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Distributing films by Todd Haynes, Guy Maddin, Abbas Kiarostami, Laura Poitras, Olivier Assayas, and even Jacques Demy, Zeitgeist Film has been one of the most vital caretakers of independent and international cinema in the last few decades. Founded in New York City in 1988 by Nancy Gerstman and Emily Russo, they will now get a well-deserved celebration at NYC’s Metrograph beginning this Friday, November 3, with the series Zeitgeist Films at 35, and we’re pleased to exclusively debut the trailer.

Along with Olivier Assayas’ Irma Vep, Todd Haynes’ Poison, Derek Jarman’s The Garden, Abbas Kiarostami’s Taste of Cherry, Atom Egoyan’s Speaking Parts, and Jacques Demy’s Umbrellas of Cherbourg (released in a new restoration by Zeitgeist in 1996), the series features premieres of new 4K remasters of Guy Maddin’s Archangel and Marc Rothemund’s Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, plus an exclusive series closing night Member Preview of...

Combined titles creates librbary of more than 1,600 films.

Kino Lorber has signed a multi-year strategic alliance with Zeitgeist Films run by Nancy Gerstman and Emily Russo.

The partners will jointly acquire four to five theatrical titles a year to be marketed and released by Zeitgeist Films.

Kino Lorber will become the exclusive distributor of all Zeitgeist Films titles for the home video and educational markets, as well as all digital media.

The partnership means Zeitgeist’s library of more than 130 titles combines with Kino Lorber’s library of more than 1,500 new and classic films.

Starting in July, Gerstman and Russo...

Opens June 30.“If humanity isn’t free, everything dies with it” — Georg Elser, “13 Minutes”. An intense true story of one man’s failed attempt to assassinate Hitler in 1939 … the ultimate “what if”?

U.S. theatrical release by Sony Pictures Classics to Open in New York & Los Angeles June 30, 2017. International sales by Beta. Premiered at Berlinale 2015.

Georg Elser (Christian Friedel) in “13”

So relevant today as we watch an isolated passionate man’s solitary attempt to eliminate a monstrous dictator whom he can see is destroying society. “13 Minutes” is a true story about an individual in pre War Nazi Germany who can no longer bear to witness the persecution and injustice into which his land has descended and decides to act decisively to eliminate the mad man dictator.

This well made, well directed film, with big sets and cast and a faithfully recreated period brings our own thoughts to bear upon our...

StudioCanal has a sales hit on its hands with German romantic comedy My Blind Date With Life.

The feature, from Sophie Scholl director Marc Rothemund, has sold to some 37 territories, including to Kino Films for Japan, Alpha Filmes for Latin America and Flins & Pinicula for Spain.

Based on a true story, Blind Date stars Kostja Ullmann as a severally visually impaired man who, with the help of his friends, manages to bluff his way into a career at one of Munich's finest luxury hotels. Anna Maria Muhe (Love in Thoughts) co-stars.

"The fact that it is...

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Diego Luna amongst those to join jury president Paul Verhoeven.

The 67th Berlin Film Festival has revealed its jury, homage subject and Golden Camera recipients.

Joining jury president, Paul Verhoeven, will be actors Maggie Gyllenhaal, Diego Luna, and Julia Jentsch, producer Dora Bouchoucha Fourati, artist Olafur Eliasson and director-screenwriter Wang Quan’an.

Eighteen films are vying in this year’s competition for the Golden Bear. The winners will be announced at the Berlinale Palast on February 18.

Robocop director Verhoeven is currently flying high off the success of Golden Globe-winning drama Elle.

Gyllenhaal is best known for her Oscar-nominated role in Crazy Heart, breakthrough performances in Donnie Darko and Secretary, The Dark Knight and TV series The Honourable Woman, for which she garnered a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy nomination.

Luna, co-star of Alfonso Cuarón’s Y Tu Mamá También, has played at the Berlinale in titles including Milk (dir: Gus van Sant, Berlinale...

