziert wird er von Mona Film und Tivoli Film Produktion. Das Buch stammt von Erfolgsautor Uli Brée. Adele Neuhauser spielt die Titelrolle.

„Mama ist die Best(i)e” (Credit: ServusTV / Mona Film/Tivoli Film/Fabio Eppensteiner)

Erfolgsautor Uli Brée liefert die Vorlage für einen neuen Krimi-Zweiteiler, der als Koproduktion von Servus TV und Zdf nun Drehstart feierte. In „Mama ist die Best(i)e“ spielt Adele Neuhauser die einstige Society-Lady Gloria, die zum Racheengel an der eigenen Familie wird, die sie nach dem Mord an ihrem Ehemann im Stich gelassen hat. Die Rolle wurde ihr auf den Leib geschrieben. Brée sagt: „Es gibt keine zweite Schauspielerin, für die ich so viel geschrieben habe, wie für Adele Neuhauser. Im Laufe der Jahre sind wir, ohne es zu bemerken, eine wunderbare Symbiose eingegangen. Ich schreibe Adele Figuren,...

Cologne-based sales house will bring three new titles to EFM.

Cologne-based Media Luna New Films has snapped up international rights to three new titles: Austrian feature All Will Be Revealed, German concentration camp-themed drama Schlamassel and Mexican drugs thriller The Route To El Jardin.

All Will Be Revealed is directed by Peter Keglevic and is an historical drama loosely based on the novel by Austrian writer and actor, August Schmölzer. In the film, set in 1964, a man returns to his hometown looking for his childhood sweetheart but discovers a dark and corrupt world.

The cast is led by Harald Schrott,...

Corsage Review — Corsage (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Marie Kreutzer and starring Vicky Krieps, Colin Morgan, Ivana Urban, Alma Hasun, Tamas Lengyel, Finnegan Oldfield, Jeanne Werner, Katharina Lorenz, Aaron Friesz, Raphael von Bargen, Manuel Rubey, Florian Teichtmeister, Regina Fritsch, Alexander Pschill, Raphael Nicholas, Oliver Rosskopf and Norman Hacker. Vicky Krieps [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Corsage (2022): Vicky Krieps Brings Intense Complexity to Her Role in Marie Kreutzer’s Intelligent Drama...

Marie Kreutzer and Vicky Krieps (holding Patti’s A Book of Days) with Patti Smith, the host of a preview screening of Corsage (Austria’s shortlisted Oscar entry) at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York Photo: IFC Films

In the second instalment with Marie Kreutzer, we discuss Sisi with King Ludwig II of Bavaria (Manuel Rubey), Louis Le Prince played by Finnegan Oldfield, and the chocolate scene in Corsage, Luchino Visconti’s Ludwig, riding in the dark, how biographies speak of their own time, undefinable friendships with men, the representational, the functional, and the omnipresence of golden chairs.

Vicky Krieps as Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Corsage Photo: Felix Vratny, courtesy of IFC Films

Last week Patti Smith hosted a screening of Corsage (Best Film at the London Film Festival), attended by Sarita Choudhury, Hailey Gates, Annie Leibovitz, Piper Perabo, Dolly Wells, Sunita Mani, Diana Silvers, Olivia Luccardi, Bree Elrod,...

Corsage director/screenwriter Marie Kreutzer on the interactions between Sisi (Vicky Krieps), Emperor Franz Joseph (Florian Teichtmeister), and King Ludwig II (Manuel Rubey): “Control is a big thing in the whole story for me.” Photo: Robert M Brandstaetter, courtesy IFC Films Release

Marie Kreutzer’s laser focus in Corsage is on Sisi, Empress Elisabeth of Austria turning 40 years old. Vicky Krieps (Best Actress European Film Awards and Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard Best Performance Award shared with Adam Bessa for Lotfy Nathan’s Harka) is in excellent form and up to the task of presenting to us the icon in all her idiosyncrasies.

Marie Kreutzer with Anne-Katrin Titze: “It was very important for me that the costumes as well as the production design would not just be romantic and luxurious …”

In the first instalment with Marie Kreutzer, we discuss her use of Camille’s song, She Was, her...

