On March 24, the 2023 German Film Festival opened at the Broadway Film Center in Beijing. An Ke, the Chinese representative of the German Film Association, introduced: "As in previous years, we will show the best German films of the past year at the German Film Festival (this year It presents films from 2021 to 2022), these films have attracted attention in film festivals around the world, and the list includes German film box office champions, as well as works that have been talked about in Germany." In addition, An Ke also introduced that the next The first German exhibition will be held at the end of the year, and will strive to screen "All Quiet on the Western Front", which won four awards at the Oscars.

Opening photo

Recommend new German works in the last two years

It is reported that this year’s German Film Festival was postponed to this year due to the epidemic in December last year. The organizer invited three film researchers and young filmmakers—Li Xun, Zheng Lu Xinyuan, and Sha Dan to serve as film selection consultants for the festival. From the perspectives of Sino-German cultural exchanges and the connection between history and the present, I gave opinions on the selection of films. Finally, 14 films were selected from many German films to meet Chinese audiences. From March 24th to April 2nd, they will be held on Broadway in Beijing. Film Center (Wanguocheng store), Beijing Broadway Cinema (apm store), Beijing German Cultural Center Goethe-Institut (China) will hold screenings.

german film festival poster

This year's German Film Festival invited actor Huang Yao to serve as the Chinese ambassador of the "2023 German Film Festival". Huang Yao starred in the film "Over the Spring" directed by Bai Xue in 2019; in 2022, Huang Yao played the young photographer Ouyang Wenhui in the film "The Light of the White Tower", and was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the 73rd Berlin Film Festival with this film . In addition, Huang Yao's film and television works also include "The Silent Truth", "Miracle Stupid Kid", "Jedi Pursuit", "Dragon Boy" and so on.

Stills of "The Light of the White Tower"

According to the organizer, at the Berlin International Film Festival that just passed, local films appeared on a large scale. There were 35 shortlisted films (including short films) in Germany alone as the main producer country, and 12 works that Germany participated in the production of ( Including TV dramas) were selected for the competition and each screening unit. Christian Petzold's "Red Sky" won the Jury Prize, and Angela Shanalek's "Music" won the best screenplay award.

In addition, the film "The Light of the White Tower" directed by Zhang Lu and starring Huang Yao and the animation film "Art Academy" directed by Liu Jian were also shortlisted for the main competition unit of the Berlin International Film Festival. Among all the sections of the Berlin Film Festival, Chinese-language films were shortlisted for 6 feature films, 9 short films and 1 TV series.

The 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany has just passed, and the German Film Festival also ushered in the 10th anniversary this year. In the past ten years, the German Film Festival has shown a total of 129 films (cinema screening unit and special screening unit), and the types of films are diverse, including dramas, documentaries, comedies, thrillers, experimental images, interactive films, etc. The German Film Festival aims to continuously bring the latest German-language works to Chinese audiences, and to build a communication platform for movie fans and creators in the two countries.

From "Kurnaz v. Bush"

The 2023 German Film Festival kicked off with "Kurnaz v. Bush" directed by Andreas Driesen as the opening film. This film won two Silver Bear Awards in the main competition unit of the Berlin International Film Festival.

"Kurnaz v. Bush" poster

In 2001, the "September 11" incident occurred, and then US President George W. Bush immediately ordered the elimination of the Taliban in October. After that, the United States captured thousands of suspected terrorist organizations and Afghan irregulars in Afghanistan. These suspects were detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, one of the important overseas military territories of the United States. This place has been permanently leased by the United States since 1898. It is a gray area with a legal vacuum, territorial suspension, and difficulty in being contacted by the outside world.

A British journalist, Stephen, once personally experienced the "treatment" in Guantanamo Prison. The handcuffs and shackles were very heavy, he wore a mask and black goggles on his head, and his orange prison uniform was so strangled that he almost stopped breathing. He was still wearing thick gloves on his hands, and his body's sensory organs had lost their function. He said: "After being pushed into the cell, he immediately lost his direction and seemed to be claustrophobic."

In the Guantanamo prison, some people who were considered to be Taliban suspects were actually ordinary people who were caught by mistake. The previous "Prisoner No. 760" and this "Kurnaz v. Bush" are all about this situation. A work of reflection.

"Kurnaz v. Bush" Stills

In Kurnaz v. Bush Jr., Rabia Kurnaz's son Murat is charged with terrorism and sent to Guantanamo Bay shortly after the 9/11 attacks camp, and was imprisoned for nearly five years for no reason. This turn of events brought an ordinary German-Turkish woman into the center of world politics.

