Making history: The German entry ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by Edward Berger (DE/US, Amusement Park Film) has been nominated for the 95th Oscar® in the International Feature Film category as well as the categories for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Music (Original Score), Production Design, Cinematography, Makeup & Hairstyling, Sound and Visual Effects.
"ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is the third nomination for Germany in the International Feature Film category within the last ten years. The impressive number of nine Oscar® nominations is an excellent sign of the outstanding quality of German filmmaking in the global arena. And for the first time, a German film enters the race in the Oscar® category BEST FILM,” German Films Managing Director Simone Baumann explains.
Director, producer and co-writer Edward Berger comments: “Making a film is alchemy, and if the right circumstances come together, if you are lucky enough, then somehow, miraculously, the film appears. When I asked her, my daughter said I should make this film, so… here we are. The fact that other people are now connecting with it is wonderful.”
Producer Malte Grunert adds more context: “ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT has a history with the Academy. The first film adaptation was produced in Hollywood in 1929, at a time when this film already couldn’t have been made in Germany anymore and Hollywood was beginning to become a refuge for so many artists fleeing Europe. The film went on to receive two Academy Awards®. To be connected to this history with our film, the first German-language adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s literary masterpiece, makes us incredibly proud.“
The past 25 years have seen several German entries in the Best Foreign/now Best International Feature category: NEVER LOOK AWAY by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (2018), TONI ERDMANN by Maren Ade (2016), THE WHITE RIBBON by Michael Haneke (2009), THE BAADER MEINHOF KOMPLEX by Oliver Hirschbiegel (2008), THE LIVES OF OTHERS by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (2006), SOPHIE SCHOLL - THE FINAL DAYS by Marc Rothemund (2005), DOWNFALL by Oliver Hirschbiegel (2004) and Caroline Link with her two films NOWHERE IN AFRICA (2002) and BEYOND SILENCE (1997).
The coveted Oscar® trophy went to Germany on two occasions: for NOWHERE IN AFRICA by Caroline Link in 2002, and THE LIVES OF OTHERS by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck in 2006.
About the film:
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is a great German anti-war novel and a classic of world literature from 1928, its authenticity and power drawing upon Remarque's own experiences in the trenches. It tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of the First World War. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into horror, suffering and fear as they desperately fight for their lives. Decades later, the story set in 1918 has lost none of its power and relevance. As the first German-language screen adaptation, the story is told from a German perspective on the war and occupies a relevant position in the confrontational tone of current discourse, as no other society has succumbed to its destructive impulses as often as Germany. There are no heroes in war, no victors, only lost innocence and dashed hopes. The utter futility, the losses suffered in war and the danger posed by the principles of nationalism and separation is a message that the film aims to convey to the world as a powerful anti-war film.
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is a production by Amusement Park Film in co-production with Gunpowder Films and in association with Sliding for Netflix. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2022 and was released in German cinemas by Netflix on September 29. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT opened in US cinemas in October and has been available worldwide on Netflix since October 28, 2022, where it is in the streamer’s global Top 10 of non-English titles.
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT has received numerous international awards, including two European Film Awards 2022. In addition, Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay for their adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s classic book from the prestigious National Board of Review. The film also received a Golden Globes Award® nomination in the category for Best Picture Non-English Language. The film is now leading the field at the BAFTA Awards in London with 14 nominations.
On 12 March 2023, we will know how many Academy Awards® ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT will take home.
source: German Films
image: courtesy Netflix