Vicky Krieps, the actress from Luxembourg who introduced herself to a new audience by playing a headstrong woman in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread,” has come to TIFF 2022 with “Corsage,” a drama about a woman Krieps has felt a connection to since she was 15: Austrian Empress Elisabeth.

Krieps and director Maria Kreutzer stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival to talk about “Corsage,” which follows the Empress (Krieps) on her 40th birthday, an age that, according to 19th century Bavarian society, made her an old woman. Feeling increasingly isolated by both royal circles and her own husband, Emperor Franz Joseph (Florian Teichtmeister), Elisabeth finds herself imprisoned by her own elite status and starts looking for any way to rebel against it, no matter how small.

Krieps said that growing up, she felt free to do whatever she wished and admired...

In Corsage, Vicky Krieps delivers a performance brimming with salty despondency and inner life. Gasping for breath in the garment from which this film takes its title, the Luxembourgish actress stars as Elisabeth Eugenie, the 19th-century Hungarian queen and Hapsburg empress tasked with quietly presiding over a kingdom in its early stages of unraveling. The director is Marie Kreutzer, an Austrian filmmaker whose previous effort, The Ground Beneath My Feet, told another story of a woman and an unraveling. While that film competed for the Golden Bear, Corsage took Kreutzer all the way to Cannes, making a splash in Un Certain Regard and justifiably rewarding Krieps for her work.

Taking cues from Sofia Coppola, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Pablo Larraín, Kreutzer leans on a recent maxim: the only socially acceptable way to examine monarchy in this day and age is to do so through the eyes of an unruly, besieged, forward-thinking...

Marie Kreutzer’s “Corsage,” which premieres in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, has debuted its first clip exclusively with Variety (below). MK2 Films is handling international sales. Ad Vitam will distribute the film in France.

“Corsage” stars Vicky Krieps, who broke out in the Oscar nominated “Phantom Thread.” Last year, she starred in Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Bergman Island,” which was in competition in Cannes, and was nominated for a César for Mathieu Amalric’s “Hold Me Tight.” She will soon be seen in Pathe’s big budget two-part movie “The Three Musketeers.”

“Corsage” centers on Empress Elisabeth of Austria. The monarch is idolized for her beauty and renowned for inspiring fashion trends, but in 1877, “Sissi” – as she is known – celebrates her 40th birthday and must fight to maintain her public image by lacing her corset tighter and tighter. While Elisabeth’s role has been reduced...

Vicky Krieps to star as the legendary 19th century empress whose life was far from a fairytale.

Paris-based sales company mk2 films has acquired world sales rights to Austrian director Marie Kreutzer’s costume drama Corsage and released a first image of actress Vicky Krieps as the 19th century Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

The company is launching sales on the film at the EFM next week (March 1-5), just as it starts filming in Austria. It is due to shoot from March to July, first in Vienna and Lower Austria and then in Luxembourg from June.

Affectionately known as Sisi,...

Vicky Krieps to star as the legendary 19th century empress whose life was far from a fairytale.

Paris-based sales company mk2 films has acquired world sales rights to Austrian director Marie Kreutzer’s costume drama Corsage and released a first image of actress Vicky Krieps as the 19th century Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

The company is launching sales on the film at the EFM next week (March 1-5), just as it starts filming in Austria. It is due to shoot from March to July, first in Vienna and Lower Austria and then in Luxembourg from June.

Affectionately known as Sisi,...

Vicky Krieps to star as the legendary 19th century empress whose life was far from a fairytale.

Paris-based sales company mk2 films has acquired world sales rights to Austrian director Marie Kreutzer’s costume drama Corsage and released a first image of actress Vicky Krieps as the 19th century Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

The company is launching sales on the film at the EFM next week (March 1-5), just as it starts filming in Austria. It is due to shoot from March to July, first in Vienna and Lower Austria and then in Luxembourg from June.

Affectionately known as Sisi,...

Now in its 9th year German Currents Festival of German Film is a fixture on the cultural calendar of Hollywood. Over the past years, thousands of audience members enjoyed Oscar-nominated German cinema, engaged in Q&As with top German talent, tasted German cuisine during the opening night gala and experienced contemporary German culture in the historical setting of the Egyptian Theater.