Exclusive: Beta Cinema inks deals, including Germany, on competition drama.

Beta Cinema has closed a string of deals on hard-hitting Berlin competition drama 24 Weeks.

Following a competitive situation in Germany, writer-director Anne Zohra Berrached’s second feature was snapped up by Neue Visionen in an all rights deal.

Deals have also closed in Benelux (September Films), Poland (Aurora Films), Greece (Feelgood Entertainment), Turkey (Filmarti), Ex-Yugoslavia (Discovery Films), Hungary (Cirko), Columbia (Cineplex), Taiwan (Swallow Wings), China (Lemon Tree Entertainment) and Korea (JinJin Pictures).

Deals are pending in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and France.

24 Weeks stars celebrated German actress Julia Jentsch, who won the Silver Bear for Best Actress in the Oscar-nominated Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, and was produced by zero one, the outfit behind Toronto drama The People Vs. Fritz Bauer.

The story follows cabaret performer Astrid (Jentsch), who when six months pregnant learns that her unborn child will be severely disabled. She and her...

Exclusive: Beta Cinema inks deals, including Germany, on competition drama.

Beta Cinema has closed a string of deals on had-hitting Berlin competition drama 24 Weeks.

Following a competitive situation in Germany, writer-director Anne Zohra Berrached’s second feature was snapped up by Neue Visionen in an all rights deal.

Deals have also closed in Benelux (September Films), Poland (Aurora Films), Greece (Feelgood Entertainment), Turkey (Filmarti), Ex-Yugoslavia (Discovery Films), Hungary (Cirko), Columbia (Cineplex), Taiwan (Swallow Wings), China (Lemon Tree Entertainment) and Korea (JinJin Pictures).

Deals are pending in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and France.

24 Weeks stars celebrated German actress Julia Jentsch, who won the Silver Bear for Best Actress in the Oscar-nominated Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, and was produced by zero one, the outfit behind Toronto drama The People Vs. Fritz Bauer.

The story follows cabaret performer Astrid (Jentsch), who when six months pregnant learns that her unborn child will be severely disabled. She and her...

Beta acquires the second feature of Two Mothers director Anne Zohra Berrached.

Ahead of this year’s Berlinale (Feb 11-21), Beta Cinema has taken worldwide rights for German competition entry 24 Weeks, the second feature of director-writer Anne Zohra Berrached.

The film stars Julia Jentsch, who won the Silver Bear for Best Actress in the Oscar-nominated Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, and was produced by zero one, which made Toronto title The People Vs. Fritz Bauer.

Berrached, whose first feature Two Mothers won the Dialogue in Perspective Award at Berlinale 2013 and the First Steps Award, wrote the script with Carl Gerber.

The story centres on cabaret performer Astrid (Jentsch), who six months pregnant learns that her unborn child will be severely disabled. She and her husband Marcus (Bjarne Maedel) have a choice, but little time.

Astrid feels lost, impossible to continue her comedy routine and, ultimately, only she can take this weighty decision of what to do.

The...

Labyrinth Of Lies director Giulio Ricciarelli Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Giulio Ricciarelli's Oscar shortlisted Best Foreign Language Film candidate, Labyrinth Of Lies, stars Alexander Fehling of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds fame, with Johannes Krisch (Frauke Finsterwalder's Finsterworld and Götz Spielmann's Revanche), André Szymanski, Hansi Jochmann, Friederike Becht (Margarethe von Trotta's Hannah Arendt), Johann von Bülow and Mathis Reinhardt, and is dedicated to the late great stage actor, Gert Voss.

"Heimatfilm", Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl: The Final Days on the White Rose shot by Martin Langer, Vico Torriani, Caterina Valente and how the costume design of Aenne Plaumann (Goodbye Lenin!), a La Strada poster, design by Manfred Döring and Janina Jaensch were orchestrated by "card players", gender roles in the Fifties, and what's in a title.

Marlene Wondrak (Friederike Becht) with Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling)

Ricciarelli in his debut feature captures a mood of cold-sweat exhilarated revitalisation,...