Such a sad and thrilling story was handled with ease. The enthusiastic, cheerful, fat housewife began to learn to appeal for her son. She clumsily pleaded like Xianglin's wife, her words were boundless, but her sincerity Eventually human rights lawyer Bernhard Dock was soon fully on her side as they fought for the release of her son, mediating with various organizations, attending victim conferences and eventually traveling to Washington, D.C. of the Supreme Court.

"Kurnaz v. Bush" Stills

"Kurnaz v. Bush Jr." is not usually focused on major political themes and unjust, false and wrongful cases always show unusual sharpness and solemnity. A non-standard complainant in this story does not show that she was Looking forward to the pain, perseverance, and wisdom shown, she has an almost weird optimism and always focuses on her trivial life at hand. She cooks while discussing complicated appeals. Turned a blind eye and even yawned...

Nearly five years later, when her son was finally released, the mother and son were given no compensation, no one to apologize or "give an explanation," and they ended up absent from a conference packed with German journalists because they were busy shopping in supermarkets. A pair of jeans that can be worn-maybe the victim should not stand in the whirlpool of public opinion in the same expected posture, maybe there are more ways to gain dignity for oneself, maybe looking forward is far better than dwelling on the past and clinging to a Answering takes more courage.

Screening of 14 new works in German

The 2023 German Film Festival will present 14 films.

"Entrance Exam" tells the story of Luo Jin, a girl suffering from depression due to the disappearance of her fiancé, who is preparing for the college entrance examination. If she fails, she will have to go through an arranged marriage arranged by her parents. But if she does pass the exam, she will be free and avoid the old path of her sister Shi Lan who unfortunately married a conservative man who asked her to become a qualified housewife. Seeing her younger sister struggling to realize this dream, Shi Lan desperately tried every means to get her sister to pass the exam. This decision puts the sisters under enormous pressure from their family and school environment as they are drawn into a vast web of corruption that cuts through every sector of society.

"Entrance Exam" Poster

Love, Mark and Death is a documentary about the independent and as yet unknown music of Turkish guest workers who have emigrated to Germany and their grandchildren. In music and prose, Kam Kaya shares insight into the unique dynamism of this forgotten subculture. In the early 1960s, the Federal Republic of Germany recruited so-called guest workers from Anatolia and other parts of Turkey. From the beginning, one thing has stayed with them and become part of their culture: their music - a piece of home in a foreign country. Over the years, independent musical directions developed in Germany, which had no form in their home country.

Love, Mark and Death poster

The same-sex The Prince, in which Monica and Joseph meet during a police raid on a bar and many sparks fly between them, is a fragile story about the ambiguous nature of love and its impossibility to overcome it through reason.

"Meno" explores the difficult choices of a couple who have been married for many years and the need to rediscover the foundation of their marriage in order to find each other again. Judita and Eric, both in their 60s, are dealing with their wife's illness, the shame and disappointment associated with it, and the expectations and changing hopes. A couple needs to rediscover the foundation of their marriage in order to find each other again.

"Mino" poster

In the dystopian year 2054, three young rebels embark on a journey in search of a long-lost natural beauty in hopes of discovering what happened to their planet. The answer lies in the past, and everything changes when they find the key to a decade - 2020 - when a rich future is still possible.

"Floating Clouds" poster

In Bettina, Bettina explores one of the most exciting and unique artist biographies of the 20th century. Born in West Berlin in 1947, raised in East Berlin and finally deported at the age of 36, Bettina Wegener has seen many things in her life. An ardent admirer of Stalin as a child, she grew into a hopeful youth who wanted to shape society with her singing. Bettina becomes not only an inspirational musician, but also a resistance fighter, bound by no one but her own morals. This is a story of heroism, but also of grief, dedication, ups and downs and futility.

"Sorry, Comrade" tells the story of Germany in 1970. Students Karl Heinz and Heidi try to find a way to get along across the Iron Curtain. She is in the East and he is in the West. Under pressure from the East German secret police, Karl Heinz could not move to East Germany. Eventually Heidi had to leave the country. Her escape, disguised as a vacation trip to Romania, goes wrong in many ways.

"Sorry Comrade" poster

No is a film about love, how to find it, and our struggle to live in love. It's a movie about a generation in their thirties who have it all, who try everything and often fail silently. The film exposes hidden psychological states, while showing how important they are to our lives.

"No" poster