As of: February 14, 2024 8:53 p.m
At the Berlinale, which begins tomorrow, the drama “Die” by Hamburg director Matthias Glasner is in competition for the Golden Bear. “The Outrun” by Nora Fingscheidt and “Treasure” by Julia von Heinz will be shown in side series of the film festival.
The program of the 74th Berlinale includes 287 films from all over the world. Several productions with a North German connection are also running at the festival in the capital. Among the 20 productions that can hope for a Golden or Silver Bear is Matthias Glasner’s autobiographical drama “Die”. The three-hour film with Lilith Stangenberg, Lars Eidinger, Corinna Harfouch and Ronald Zehrfeld is about several generations of a family between Hamburg and Berlin.
“Die” by Matthias Glasner: Many scenes shot in downtown Hamburg
“The film was mostly made here and had a lot of shooting days here. They were on the road for a long time in St. Georg and near the main train station. This is a very Hamburg-influenced film,” says Helge Albers, managing director of Moin Filmförder , which, like Normedia, promoted Glasner’s drama.
The competition entry from France “L’Empire” is also supported by Moin. “Bruno Dumont is the enfant terrible of French film. He made a film in Germany that tells the story of a world that, as is so usual in science fiction, is completely made up and subcutaneously tells of our world,” said Albers. In the film with intergalactic spaceships starring Fabrice Luchini and leading actress Camille Cottin (known from the French star series “Call My Agent”), a special baby is born in a picturesque fishing village. A child so unique and strange that he sparks a secret war between good and evil alien forces, as the press release states.
“The Outrun”: Drama by Nora Fingscheidt from Braunschweig with Saoirse Ronan
Nora Fingscheidt (“System Sprenger”) returns to the Panorama section at the Berlinale with her third film. “She shot a film in Scotland that was post-produced here in Hamburg and had a team from Hamburg on board,” says Albers. The drama is about a character who tries to break free from his alcohol addiction. “With Nora Fingscheidt’s handwriting it will be very close, very touching. She manages to create a closeness without being sentimental. Without exposing her, without manipulating me, in the way she looks at people,” says Albers.
Further information
The Braunschweig native became world famous with “System Sprenger”. Her film “The Outrun” with Saoirse Ronan premiered at the Sundance Festival and is now showing at the Berlinale. more
The North German-funded documentary “My Stolen Planet” by Farahnaz Sharifi, an Iranian director who lives in exile in Hamburg, is also showing in Panorama. According to Albers, he tells “very movingly, very closely the story of her mother, who suffers from dementia and forgets more and more and tries to hold on to them and at the same time the story of a country that is trying to forget its history.”
The comedy by Hanoverian Nele Wohlatz “Sleep with your Eyes Open” is shown in the Encounters series. The film, funded by Nordmedia Film Funding from Lower Saxony, is about a tourist from Taiwan in Brazil whose life intersects with that of a group of Chinese workers.
Lena Dunham with Stephen Fry in Julia von Heinz’s historical drama “Treasure”
In the Berlinale Special section, the film “Treasure” by Julia von Heinz with Lena Dunham in the leading role is shown. A story set in World War II. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, New York music journalist Ruth (Dunham) goes on a tour of his home country Poland with her father Edek (Stephen Fry), a Holocaust survivor. Their path takes them to Warsaw, Lodz, Krakow and the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Part of the post-production took place in Hamburg, where the film was funded. The literary adaptation is based on the novel “Too Many Men” by Lily Brett.
In the Forum series, Katharina Pethke, professor at the Hamburg Art Academy, presents the work “Reproduction”. A film essay about the Finkenau building, which houses the Hamburg Media School and various universities. But there was once a birthplace there. “It’s about births, about the role of women, about the development of the house and the city, there’s a lot intertwined there. A quintessential Hamburg theme that tells a lot of Hamburg’s history,” says Helge Albers.
“The Teacher’s Room” director Ilker Çatak in the short film jury
There will also be a reunion with director Ilker Çatak, whose latest film “The Teacher’s Room” with Hamburg-born actress Leonie Benesch premiered at the Berlinale. There, the drama, shot entirely in Hamburg, was the only German Berlinale film to receive a US distribution, won several Lolas, including “best German film”, and is now Oscar-nominated for best international film. Çatak will now serve as a juror on the Berlinale short film jury. He also once won a student Oscar with his final short film at the Hamburg Media School – with “Sadakat”.
The Berlinale runs until February 25th. The Bear Gala takes place on February 24th. Ticket sales are ongoing.
AUDIO: Berlinale boss Rissenbeek on the AfD disinvitation (4 min)
Further information
A total of 20 films are competing for the Golden Bear this year, including dramas by Andreas Dresen and Matthias Glasner. more
Northern German productions are shown at the film festival. These include the dramas “The Teacher’s Room”, “The Presumptuous Man” and a Joachim Meyerhoff novel adaptation. Image gallery
In an interview on NDR Kultur, the director of the film festival explains her decision to disinvite five AfD politicians from the opening gala. more
In the USA, the film divided its audience in 2014 because Scorsese created an ambivalent sympathy for his main character. He could be seen on Arte. more
4 Min
The drama has a chance of winning the coveted trophy in the “Best International Film” category. The award ceremony will take place on March 10th. 4 mins
3 Min
The former head of the BFI London Film Festival succeeds the previous management duo of Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek. 3 mins
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NDR Culture | Classic on the go | February 15, 2023 | 4:20 p.m