This intense dramatization of the true story of a failed attempt to assassinate Hitler in 1939 is an unpleasant experience but a provocative one. I’m “biast” (pro): love Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Downfall

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

German filmmaker Oliver Hirschbiegel (Diana) returns to the era of his brutal film Downfall — source of that now meme-fied scene in which an insane Adolf Hitler goes on an extended rant to an audience of terrified underlings — with an intense dramatization of the true story of a failed attempt to assassinate the Führer in 1939. Carpenter, metalworker, and halfhearted member of a local Communist group Georg Elser (Christian Friedel) is arrested shortly after the bomb he hid at a Munich rally of Nazi leadership detonates 13 minutes after Hitler had vacated the premises, and he endures savage interrogation and torture (mostly offscreen, though what...

Sony Pictures Classics acquired North and Latin American distribution rights to Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Nazi-era drama 13 Minutes early on at the Berlin Film Festival. The story of Georg Elser, who tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1939, has its official screening out of competition today and was met with high praise from the press corps this morning. This is a return to familiar territory for the Oscar-nominated Downfall director after 2013’s savaged English-language biopic Diana.

A compelling portrait of the resistance fighter, 13 Minutes is not the first time Elser’s story has come to the screen, but is a rarity. Klaus Maria Brandauer starred in and directed Seven Minutes in 1989 which focused more on the building of Elser’s poorly-timed bomb. The failed deed was put in motion during a speech given by Hitler for the anniversary of the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. The bomb Elser had placed behind the lectern detonated...

Beta wins My Special Prize for the Best Berlin Lineup of all the International Sales Agents

From the producer of 2013 Golden Bear winner “Child’s Pose” comes “Aferim!” playing in Berlinale Competition. Policeman Costandin, a charismatic mixture of a funny Stalin and a somewhat more pragmatic Don Quixote, and his shy and introverted son ride through the rural countryside In search of a fugitive Gypsy slave. Meeting hundreds of characters, delivering a surprise in every scene, this is an ingenious Western in a very wild East of 19th century Romania directed by Radu Jude (“Everybody in our Family”) and produced by HiFilm’s Ada Solomon, Klas, Endorfilm and Mulberry Development, and stars Teodor Corban (“Child’s Pose”, “Beyond the Hills”), Mihai Comãnoiu and Cuzin Toma.

Forum entry “Zurich," Oliver Hirschbiegel’s "13 Minutes" (Competition - Out of Competition) plus this year’s Sundance Audience Award winner “Umrika” and the new Sky Italia series “1992" kicking off the Berlinale Special Series section make this a banner Berlin for Beta Cinema.

In official selection/out of competition bows Nazi resistance drama "13 Minutes" about failed Hitler assassin Georg Elser. Oliver Hirschbiegel, whose Academy Award nominated “Downfall” is one of the most successful Beta Cinema titles ever with 145 sold territories, presents a stunning, emotional portrait of the resistance fighter and his attack on the Munich Bürgerbräukeller on November 8th 1939. Georg Elser was a man who could have changed world history and saved millions of human lives, but his bomb, built to tear Adolf Hitler apart, exploded 13 minutes late. Produced by Lucky Bird’s Oliver Schündler and Boris Ausserer, who just recently won the Bavarian Film Award for "13 Minutes", and written by Fred Breinersdorfer (“Sophie Scholl”), the feature stars Christian Friedel (“The White Ribbon”), Katharina Schüttler (“Generation of War” ) and Burghart Klaussner (“The White Ribbon”).

Dutch filmmaker Sacha Polak, who received the prestigious Fipresci-award at the 2012 Berlinale for Hemel, presents with "Zurich" her second feature film, a road movie starring famous Dutch singer and performance artist Wende Snijders. "Zurich" (Viking Film/Rohfilm/Private View/Nrt/Zdf/arte) revolves around Nina, who is wandering along Europe’s motorways in a desperate attempt to leave the past behind. Slowly it becomes clear that Nina’s drive to hang around in the truckers’ scene is a result of the pain caused by the ultimate betrayal that has befallen her. Sacha Polak developed the script by author Helena van der Meulen during last year’s Berlinale Residency program.