This year, German Currents will go beyond its regular film screenings, adding a pre-event on Oct. 5th with a screening of Sundance TV’s “Deutschland 83” followed by a Q&A with director Edward Berger and Golden Globe nominated composer Reinhold Heil. In addition, the festival will include a Tribute to Roland Emmerich and a Q&A with the filmmaker himself, added afternoon matinees throughout the weekend, the exhibit “Brilliant Dilletantes – Subculture in Germany in the 1980s” and a concert of the German Techno DJ, Westbam.

German Currents will also have its opening night red carpet event, followed by the film “We are Young, We are Free” (L.A. Premiere), plus Q&A’s with top German filmmakers, nightly screenings, including the Us Premiere of “B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West Berlin 1979 - 1989” and a free children’s morning screening of “The Pasta Detectives,” as well as a filmmaker brunch.

The festival takes place at: Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA – 90028

Tickets can be purchased Here.

Monday, Oct 5, 7:00 pm

“Deutschland 83” Screening and Panel Discussion German Currents Pre-Event Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, 5750 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Free Admission | RSVP required rsvp@losangeles.goethe.org

Pilot episode screening of the Sundance TV original series “Deutschland 83." A gripping coming-of-age story and spy thriller set in Germany in the 80’s. Divided Germany in 1983: during a peak period for Cold War tensions between East and West. Marting Rauch, a wide-eyed 24-year-old East German soldier plucked from obscurity, goes undercover as a West German soldier for the East German Secret Service. With Jonas Nay, Alexander Nay, Maria Schrader, Sonja Gerhardt. Following the screening will be a Q&A with director and Grimme Awardee Edward Berger and Golden Globe nominated composer Reinhold Heil, moderated by Thomas Mikusz.

Saturday, Oct 17, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

German Currents Pre-Event Reception and introduction to the Exhibition: “Brilliant Dilletantes- Subculture in Germany in the 1980’s”. 18th Street Art Center, 1639 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404 Admission is free with RSVP Here

Presented with the support of Dublab, DJ Michael Stock will provide an evening of music from the era.

Curated by Mathilde Weh, (Visual Arts, Goethe-Institut, Munich), this extensive multi-media exhibition includes a diverse selection of photos, posters, albums and cassettes, as well videos and interactive sound stations. Highlighting the work of the bands Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft/D.A.F. (Düsseldorf), Der Plan (Düsseldorf), Die Tödliche Doris (Berlin), Einstürzende Neubauten (Berlin), Freiwillig Selbstkontrolle/ F.S.K. (Munich), Ornament und Verbrechen (East Berlin), and Palais Schaumburg (Hamburg) as well as various artists, filmmakers and designers from West and East Germany, this exhibition presents the most comprehensive survey to date of this extraordinarily innovative subculture. The exhibition runs Oct 5th – Oct 23rd

Thursday, Oct 22nd, 7:00 pm (Gala Opening Night)

“We Are Young. We Are Strong” (“Wir sind jung. Wir sind stark”) Los Angeles Premiere Directed by Burhan Qurbani Germany (2014), 116 min, German with English subtitles

International Sales: Beta. No. America is available.

August of 1992. Three years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, anti-immigrant attacks targeting a refugee shelter on the outskirts of the former East German city of Rostock culminate in the notorious “Night of the Fire.” Following three days of violence, nearly 3,000 rioters, neo-Nazis and bystanders set fire to the shelter, trapping Vietnamese refugees and a group of journalists inside. Qurbani’s controversial film recounts the hours leading up the evening’s startling events as experienced by three very different characters: Lien, a young Vietnamese immigrant, caught in a struggle for survival; Stefan, an insecure youth, who, along with his friends participates in the night’s riots; and Stefan’s father Martin, an ambitious local politician torn between advancing his career by remaining silent, and standing up for his ideals, taking action to stop the riots. Qurbani meticulously recreates the look and feel of the era, when many East German cities struggled with unemployment and feelings of isolation from the West, exposing the complex issue of xenophobia in a country thought to have been healed by German reunification.With Devid Striesow, Jonas Nay, Trang Le Hong.

Director Burhan Qurbani is confirmed to attend.

