Entries by Goethe-Institut Toronto

For seven years, “Oh Boy” director Jan-Ole Gerster suffered from a creative block, haunted by a compliment given to him by Michael Haneke. Then Gerster presents his latest film “Lara.” Alex Rühle met with him for coffee.

Seven years ago, “Oh Boy” premiered at the Munich Film Festival, the film by an unknown Berlin novice, shot in black and white, about a young, taciturn man who drifts through the German capital for a day, trying in vain to get a cup of coffee. The rest is history: Bavarian, German, European Film Awards, the little big film traveled around the world, director Jan-Ole Gerster traveled with it. And then, somehow, he was gone. Tom Schilling, his protagonist, who had played the aimless college dropout, then played one leading role after the other with determination, Woyzeck, Brecht, Kurt Barnert aka Gerhard Richter, but what is Jan-Ole Gerster actually up to? Continue reading "Lara: Haneke haunts Gerster" »

For Corinna Harfouch, the Karlovy Vary Film Festival was a comeback. In 1988, the incomparable German actress was at the international film festival in the Czech spa town with her feature film “The Actress" where she garnered the award for best actress. Thirty years later, in 2019, Harfouch returned to Karlovy Vary for the world premiere of “Lara.” It’s also director Jan-Ole Gerster’s follow-up to his acclaimed debut film “Oh Boy.”
Continue reading "Lara: The Nuanced Face of Corinna Harfouch" »

Together with film students at Babelsberg Film Academy, the “Workshop Film Festival Labour” of German media trade union ver.di is researching justice in the film festival sector and has for the first time presented the Fair Festival Award: The winner is 30-year-old Kinofest Lünen near Düsseldorf, just rebranded as KinoFilmFestLünen. The Porn Film Festival Berlin, the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, the Short Film Festival Hamburg, the International Women's Film Festival Dortmund/Cologne and the Film Festival Max Ophüls Preis also received the "Fair Festival" rating.
Continue reading "The fairest film festival is..." »

Much has been made of how uber-director Michael Haneke inspired director Jan-Ole Gerster to follow up his hit debut film Oh Boy with the poetic mother-son drama Lara. Here are four more in-front-of and behind-the-camera reasons to catch the Goethe-Institut's free Toronto premiere of this intense trans-generational drama at the Toronto Outdoor Picture Show on 11 August 2021 (get your free ticket registration early, will sell out):

Corinna Harfouch as Lara

Corinna Harfouch is one of Germany’s most respected actresses. You have seen her in Downfall, Jack, Finsterworld, Berlin Calling or Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. Continue reading "4 reasons to catch LARA" »

Wondering where you have seen the star actors in the crime caper/comedy The Goldfish we are showing as part of the drive-in ICFF on July 13 before (limited tickets)? We're here to jog your memory:

Berlin-born Tom Schilling was discovered by East German uber-director Thomas Heise at age 12 in school and has been smoking his way through Jan-Ole Gerster's hit film Oh Boy aka A Coffee in Berlin (2012), Before the Fall (2004), and Who Am I (2014). Quickly hitting the big league, he was the lead in Oscar-nominated Never Look Away (2018) -- and you will see him again when we show another of his recent films as a Toronto outdoor premiere in August. Continue reading "The Goldfish: Meet the Cast" »

Nothing seems to stop veteran and newcomer female directors (and actors) from being ready with new projects post-Covid. Here are a few of my most awaited 2021/22 titles.

Emily Atef is about to shoot "More Than Ever" starring Vicky Krieps (“Phantom Thread”), a co-production between France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Norway that the “3 Days in Quiberon” director also co-wrote. The melodrama will revolve around the character of Hélène, a well-off Parisian, who turns her back on a comfortable life and loving husband and heads to a remote Norwegian village when she is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. “A strong female story in which the protagonist’s life has hit a crunch point. It’s a beautiful, powerful tale about a woman striking out on her own and then asking for acceptance,” commented producer Xenia Maingot about Atef’s first French-language production. The female creative team also includes production designer Silke Fischer (“Unorthodox,” “Toni Erdmann,” “3 Days In Quiberon”) and costume designer Dorothée Guiraud (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”).

Vicky Krieps II: Continue reading ""More Than Ever": Upcoming..." »

If you missed our last GOETHE FILMS @ digital TIFF series on Loneliness and the City, you can watch University of Toronto urbanism Prof. Ahmed Allahwala's introduction to the three films --The Mover, A Lonely City, Neubau-- and the series' theme of urban solitude: ​

Our GOETHE FILMS @ digital TIFF Lightbox series "Loneliness and the City" runs Canada-wide May 15-23 and closes with the Canadian premiere of Johannes Maria Schmit's queer drama Neubau:
Continue reading "GOETHE FILMS: Neubau in images" »

Our GOETHE FILMS @ digital TIFF Lightbox series "Loneliness and the City" runs Canada-wide May 15-23, including the international premiere of award-winning director Nicola Graef's latest film. Here is Berlin filmmaker Graef (Ich.Immendorff; Neo Rauch: Comrades and Companions) on her new documentary A Lonely City:

“Poor, but sexy,” -- “Berlin, the world’s coolest party city,” -- “Berlin, the latest trend” … many attributes have made Berlin a magnet for the entire world in recent years. Young people, students, artists and intellectuals, tourists flock to the German capital to experience its laid-back, imperfect flair. But what else does Berlin stand for? What’s it like behind the scenes of party-soaked nights? What happens when the doors close after another trendy art event? Berlin also has an entirely different face. If you live here for a long time, you notice how many people walk the streets talking to themselves; how many people are alone, Continue reading "GOETHE FILMS: A Lonely City - director's statement" »

Our GOETHE FILMS @ digital TIFF Lightbox series "Loneliness and the City" runs Canada-wide May 15-23, including the international premiere of Berlin director Nicola Graef's latest documentary A Lonely City.
Continue reading "GOETHE FILMS: A Lonely City in images" »