Kicking off the Berlinale Special Series, designated to promote outstanding international TV-series, is the political thriller "1992" from Sky Italia ("Gomorrah"), La 7 and Wildside. Over 20 years ago, on February 17th 1992, the first arrest within the so-called Mani Pulite (Clean Hands) maxi-investigation was made in Italy. It was the symbolic start of a revolution. "1992" revolves around six ordinary people whose lives are intertwined with the country's political, civil and social earthquake. The 10xone hour series stars Stefano Accorsi (idea), Guido Caprino and Miriam Leone; director is Giuseppe Gagliardi.

Celebrating its Berlin Market Premiere is Prashant Nair’s Indian drama "Umrika," which just recently received the Audience Award at Sundance, starring world-renowned, up-and-coming young actors Suraj Sharma ("Life of Pi") and Tony Revolori ("The Grand Budapest Hotel," "Dope"). "Umrika" (Hindi for America) is about a small village in India that is invigorated when one of their own travels to America, sharing his adventures and inspiring hope through letters home. But when the letters mysteriously stop coming, his brother sets out on a journey to find him.

Also premiering at the market is the fourth adventure of "The Famous Five" (Sam Film/Constantin), in which Enid Blyton’s teenager gang venture thousands of miles and thousands of years back in time to solve yet another nail-biting mystery. Prolific maverick filmmaker Detlev Buck ("Hands off Mississippi") presents as international market premiere "Bibi & Tina 2," an inventive live-action adaptation of the teen-adventure and romance in the beloved “Bibi & Tina” universe.

Amongst the upcoming titles, "Colonia" is heading the slate, starring Emma Watson in her first lead role since "Harry Potter" alongside Daniel Brühl ("Rush") as her abducted boyfriend and opposite a very sinister Mikael Nykvist ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"). The $15 million production wrapped shooting mid-January and is being presold at the European Film Market.

"Ghosthunters: On Icy Trails" marks another English-language presales highlight for the Efm. This witty and charming Family Entertainment movie sees Milo Parker ("Robot Overlords") team up with the animated Asg, the “Averagely Spooky Ghost” Hugo, to save the world from the “Ancient Ice Ghost”. A promo will be made available for buyers.

Oliver Hirschbiegel’s "13 Minutes" (aka “Georg Elser”) was among the top sellers at this year’s Afm with a wide range of deals closed for all continents. The latest film by the Academy Award-nominated director secured an all-rights-agreement from Beta Cinema for UK and Ireland, Studiocanal also locked the rights for Australia and New Zealand. Furthermore Beta Cinema sold the emotional portrait of the resistance fighter who tried to assassinate Hitler to Japan (Gaga Communications), France (Sophie Dulac Distribution), Scandinavia (Svensk Filmindustri), Benelux (September Film Rights), Brazil (Mares Filmes), Greece (Feelgood Entertainment), and Colombia (Cine Colombia).

Beta Cinema’s Afm promo reel raised also strong interest from distributors in the Us, amongst others.

"13 Minutes" relates the background of the failed attack on Hitler on November 8th 1939 in the Munich Bürgerbräukeller, where Hitler left the scene only 13 minutes before the explosion – leaving Elser to fail catastrophically. Painting a suspenseful, emotional portrait of "Georgie", how he was called in his hometown, the story takes us from Georg Elser’s early years in the Swabian Alps - when National Socialism arose - to his last days at the Dachau concentration camp, where he was killed shortly before the end of the war.