Friday, Oct 23rd, 10:00am (Private screening for schools)

“The Pasta Detectives” (“Rico, Oskar und die Tieferschatten”) Los Angeles Premiere | Winner Best Children Film German Film Awards Directed by Neele Leana Vollmar Germany (2014), 96 min, German with English subtitles

20th Century Fox Germany Production. Watch for "The Pasta Detectives 2"

International Sales: Beta No. America is available.

At the heart of this adaptation of German author Andreas Steinhöfel’s wildly popular children’s book is ten-year-old Rico, the only child of a working-class single mother in Berlin. Although quick to describe himself as a “Lowly gifted child” who can’t tell his left from his right and whose thoughts often “rattle around in his head like balls in a bingo cage,” Rico is compassionate, observant, and makes the best of his short-comings. Often left on his own, Rico spends most of his time close to home or visiting the quirky tenants in his apartment building. One day Rico meets Oskar, a “highly gifted” younger boy who is obsessed with safety statistics and prone to wearing a helmet. Despite their differences, the two boys complement each other and become fast friends. When Oskar suddenly goes missing, Rico suspects a notorious local kidnapper “Mr. 2000” and sets out to find and rescue his new friend. With an emphasis on teamwork and friendship, Vollmar’s film is a fresh and endearing take on the classic “buddy-film” suitable for the whole family. With Anton Petzold, Juri Winkler, Katharina Thalbach.

Friday, Oct 23rd, 7:30 pm – Double Feature

“Jack” Los Angeles Premiere | Best Film: Silver German Film Awards Directed by Edward Berger Germany (2014), 103 min, German with English subtitles

Tiff 2015.

International Sales: PIcture Tree. No. America is available.

Ten year old Jack (Ivo Pietzcker) is frequently left alone by his loving, but hopelessly incompetent young mother (Luise Heyer). Forced to care for himself and his six-year-old half-brother, Manuel (Georg Arms) for extended periods of time, Jack selflessly acts as the head of the household. When Manuel is accidentally injured, Jack is blamed and is placed in a long-term foster care facility, leaving Manuel with their mother. Lonely, homesick and bullied by other children, Jack decides to escape and head home to Berlin, only to find that what little order he had established has crumbled. Once again abandoned by their mother, the boys take to the streets on a desperate odyssey to find not only their mother, but a sense of stability. Co-written by Nele Mueller-Stöfen, Berger’s screenplay and precise direction coax refreshingly unaffected performances from the two child actors. Cinematographer Jens Harant’s camera provides essential gritty realism, capturing the city from the unique vantage point of the lonely boys. With: Ivo Pietzker, Luise Heyer, Georg Arms. Director Edward Berger is confirmed to attend.

Friday, Oct 23rd, 9:30 pm (approximately) – Double Feature

“Schmitke” Los Angeles Premiere Directed by Stepán Altrichter Germany (2014), 90 min, German and Czech with English subtitles

Like his once state-of-the-art “C 174” wind turbine, 57 year-old German engineer Julius Schmitke (Peter Kurth) is past his prime. No longer models of efficiency both creak and groan under the strain of their daily duties. A man of few words, Schmitke leads a banal, solitary life, but, intrigued by reports of a hermit, known as “Bear-Man” found living alone in the woods; Schmitke begins to dream of deep, dark forests. When a model C 174 breaks down outside a small Czech town on the German border, Schmitke and his slacker subordinate Gruber are sent to repair it. Here, the engineers encounter an odd assortment of townspeople, and the undeniable allure and danger of the impenetrable Ore Mountain forest. The next day, Gruber mysteriously vanishes and Schmitke is drawn to the woods. Katharina Grischkowski’s extraordinary sound design, contrasts the creaking of the C 174 with the eerie stillness of the forest, heightening the surreal atmosphere provided by Christian Pirjol’s haunting cinematography. Altrichter, who also co-wrote the screenplay, deftly balances the bizarre and the beautiful in this desolate, deadpan, comic mystery. With Peter Kurth, Johann Jürgens, Petr Vrsek.

Saturday, Oct 24th, 10:00am

“A Tribute to Roland Emmerich – from "The Noah’s Ark Principle" to "Independence Day" and "Stonewall” Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, 5750 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Free Admission | RSVP by Oct. 19th required: rsvp@losangeles.goethe.org This event is produced by Gaba – the German American Business Association

Roland Emmerich (Director/Writer/Producer) is one of the world’s most talented and sought-after directors. His career began in his native Germany. He studied film at the University of Television and Film Munich where his student film “The Noah’s Ark Principle“ went on to open the 1984 Berlin Film Festival. His body of work includes movies such as “Independence Day”, “Stargate”, “10,000Bc” and “White House Down”, to name just a few.

