<<< September 24 - 28, 2008 >>>

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Hopefully series like German Currents will awaken audience interest in the broader range of German filmmaking and thus encourage distributors and cultural institutions to make these films available. Following up on last year success, join us for another exploration of German Cinema today with 10 Los Angeles Premieres including new films by one of Germany`s foremost filmmakers, Doris Dörrie (Cherry Blossoms) and the new film from 2001 Best Foreign-Language Film Academy Award winner Caroline Link (A year in winter), two huge, succesful comedies, one the animated spoof Lissi and the wild emperor and Til Schweiger‘s life action Rabbit without Ears, From Un Certain Regard/Cannes And Along come tourists and from Sundance The Wave, plus many more films including a family matinee.

Los Angeles Premiere! A YEAR AGO IN WINTER (IM WINTER EIN JAHR), 2008, 90 min. The latest drama from director Caroline Link. whose first feature film, BEYOND SILENCE, was nominated for the Best Foreign-Language Film Academy Award, and her third feature film, NOWHERE IN AFRICA (NIRGENDWO IN AFRIKA) won the Oscar in that category in 2001. The drama, adapted by Link from Scott Campbell's novel Aftermath, follows renowned artist Max Hollander and the 22-year-old dancer Lilli, whose portrait he has been commissioned to paint with her younger brother who was tragically killed in a recent traffic accident. To complete the portrait he must uncover the young woman's darkest secrets. During the work on this double portrait, Max slowly begins to understand the depth of the relationship between Lilli and her brother and is touched and changed by this highly unusual commission. View Trailer Opening night presentation plus Producer Ushi Reich will introduce the screening. The Screening will start at 7:30 PM.

Los Angeles Premiere! LISSI AND THE WILD EMPEROR (lissi und der wilde kaiser), 2007, 85 min. The animated version of one of Germany’s most beloved stories, the fairy-tale marriage between Bavaria's teenage Princess Elizabeth and Austria's Emperor Franz Joseph by spoof director Michael Herbig was a huge box office success. Funny and charming! "Pic's bright, widescreen visuals -- courtesy of top Munich effects house Scanline – and Ralf Wengenmayr’s lush orchestral score combine for a very smooth ride, and there's a live-action look to the framing and direction." Variety

U.S. Premiere! THE BAADER-MEINHOF COMPLEX (DER BAADER-MEINHOF KOMPLEX) 2008, 149 minutes. Directed by Uli Edel (LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN, CHRISTIANE F.) and written and produced by Bernd Eichinger (PERFUME, DOWNFALL), this high-paced thriller traces the history of the Red Army Faction (RAF), a movement that is believed to have killed more than 30 public figures in an attempt to crush West German capitalism in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Moritz Bleibtreu (RUN LOLA RUN) stars as Andreas Baader alongside Martina Gedeck (THE LIVES OF OTHERS) as Ulrike Meinhof, who are fighting a violent war against what they perceive as the new face of fascism: American imperialism supported by the German establishment, many of whom have a Nazi past. The man who understands them is also their hunter: the head of the German police force Horst Herold played by Bruno Ganz (DOWNFALL, WINGS OF DESIRE). While he proceeds in his relentless pursuit of the young terrorists, he knows he's only dealing with the tip of the iceberg. Director Uli Edel will not be in attendance as was previously announced. View Trailer

Los Angeles Premiere! SHOPPING (SHOPPEN), 2007, 90 min. The first feature by director/writer Ralf Westhoff, a former journalist. The idea of speed-dating provides a glimpse into the lives of a certain single generation, as the film follows 18 young singles living in the city of Munich who are looking for the love of their life or just a date for one night. They voice their frustrations, their dislikes, their disappointments, their expectations and desires. "Amazingly the first full-scale feature set in the world of speed dating, SHOPPEN is a frisky, beautifully played and written comedy that just goes with its oddball characters rather than trying to draw social messages from its subject. It's a neat idea that's sustained by Westhoff's good ear for dialogue, traversing everything from politics, food, music and sex to lateral subjects like trends, attitudes and dreams. The thirty-somethings are as obsessed about public transport and allergies as they are about loneliness and romantic dreams. Extended coda, which follows a handful of subsequent hookups, is both funny and romantic, set in the streets and bars of an attractive-looking Munich." Variety Official Website Discussion in between films with Executive producer Martin Moszkowicz (BAADER-MEINHOF). View Trailer