Hirschbiegel (“Downfall”) is supported by high-ranking talents before and behind the camera: Christian Friedel ("The White Ribbon"), Katharina Schüttler (“Generation War”) and Burghart Klaußner ("The White Ribbon") take the leads; among the crew members are author Fred Breinersdorfer ("Sophie Scholl"), Dop Judith Kaufmann ("Four Minutes") and the set-designer duo Benedikt Herforth ("Rommel") and Thomas Stammer (“Generation War”). The Oliver Hirschbiegel film is a production of Lucky Bird Pictures in coproduction with Swr, Ard Degeto, Br, Wdr, Arte, Delphi Medien, Philipp filmproduction and Broth Film. Producers are Oliver Schündler, Boris Ausserer ("Lucky Bird") and Fred Breinersdorfer ("Delphi"). Nfp ("The Lunchbox", " Hannah Arendt") will release the feature next April in Germany.

Hans Funck, the German film editor of such features as the Oscar-nominated Downfall and Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, died suddenly on Wednesday night in Munich. He was 61. One of Germany's most acclaimed editors, Funck was perhaps most closely associated with Downfall director Oliver Hirschbiegel. Photos Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2014 In addition to Downfall and sleeper hit The Experiment, Funck was the editor on all of Hirschbiegel's English-language productions, including The Invasion, starring Nicole Kidman, Five Minutes of Heaven with Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt and, most recently, the Lady Di biopic Diana with Naomi Watts.

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Beta sells other territories on the film based on Noah Gordon’s trilogy of books.

The Physician’s producers Wolf Bauer and Nico Hofmann have indicated that they may take on the other two books of Noah Gordon’s trilogy, of which The Physician is the first part: Matters Of Choice and Shaman.

Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily ahead of the world premiere of The Physician in Berlin on Monday evening, Bauer explained: “We have discussed this with Noah Gordon and would have access [to the properties].”

“But we won’t have this discussion before the film has reached 3m admissions in Germany and Spain,” said Bauer, who is currently reading Shaman for the seventh time.

Moreover, the producers would have freedom in casting since Shaman is set in the 19th century some 800 years after the events in The Physician.

Hofmann revealed that, as part of the film’s financing from broadcaster Ard Degeto, a longer...

Germany has a long and trivia-crazy history with the Oscars that didn’t just begin with Sandra Bullock speaking German in her Blind Side acceptance speech or Christoph Waltz, an Austrian-German talent winning two Tarantino-Flavored Oscars for multi-lingual performances. We’ll get to more trivia in a minute but first the German shortlist. We await their choice for Oscar’s Foreign Language Film submission with curiousity because they’re always a threat for the eventual shortlist. Germany has received 18 nominations and 3 wins over the years. They’re weighing the quality of nine different pictures before deciding. Which will they send our way?

The finalists are…

My Beautiful Country Michaela Kezele

This one skews international - a romance between a young Serbian widow and an Albanian soldier The German Friend Jeanine Meerapfel

A coproduction with Argentina Free Fall Stephan Lacant

A gay romantic drama about two cops The Girl With Nine...

Cologne, Germany – The short poignant life of Anne Frank is heading again to the big screen, courtesy of German screenwriter Fred Breinersdorfer, who penned the Oscar-nominated period drama Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005). German production companies Spectrum and Zeitsprung Pictures have signed on to produce the new feature film in collaboration with the Swiss-based Anne Frank Fonds, the body set up by Anne's father Otto Frank to preserve her legacy and manage rights to her diaries. The new film will be based not just on Anne Frank's famous diary but on extensive historical documentation from the

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Sophie Scholl – Die Letzten Tage / Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005) Direction: Marc Rothemund Cast: Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs, Gerald Alexander Held, Johanna Gastdorf, André Hennicke Screenplay: Fred Breinersdorfer Oscar Movies, European Film Award Movies Recommended Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs, Sophie Scholl: The Final Days Directed with clenched fists by Berlin Film Festival winner Marc Rothemund, who seems to have been at least partly inspired by Robert Bresson's minimalist The Trial of Joan of Arc, Sophie Scholl: The Final Days is an intense, unsentimental, impeccably produced retelling of the last days of the young female leader of the White Rose, the German resistance movement. Set in 1943, Fred Breinersdorfer's screenplay chronicles the events that followed the arrest of Sophie Scholl (Julia Jentsch) and her brother Hans (Fabian Hinrichs) after they're accused of distributing "subversive" leaflets at a German university. In the complex title role, Berlin Film Festival, German Academy Award,...