Emmerich recently wrapped “Independence Day: Resurgence”, the next epic chapter in the “Independence Day “universe. The original 1996 film redefined the event movie genre by shattering opening weekend and total box office records to become the first movie in history to gross over $500m internationally. The new film mixes a cast of new and familiar faces -- Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Jessie User, Bill Pullman, Maika Monroe, Sela Ward, and Judd Hirsh -- flashing forward 20 years when the nations of Earth must unite to protect the planet against the aliens' return and only a few brave men and women can bring the world back from the brink of extinction. Emmerich’s latest film, “Stonewall”, is a drama about the Stonewall Riots in 1969 New York, which sparked the Lgbt civil rights movement. The film stars Jeremy Irvine and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

In addition, to his work in film and television, Emmerich has made considerable contributions to many charities, including but not limited to the Cambodian Children’s Fund and the Los Angeles Lgbt Center. The Q&A will be moderated by journalist Dierk Sindermann.

Following the panel:

“Filmmaker Brunch” Following the “Tribute to Roland Emmerich” will be a filmmaker brunch at the Goethe Institute. Meet filmmakers and talent attending the festival while enjoying a continental breakfast by Downtown La’s Bier Beisl Imbiss This brunch is sponsored by German Consulate Los Angeles and Bier Beisl Imbiss

Saturday, Oct 24th, 5:30pm (Matinee)

“Who am I- No system is safe” (“Who am I- Kein System ist sicher”) Los Angeles Premiere | Bavarian Film Prize for Best Direction. Tiff 2014. Directed by Baran bo Odar Germany (2014), 110 min, German with English subtitles

International Sales: Trust Nordisk. No. America is available.

Young Berlin computer whiz-turned hacker Ben (Tom Schilling) feels more at home in the virtual world than he does in the real one. When the charismatic and revolutionary hacker Max (Elyas M’Barek) asks Ben to put his skills to use and “hack the world,” they form the collective “Clay” (Clowns Laughing At You). Instead of lofty political goals, the group shocks the world with humor and guerilla-like pranks. As the team’s popularity drives them to take bigger, bolder risks, they soon attract the attention of the German Secret Service. Just as Ben begins to feel like he finally belongs somewhere, he’s forced to figure out how to escape not only from his law enforcement pursuers, but his dangerous new friends. This stylish, surprising, and exceptionally timely fast-paced cyber thriller moves seamlessly between the real and the virtual, leaving the audience guessing long after the film is over. With Tom Schilling, Hannah Herzsprung, Elyas M’Barak.

Saturday, Oct 24th, 8:30pm

“B-Movie: Lust and Sound in West Berlin” Us Premiere. Berlin Ff 2015 Directed by Jörg A. Hoppe, Klaus Maeck, Heiko Lange Germany (2015), 92 min, German with English subtitles

International Sales: Edel

An Essay-Film narrated by producer and musician Mark Reeder, B-Movie is a fast-paced collage of unreleased film and TV footage, photos, and original interviews compiled by Hoppe, Maeck, and Lange and dramatized scenes that illustrate Reeder’s account of the music, art and chaos in West Berlin of the 1980s. The walled-in city, which became a cultural inter-zone and creative melting pot for avant-garde sub- and pop- culture unlike anywhere else in Europe, attracted “brilliant dilettantes,” squatters, artists, musicians, and world famous celebrities alike. Reeder left Manchester, England for Berlin in 1979 and soon found himself at the center of this dynamic cultural hub, meeting and often working with legendary bands and artists. Including interviews and archival footage from Joy Division, Blixa Bargeld (Einstürzende Neubauten), Die Toten Hosen, Nick Cave, Gudrun Gut, Die Aerzte, Nena, Christiane F. and Westbam, B-movie offers an intimate portrait of the constantly changing cultural constellations of the city, from the Geniale Dilletanten, to the Love Parade, and ending with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Director Klaus Maeck and German DJ Westbam are confirmed to attend.