Los Angeles Premiere! FREE TO LEAVE (Freigesprochen), 2007, 95 min. Dir. Peter Payer. The story about guilt and lies: in a small village a kiss between station master Thomas and student Anna results in a terrible accident that wipes out many lives and, at the same time, causes the lives of the people involved to go awry. The guilt and lies they share drive Thomas and Anna into an obsessive love that changes lives dramatically – not just theirs. Based on Ödön von Horváth’s play Judgement Day (1937), director Payer transposes the drama into a modern relationship context where all balance is destroyed by the power of fate. www.freigesprochen.com View Trailer

Los Angeles Premiere! CHERRY BLOSSOMS (Kirschblueten), 2008, Strand Releasing, 127 min. One of Germany`s foremost filmmakers, award-winning Doris Dörrie (MEN, NAKED, AM I BEAUTIFUL?), directs this tender, emotionally intense and profoundly moving story of marital love. Only Trudi knows that her husband, Rudi, is suffering from a terminal illness. She decides not to tell him and convinces him to visit their family in Berlin. Then, suddenly, Trudi dies. Rudi is devastated but vows to make up for her lost life. And so he embarks on his last journey - to Tokyo - in the midst of the cherry blossom festival, a celebration of beauty, impermanence and new beginnings. Official Website

Los Angeles Premiere! BEST REGION or BEST PLACE TO BE (Beste Gegend), 2008, 98 min. The latest film by director Marcus H. Rosenmueller. Kati and Jo decide to take a trip after their graduation with their ancient Mercedes. Yet the journey ends earlier than expected when the car suddenly breaks down. Torn between homesickness and wanderlust, their friendship will be put to a hard challenge. Discussion in between films with director Doris Dörrie (CHERRY BLOSSOMS) and Rosalie Thomas (Beste Gegend). View Trailer

WILD CHICKS IN LOVE (wilde huehner und die liebe), 2007, 105 min. Dir. Vivian Naefe. Adapted from Cornelia Funke’s novel, this sequel reunites all five "wild chicks" -- Sprotte, Frieda, Melanie, Wilma and Trude -- in their struggle for love. The wild chicks' leader also has another problem to cope with: Her mother, Sybille, is planning to marry the smart Alec when Sprotte's father suddenly turns up after twelve years and sets Sybille's heart all aflutter. But the most difficult relationship of all has to be Wilma's. In spite of all the emotional turmoil, the clique manages to stick together. Discussion following with co-writer/director Vivian Naefe. View Trailer

Los Angeles Premiere! THE WAVE (Die WELLE), 2008, 107 min. Dir. Dennis Gansel. Riding a wave of positive buzz following its world premiere at Sundance, this cautionary tale about the roots of fascism is a fictional retelling of the 1967 experiment conducted by Palo Alto, Calif., history teacher William Ron Jones – and transposed to Germany today. Rainer Wenger (Juergen Vogel), a young unconventional high school teacher, is stuck lecturing on autocracy (he prefers anarchy) during the school's project week. He turns the lesson into a simulation, temporarily transforming his class of some 30 students into a microcosmic dictatorship. The experiment spins dangerously out of control when the movement takes on a life of its own. Official Website | Trailer

Los Angeles Premiere! AND ALONG COME TOURISTS (am ende kommen touristen), 2007, 85 min. Dir. Robert Thalheim. Performing his national service abroad, Sven (newcomer Alexander Fehling) is sent to Auschwitz, where he slowly realises that the present reality of the place as a tourist destination is bound up with the past. Auschwitz is the unlikely background for a love story between German and Polish youngsters. Part of the Certain Regard lineup in Cannes, the film toys with heavy subject matter in a contemporary and light-hearted way without seeming frivolous or disrespectful. "Young German director Robert Thalheim's second feature film is a quiet triumph. Thalheim's original script -- loosely based on his own experiences working at Auschwitz's International Youth Meeting Center -- economically blends modern life's truths, such as the fragility of 20-something love affairs, with universal themes, such as the search for meaning and the human need to expiate guilt." -- Hollywood Reporter

Official Website | View Trailer
Discussion following with co-writer/director Dennis Gansel and co-producer Martin Moszkowicz.