Out March 16 in Region 2: green light (definitely check it out): • W.: read my review/buy at Amazon U.K./already available in Region 1 at Amazon U.S. • How to Lose Friends and Alienate People: read my review/buy at Amazon U.K./already available in Region 1 at Amazon U.S. • Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (special 2 disc Edition): read my review/buy at Amazon U.K./available in Region 1 in a single-disc edition at Amazon U.S. • Doctor Who: Attack of the Cybermen: not reviewed/buy at Amazon U.K./preorder in Region 1 at Amazon U.S.

Enrique Rivero's Mexican drama "Parque vía" won top honors Saturday at the 61st edition of the Locarno Film Festival.

Winner of the festival's Golden Leopard, the film centers on a elderly recluse (Nolberto Coria) who struggles to reconnect with the outside world after living in an empty house for several years.  

The Special Jury Prize went to "33 sceny z zycia" ("33 Scenes from Life"), Malgoska Szumowska's drama about a young woman whose life slowly starts to fall apart after she learns her mother has cancer. Starring is German actress Julia Jentsch, whose credits include "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" and "The Downfall."

Denis Côté took home the best director award for "Elle veut le chaos," a drama about a father who pushes his daughter into prostitution because he's unable to provide financial security for his family.

Meanwhile, Ilaria Occhini snatched the Leopard for best actress for her performance in Federico Bondi's "Mar Nero.

COLOGNE, Germany -- German indie production powerhouse Constantin Film has extended its output deal with broadcast group ProSiebenSat.1 for another two years, through 2008, the companies announced Tuesday.

The arrangement will give ProSieben German free-TV rights to all of Constantin's in-house productions, including new comedy titles from directors Leander Haussmann (Berlin Blues) and Oscar-nominated Marc Rothemund (Sophie Scholl: The Final Days.)

Constantin first signed with ProSieben in February 2005. Films delivered under that output agreement include boxoffice hits Perfume -- The Story of a Murderer, Resident Evil: Apocalypse and German kids film Hui Buh -- The Goofy Ghost.

Under a separate deal, Constantin licensed a package of high-profile film titles to ProSieben. These include the George Clooney thriller Michael Clayton, horror sequel The Grudge II, Asterix At The Olympic Games featuring Gerard Depardieu and Alain Delon and Bridge To Terabithia, the upcoming fantasy feature from Chronicles of Narnia producers Walden Media.

Tuesday's deal follows ProSieben's three-year, $300 million licensing agreement with Warner Bros. International Television (HR 10/28) and comes as reports are circulating that the German broadcaster is being put up for sale. By buffing up its feature films slate, ProSieben could be improving its bargaining position for a future sell-off.

COLOGNE -- Christoph Mueller, the Oscar-nominated producer of Sophie Scholl -- The Final Days has joined Berlin-based Senator Entertainment as head of the company's production division, Senator Film Produktion. Senator announced that Mueller will take over the post July 1, replacing Benjamin Herrmann, who left the company in April. German industry veteran Peter Heinzemann has already taken up Herrmann's other job as head of Senator's distribution arm, Senator Filmverleih . Mueller joins Senator from Munich-based Goldkind film, where he is co-managing director with Sven Burgemeister. The move suggests a closer working arrangement between Goldkind and Senator could be in the works.

COLOGNE, Germany -- Marc Rothemund's Nazi-resistance drama Sophie Scholl -- The Final Days, already a front-runner for nomination in this year's foreign-film Oscar race, has added another German award to its long list of honors, winning the Bavarian Film Prize for best film. Sophie Scholl, which recounts the final days in the life of the eponymous resistance fighter, already piled up multiple honors at last year's Berlin International Film Festival as well as the German and European Film Awards. The Life of Others, a Cold War thriller set in communist East Germany that marked the feature debut of television director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, was the other big Bavarian Film Prize winner. Star Ulrich Muehe was named best actor, and von Donnersmarck received best script and best newcomer honors as well as the VGF Prize.

