EXPORT-UNION OF GERMAN CINEMA 3/2001 AT LOCARNO Piazza Grande MOSTLY MARTHA and Peter Sehr & Iain Dilthey in Competition AT MONTREAL 4 German Films in Competition & Focus on German Cinema AT VENICE Competing for “Lion of the Year” INVINCIBLE by Werner Herzog SPECIAL REPORT 50 Years of the German Film Award Kino Martina Gedeck,Wirth) Astrid Maxime Foerste (photo © KINO 3/2001 32 The Red Phone 6 50 Years of the German Film Award Jerry Jameson 32 Die Spielwütigen 14 The Presence of the Andreas Veiel Past in the Present 33 Toter Mann Director’s Portrait Volker Koepp Christian Petzold 15 An Experiment on the the Subject of Love 34 German Films at this Summer’s Director’s Portrait Vivian Naefe International Film Festivals 17 Treasurers of German Film History 36 German Films at the Sidebars Portrait Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Foundation and German-international Co- Productions at the International 18 A Small, but High-Quality Company Summer Festivals World Sales Portrait Transit Film 20 A Vision with Nostalgia 38 Series: The 100 Most Producers’ Portrait Ö Filmproduktion Significant German Films (Part 2) 22 KINO news 38 Der blaue Engel THE BLUE ANGEL Josef von Sternberg 39 Die freudlose Gasse 26 In Production THE STREET OF SORROW Georg Wilhelm Pabst 26 Berlin: Sinfonie einer Großstadt 40 Kuhle Wampe Thomas Schadt TO WHOM DOES THE WORLD BELONG? 26 Big Girls Don’t Cry Slatan Dudow Maria von Heland 41 Der Student von Prag 27 Blindflug THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE Thomas Bergmann, Mischka Popp Stellan Rye 28 Brief einer Unbekannten Jacques Deray 28 Der gläserne Blick 42 New German Films Markus Heltschl 29 Good Bye Lenin 42 3 Sterne Wolfgang Becker AT LO CA R N O MOSTLY MARTHA PIAZZA GRANDE 30 Klassenfahrt Sandra Nettelbeck Henner Winckler 43 2000 Jahre Christentum 30 Lass mich nicht allein – Petra Kelly 2000 YEARS OF CHRISTIANITY und Gert Bastian Werner Herzog, Georg Graffe, Jürgen Czwienk et al Andreas Kleinert 44 Birthday AT KARLOVY VARY 31 The Nomi Song IN COMPETITION Stefan Jäger Andrew Horn 45 Black Box BRD BLACK BOX GERMANY AT LO CA R N O Andres Veiel FILMMAKERS OF THE PRESENT CONTENTS 46 Denis Katzer Expedition: 57 Malunde – Eine Freundschaft Die große Reise wider Willen DENIS KATZER EXPEDITION: MALUNDE – AN UNLIKELY THE BIG JOURNEY FRIENDSHIP Denis Katzer AT MONTREAL Stefanie Sycholt 47 Endstation: Tanke FOCUS ON GERMAN CINEMA 58 Null Uhr 12 THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE 12 PAST MIDNIGHT Nathalie Steinbart Bernd Michael Lade 48 Engel & Joe AT MONTREAL IN COMPETITION 59 Rave Macbeth Vanessa Jopp Klaus Knösel 49 Herr Schmidt und Herr Friedrich 60 Die Reise nach Kafiristan Ulrike Franke, Michael Loeken AT LO CA R N O THE JOURNEY TO KAFIRISTAN PIAZZA GRANDE 50 Ich werde Dich auf AT LO CA R N O Fosco Dubini, Donatello Dubini IN COMPETITION Händen tragen 61 Sainkho I’LL WAIT ON YOU HAND AND FOOT Erica von Moeller Iain Dilthey 62 Salamander 51 It Don’t Mean a Thing, Barbara Gebler If It Ain’t Got That Swing 63 Sass – Die Meisterdiebe Niels Bolbrinker Carlo Rola 52 Jazz Seen 64 Vortex Julian Benedikt Michael Pohl 65 Was tun, wenn’s brennt? WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF FIRE? Gregor Schnitzler 68 Film Exporters 70 Foreign Representatives 70 Imprint 53 Königskinder Lutz Gregor 54 Lammbock – Alles in Handarbeit LAMMBOCK Christian Zübert 55 Leo & Claire AT MONTREAL IN COMPETITION Joseph Vilsmaier 56 Love the Hard Way AT LO CA R N O Peter Sehr IN COMPETITION The ”new“ German– ”Lola“ Film Award The ”old“ German– Film Ribbon in Gold Film Award 50 YEARS OF THE 50 years of the German Film Award – where should one begin their impressive acting performances: the directors and producers to tell the story, and where should one stop? The list of prize- Volker Schlöndorff, Peter Schamoni, Alexander winners includes – almost – every star produced by post-war Kluge, Johannes Schaaf, Hans W. Geissendörfer, German cinema. So instead of numbers and facts, let us first of all Werner Herzog, Margarethe von Trotta and Bernd take a look at a few names which speak for themselves. Make way Eichinger, as well as actors Mario Adorf, Götz George, for a small selection of prize-winning stars from past and present: Horst Buchholz, Nadja Tiller and Hanna Schygulla. Heinz Rühmann, Bernhard Wicki, Gustaf Gründ- Not forgetting the stars of today: Franka Potente, Klaus- gens, Lilli Palmer, Martin Held, Erich Kästner, Maria Brandauer, Moritz Bleibtreu, Joachim Król, Marlene Dietrich, Helmut Käutner, Therese Giehse, Martina Gedeck, Maria Schrader, Heinz Hoenig, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder or Romy Schneider – directors such as Sönke Wortmann, Helmut Dietl and artists who are now dead, but who wrote film history. Others Tom Tykwer. These were all among the most prominent once awarded the German Film Award were drawn to America, prize-winners during the last ten years. where