Saturday, Oct 24th, 11:00pm

DJ Westbam: Free Concert in the Egyptian Theater Courtyard

Hardly any DJ can look back on such a long and exciting career as Westbam, who since 1983 has provided the right music for the night for more than 15 million fans worldwide. A pioneer of DJ culture in Germany and Europe alike, Westbam was the first DJ in Germany to mix his own tracks rather than just play record after record, the first German DJ invited to play the big stages in the heyday of acid house in the UK, the first German DJ to sell over 2 million records, the founder of the first big rave event in Germany, the legendary “Mayday”, and the only DJ to have DJed at every “Loveparade,” producing every “Loveparade anthem” since. Featured in Jörg A.Hoppe, Klaus Maeck & Heiko Lange’s film "B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-1989," Westbam will perform live at the Egyptian Theatre following the film’s screening at the German Currents Film Festival. Please note: Ticket holders for the screening of “B-movie” receive priority admission to the concert. A Standby line for “concert only” begins after the box office closes for the screening at the Egyptian Theatre.

Sunday, Oct 25th, 4:00 pm (Matinee)

“Age of Cannibals” (“Zeit der Kannibalen”) Los Angeles Premiere | Prix Europe for Most Innovative Television Fiction Script. Berlin Ff 2014. Directed by Johannes Naber Germany (2013), 93 min, German and English with English subtitles

Cut-throat business consultants Öllers and Niederländer travel the world without ever really seeing it. In advising companies on how to ruthlessly maximize profits, the two have managed to insulate themselves from the dangerous locations where they conduct business by never leaving their various 5-star hotels. Models of ruthless efficiency, both hope to secure partnerships at their nameless company. When Bianca, a newly hired younger female colleague, is sent to assist in the negotiations, her constant critique of her colleagues’ unscrupulous behavior with clients and hotel staff alike is unsettling to the executives, who pride themselves on their ability to remain emotionally disconnected. Confined within the walls of their hotel, the protagonists reach grotesque extremes, accentuating the feel of a chamber play within Stefan Weigl’s screenplay. The perfectly directed darkly comedic performances offer critique of contemporary global economics. When the dangers of the outside world (experienced only through the occasional sounds of distant explosions or gunfire) find their way inside, the three models turn out to be incompetent. With Sebastian Blomberg, Devied Striesow, Katharina Schüttler.

Sunday, Oct 25th, 6:30 pm – Double Feature

“Dora or The Sexual Neuroses of our Parents” (“Dora oder die sexuellen Neurosen unserer Eltern”) Us Premiere. Berlin Ff 2015 Directed by Stina Werenfels Switzerland/ Germany (2013-2015), 90 min, German with English subtitles

International Sales: Wide

Mentally disabled Dora (Victoria Schulz) has spent much of her 18 years under psychotropic sedatives. When her mother, Kristin (Jenny Schily), decides to stop the medication, Dora’s world begins to open. Determined to experience the world, love, and sex, Dora enters into a relationship with an unscrupulous perfume salesman (Lars Eidinger) who is eager to take advantage of her newfound lust for life. Though Dora’s parents are horrified by her relationship and her eventual pregnancy, they must determine how to both protect their daughter as well as allow her to make her own choices as an adult. Lukas Strebel’s award winning innovative camerawork capture’s not only Dora’s transformation, but also her perspective through p.o.v. In adapting Lukas Bärfuss’ challenging play, director Stina Werenfels and co-writer Boris Treyer emphasize the perspectives and parallel struggles of both mother and daughter, examining broader issues of female sexuality, agency, and motherhood. With Victoria Schulz, Jenny Schily, Lars Eidinger. Director Stina Werenfels is confirmed to attend.