COLOGNE, Germany -- Marc Rothemund's Nazi-resistance drama Sophie Scholl -- The Final Days, already a front-runner for nomination in this year's foreign-film Oscar race, added another German award to its long list of honors Friday night, winning the Bavarian Film Prize for best film. Sophie Scholl, which recounts the final days in the life of the eponymous resistance fighter, already piled up multiple honors at last year's Berlin International Film Festival as well as the German and European Film Awards. The Life of Others, a Cold War thriller set in communist East Germany that marked the feature debut of television director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, was the other big Bavarian Film Prize winner. Star Ulrich Muehe was named best actor, and von Donnersmarck received best script and best newcomer honors as well as the VGF Prize.

German Films Service + Marketing GmbH is joining forces with AFI Fest 2005 to present Made in Germany, a showcase of six contemporary German films as part of the festival, which runs Nov. 3-13. The films to be screened include Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, Germany's official submission for the foreign-language film Academy Award. Also, in collaboration with AFI Fest, European Film Promotion has announced honorees for its second annual New Faces in European Cinema.

BERLIN -- U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, Mark Dornford-May's adaptation of Georges Bizet's Carmen opera set in a modern-day South African township, was the surprise winner of the Golden Bear for best film at the 55th Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin Jury president Roland Emmerich announced Saturday. The ambitious musical, which is performed entirely in the local Xhosa language, flew under the radar of both film critics and industry execs at this year's Berlin Festival. But it won over the jury. Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl -- The Last Days was another big winner at Berlin, taking two Silver Bears for best directing and best actress for German up-and-comer Julia Jentsch as the Munich resistance fighter Sophie Scholl, who was executed by the Nazis in 1943.

BERLIN -- U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, Mark Dornford-May's adaptation of Georges Bizet's Carmen opera set in a modern-day South African township, was the surprise winner of the Golden Bear for best film at the 55th Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin Jury president Roland Emmerich announced Saturday. The ambitious musical, which is performed entirely in the local Xhosa language, flew under the radar of both film critics and industry execs at this year's Berlin Festival. But it won over the jury. Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl -- The Last Days was another big winner at Berlin, taking two Silver Bears for best directing and best actress for German up-and-comer Julia Jentsch as the Munich resistance fighter Sophie Scholl, who was executed by the Nazis in 1943.

BERLIN -- Taking advantage of the discovery of long buried documents in old East German archives and recent interviews with witnesses or relatives and friends of those involved in the historical episode, the makers of Sophie Scholl -- The Final Days provide a clear and compelling account of the last six days in the life of Sophie Scholl, a resister of the Nazi regime in Germany in 1943. The movie is understandably static as the guts of the film are Sophie's interrogations by Gestapo officer Robert Mohr. But it's static electricity. The film has a jumpy, nervous energy as the two verbally dual over matters of life and death.

Rock solid performances by up-and-coming German actress Julia Jentsch as Sophie and Alexander Held (Downfall) as Mohr along with an excellent cast of supporting players insure that no one mistakes this for a lifeless docu-drama. Sophie Scholl will have its largest impact, of course, in German-speaking territories. But with interest in that era recently sparked by Downfall, the film could get picked up in many other territories.

Sophie may be a major heroine in German history, but Jentsch plays her for what she was -- an ordinary young woman who in extraordinary times finds the courage to do what is right. She and her brother Hans (Fabian Hinrichs) are members of the White Rose resistance, a group portrayed in other German films, most notably Michael Verhoeven's The White Rose. A foolish decision to smuggle anti-Nazi leaflets into Munich University and secretly distribute them while classes are in session results in the arrest of Sophie and Hans on February 18, 1943.