they established a second great career for themselves in Hollywood: Michael Ballhaus, Wolfgang Petersen, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Wim Wenders, Nastassja The most highly-endowed prize Kinski, Maximilian Schell, Barbara Sukowa – to name but a few. in the German cultural sphere Then there are the ”old hands“ of the film business, some of Enough of names – now to the facts. The German Film Award, whom have been active in the field for 30 years and longer, and which has been awarded since 1951, is acknowledged to be a top who – both then and now – set standards with their films and award in the field of film, and it is also the most highly-endowed 6 50 YEARS OF THE GERMAN FILM AWARD prize for culture in Germany. It is the focal point of film promo- tion from the federal government – assigned to the Secretary of From candelabra to art-déco figure State until 1998, and to the Federal Government Commissioner for Cultural Affairs and the Media, a minister directly subordinated The award ceremonies began with rather unusual trophies: to the Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, since 1999. The examples being a six-armed candelabra, a dish on dolphin feet, a first representative with this function was Michael Naumann, this stand bearing balls of rock crystal, a silver dish in the form of a year the position has been occupied by Julian Nida-Rümelin. ship’s bow, a vase with a golden branch, a silver cigarette case or On the basis of recommendations from the German Film Award a gilt jewelry case – these awards were presented to producers, commission, the prize is given for feature films, documentaries, directors, actors, authors, cameramen, set designers, composers children’s films and outstanding individual achievements – at present, the commission consists of a jury of twelve, including film experts, journalists and representatives of the Church and politics. In addition to its character as an award for outstanding achieve- ments, the German Film Award also has a promotional function: the producers of an award-winning film receive considerable prize money, which must be invested for the purpose of producing a new film. Within the framework of those regulations for the German Film Award, newly-introduced in February 2000, the budget has been reviewed and increased, meaning that prize money (including premiums for a nomination) amounting to 5.6 million marks per year has been available since then. The concrete figures: between 1951 and 2000, more than 70.3 million marks flowed into those productions awarded silver and gold. In addition, there were 30 million marks already linked with the nomination of a film. Honors for individual achievements have only involved prize money since 1991 – the sum of these prizes has amounted to something over 165 million marks. Bernhard Wicki, Carola Höhn, Artur Brauner, Antje Weisgerber (photo © Mario Mach) GERMAN FILM AWARD and editors. From 1954 onwards, the Film Ribbons in Gold and Silver were agreed upon – this became a uniform symbol from then until 1999, when the newly-designed prize was introduced – an art-déco female figure wrapped in the traditional film ribbon. On the 50th anniversary of the awards, statistics record more than 700 prize-winners! However, in the category ”Best Feature Film“ there was an addi- tional award alongside the Film Ribbon in Gold and the two in Silver: the Golden Dish. This was abandoned in 1996, since it had not been awarded for seventeen years. The fact that each year the possible number of awards was not fully exhausted is one aspect – and the jurors’ restraint, especially with regard to the Golden Dish, was naturally an evaluation of the films on offer. On Doris Dörrie, Bernd Eichinger (photo © Askania Media) the other hand, since this trophy was only awarded a total of ten times between 1954 and 1996, the question may certainly be permitted whether its conferment or non-conferment was always justified. There is no doubt that the films which did receive the Golden Dish (including Canaris, Der Hauptmann von Köpenick, Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam, Die Brücke, Der Fußgänger and finally, in 1979, Die Blechtrommel) were not always of the same standard, by any means. Conversely, 7 50 YEARS OF THE GERMAN FILM AWARD one might ask whether some of the films awarded the Film Ribbon in Gold might also have merited the ultimate prize. It all began with Kästner’s Looking back, this question is futile. Of course, the attitudes and evaluation criteria altered with the jury members. But what is Das doppelte Lottchen obvious, and this is what makes the German Film Award credible and representative, is that – on average – the number and the It all began in 1951 with a single feature film: Das doppelte general bias of the awards certainly corresponded to stronger Lottchen. In that year, this classic by Erich Kästner won all and weaker cinema years.