Sunday, Oct 25th, 8:30 pm (approximately) – Double Feature

“Gruber is Leaving” (“Gruber Geht”) Los Angeles Premiere | Beijing Iff: Best Music Directed by Marie Kreutzer Austria (2015), 104 min, German with English subtitles

John Gruber (Manuel Rubey) is the epitome of arrogance. In his mid-thirties, and living in his own world, he has it all; the right job, car, designer apartment in Vienna. In between business trips, nightclubs, and countless one-night stands, the dry-witted cynic has little left for anyone else, and this is just how he likes it. When he meets Berlin-based DJ Sarah (Bernadette Heerwagen), his self-styled world is turned on its head. For it is Sarah, who after their night together, reads him the diagnosis explaining that a tumor is to blame for his recent stomach problems. Gruber‘s superman facade quickly crumbles, sending him on a binge of drugs, alcohol and bar fights in an attempt to cope. With a new regimen of chemotherapy and a growing infatuation with Sarah, Gruber slowly begins to drop his guard. But will he really change? Kreutzer’s faithful adaptation of Doris Knecht’s best-selling novel is strengthened by Cinematographer Leena Koppe’s ability to capture Gruber’s darkly comical transition from cold and distant loner, to a man on a journey to find himself. With Manuel Rubey, Doris Schretzmayer, Ulrike Beimpold.

While the Sundance Film Festival is the better known film festival located in Utah that runs in January, it is not the only one, as the Slamdance Film Festival has been running in the same place during the same month for over 20 years. The unique aspect of the Slamdance Film Festival, however, is its Narrative Features and Documentary Features program, which restricts its selection to films that are directorial debuts, made for under $1 million, and don’t have Us distribution. The 2015 incarnation of the festival is set to run from January 23rd to the 29th, and ahead of the festival’s premiere next month, organisers have unveiled the lineup for the aforementioned categories. The lineup is as follows.

Narrative Features Program:

Across The Sea (Turkey/USA), making its North American Premiere

Written and Directed by Nisan Dağ and Esra Saydam

Starring Damla Sönmez, Jacob Fishel, Ahmet Rıfat Şungar, Hakan Karsak,...

Festival top brass announced the 19 films that will screen at the Slamdance Film Festival, set to run in Park City, Utah, from January 23-29.

The 11 narrative and eight documentary selections include 13 world premieres. All competition films are feature directorial debuts budgeted below $1m without Us distribution.

“It’s very exciting to bring this dynamic lineup to audiences in Park City,” said festival director Anna Germanidi. “We are proud to help launch these filmmakers’ careers and celebrate the success we all believe these films deserve.”

“Our success in showcasing emerging artists is most obviously linked with American talent, but increasingly at Slamdance, we want to also support new international talent,” said co-founder and president Peter Baxter.

All synopses below provided by Slamdance.

Narrative Features

Across The Sea (Turkey-usa)

Dirs Nisan Dağ, Esra Saydam

Young, beautiful and pregnant, Damla has to confront her first love in a Turkish summer town before she can fully embrace her new life in...

The Sundance Film Festival dominates Park City in late January, but there is also the upstart Slamdance Film Festival. We’ve not really highlighted that fest or its program, but I always stay at Treasure Mountain Inn where Slamdance is headquartered and they’ve kind of grown on me. Last year they brought Christopher Nolan to speak (the fest had the good sense to program his first film) and Joe Mangianello came to vamp his male stripper docu. This year, there’s every chance of seeing Dennis Rodman, the flamboyant former rebounding machine and Bff of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, for the docu Dennis Rodman’s Big Bang In Pyongyang. So let’s all root for an international incident! Here are the films they’ll be playing from January 23-29:

Narrative Features Program

Across the Sea – Directors & Screenwriters: Nisan Dağ, Esra Saydam. (Turkey/USA) North American Premiere.

Director: Thomas Roth Writer: Thomas Roth Starring: Manuel Rubey, Nicolas Ofczarek, Christian Tramitz, Patricia Aulitzky, Susi Stach Born on February 19, 1957 as Johann (Hans) Hölzel, Falco is revered by many Austrians and Germans as the European Elvis. In the United States, however, Falco is typically considered a one-hit wonder (his one hit, for those of you who were living under a rock in the 1980s, being "Rock Me Amadeus"). Writer-director Thomas Roth's casting of Manuel Rubey (singer for the Austrian rock band Mondscheiner) in the 11th hour to portray Hölzel/Falco turns out to be the saving grace of Falco: The Rise and Fall of an 80's Pop Icon. Told as a straight-forward bio-pic, Roth begins with Hölzel's childhood, showing his early fascination with music (especially pop music) and brothels; it also allows us to hear Hölzel's mother (Susi Stach) tell him: "Nothing comes from nothing...be able to look...