Director Marc Rothemund and his frequent collaborator, writer Fred Breinersdorfer, then let events speak for themselves. Separated from the others, Sophie is grilled by Mohr for hours. Initially, she denies involvement and is so convincing she is nearly released. Then comes damning evidence found in a search of the siblings' apartment. When Sophie sees her brother's confession, she too admits guilt -- and does so with pride.

Now comes Sophie's verbal dance with Mohr to protect friends and fellow collaborators. Later, Mohr offers Sophie a chance to get a milder sentence at the price of renouncing her ideals. She refuses. But the most interesting part of the interrogation comes when these two debate the goals and methods of the Nazi government and the question of how posterity will remember their differing points of view.

Mohr is a long time interrogator. His interest lies in upholding the law and not who wrote the law or whether it has anything to do with justice. Sophie contends that there is a thing called right and wrong that is separate from what any particular law says.

Mohr was a man who in 1943 must have known how badly things were going in the war -- which is the major point of the students' leaflets -- as well as being aware of the heinous deeds in the Nazi's rule. Held's Mohr never equivocates or concedes any of Sophie's points. Yet he develops a grudging admiration for her and struggles to answer some points.

Certainly, his offer to save her neck is curious if he truly believes what he says he does. It may be his final, futile attempt to win the argument. And herein lies the dramatic and moral value of the movie: Their argument transcends the Nazi era. It looks to civil courage, a thing in short supply even today.

Rothemund keeps sets, costumes and camerawork simple so the greater concentration is on his actors and the play of words. He and Breinersdorfer refuse to sentimentalize any of Sophie's decisions over these few days. But they do see her battle against tyranny as a dramatic assertion of human beings' desire for freedom no matter what the cost.

SOPHIE SCHOLL -- THE FINAL DAYS

Bavaria Films International presents a Goldkind Film and Broth Film production

Credits:

Director: Marc Rothemund

Writer: Fred Breinersdorfer

Producers: Christoph Mueller, Sven Burgemeister, Fred Breinersdorfer, Marc Rotheremund

Director of photography: Martin Langer

Production designer: Jana Karen

Music: Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil

Costumes: Natascha Nesslauer

Editor: Hans Funck.

Cast: Sophie Scholl: Julia Jentsch

Robert Mohr: Alexander Hold

Hans Scholl: Fabian Hinrichs

Else Gebel: Johanna Gastdort

Dr. Freisier: Andre Hennicke

Christoph Pobst: Florian Stetter

No MPAA rating

Running time -- 120 minutes...

COLOGNE, Germany -- German director Roland Emmerich will be president of the international jury for the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival, organizers have announced. Berlin also unveiled several films that will run in competition for the 2005 Golden Bear, including Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Terry George's Hotel Rwanda and Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl -- Hope and Resistance. Emmerich's career started at the 1984 Berlin festival when his debut, The Noah's Ark Principle, screened in competition. The sci-fi drama impressed with its epic look achieved on a virtually nonexistent budget. Emmerich soon made the jump to Hollywood, where he directed such popcorn blockbusters as Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow.

COLOGNE, Germany -- German director Roland Emmerich will be president of the international jury for the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival, organizers have announced. Berlin also unveiled several films that will run in competition for the 2005 Golden Bear, including Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Terry George's Hotel Rwanda and Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl -- Hope and Resistance. Emmerich's career started at the 1984 Berlin festival when his debut, The Noah's Ark Principle, screened in competition. The sci-fi drama impressed with its epic look achieved on a virtually nonexistent budget. Emmerich soon made the jump to Hollywood, where he directed such popcorn blockbusters as Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow.

COLOGNE, Germany -- German director Roland Emmerich will be president of the international jury for the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival, organizers have announced. Berlin also unveiled several films that will run in competition for the 2005 Golden Bear, including Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Terry George's Hotel Rwanda and Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl -- Hope and Resistance. Emmerich's career started at the 1984 Berlin festival when his debut, The Noah's Ark Principle, screened in competition. The sci-fi drama impressed with its epic look achieved on a virtually nonexistent budget. Emmerich soon made the jump to Hollywood, where he directed such popcorn blockbusters as Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow.