German cinema has a strong presence at the 17th edition of Toronto's
Diaspora Film Festival DFF, running 2-5 November 2017 at the Carlton Cinema and Innis Town Hall. Germany has a long history of hosting diverse cultures and ethnicities, which is reflected in a large number of cinematic (co-)productions
every year. Thus Germany has become one of the top contributors to diaspora cinema. This year, an excellent and wide selection of award-winning German productions has been programmed at the DFF17, co-presented by the Goethe-Institut.
The Festival opens with the provocative and surprising TEHRAN TABOO, nominated for Camera d’Or and Critics’ Week Grant Prize at Cannes FF and for Best Feature at Hamburg FF this year. The closing film is the comedy THE 90 MINUTES WAR, an Israeli/German co-production that offers a new approach to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. MORRIS FROM AMERICA is a comedy about a teenage African-American boy trying to fit in with the kids in Germany. HALAL FOR BEGINNERS is another comedy, an Irish-German co-production about the first halal meat factory in Ireland. Finally, BABAI tells the story of a Kosovo boy who goes through the hardship of a lone voyage to Germany in search of his father.
The Diaspora Film Festival showcases films that explore themes of migration, identity, and inter-cultural exchange – themes acutely relevant to the 21st century. The DFF provides Toronto audiences with a unique opportunity to experience the cultural mosaic of our world through film and promote tolerance and understanding through visual storytelling.
Opening film, Thursday, 2 November 2017, 7:30 PM, Toronto Premiere
Tehran Taboo, by Ali Soozandeh, Germany/Austria, 2017, 96 min, in Farsi with English subtitles
Nominated for Camera d’Or and Critics’ Week Grand Prize, Cannes FF 2017
Winner of FIPRESCI, Jerusalem FF 2017
Three strong-willed women and a young musician cross paths in Tehran’s schizophrenic Society, where sex, adultery, corruption, Prostitution and drugs coexist with strict religious laws. In this bustling modern metropolis, avoiding prohibition has become an everyday sport and breaking taboos can be a means of personal emancipation.
Closing film, Sunday, 5 November 2017, 8 PM
The 90 Minutes War, by Eyal Halfon, Israel/Germany/Portugal, 2016, 90 min, in Hebrew, Arabic, English, Portuguese, with English subtitles
What if the fate of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict could be decided through a soccer match? After years of bloodshed, the Israeli Palestinian conflict is about to be resolved. A moment before another round of violence, the ideal solution has been reached: a soccer game. One game that will decide who gets to stay in the holy land, and who must leave.
Funny, wild, and politically incorrect, this political comedy kicks this exhausting conflict to the sidelines.
Sunday, 5 November 2017, 4 PM, Toronto Premiere
Morris from America, by Chad Hartigan, Germany, 2016, 91 min, in German and English with English
subtitles
Winner of Special Jury Award, Sundance FF 2016; Named Top Ten Independent Film by National Board of
Review USA, 2016.
Morris, a 13-year- old African-American, moves to Heidelberg with his dad, a professional soccer coach. After his attempts to fit in with German kids, he falls for a girl at a youth club. He finds his way to open up is his rapping talent and help from his new German girlfriend.
Saturday, 4 November 2017, 5 PM, North American Premiere
Halal for Beginners, by Conor McDermottroe, Irland/Germany, 2017, 100 min, in English
This warm-hearted comedy about Ireland's first Halal meat factory tells the story of young Muslim Raghdan Aziz trying to find his place in the world of small town Sligo. While managing a rundown abattoir, he stumbles through cultural chaos and generational conflicts, dealing with enraged fathers, stoned buddies and his girlfriend's alleged ex-lover.
Saturday, 4 November 2017, 9:15 PM, Canadian Premiere
Babai, by Visar Morina, Germany/Kosovo, 2015, 104min, In German, Albanian, Serbian, English, with English subtitles
Winner, Best Director, Label Europa Cinema, Karlovy Vary FF 2015; One Feature Prize, Young German
Cinema Award, Munich FF 2015.
Ten-year- old Nori and his father Gezim roam the streets of Kosovo selling cigarettes and barely earning a living. Only a few years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Gezim is lured to West Germany, leaving his son behind in search of a new life. Feeling deserted, Nori embarks on a dangerous journey to Germany in search of his father. His tenacity, resilience, and sheer grit must be enough to guide him.
