Entries by Goethe-Institut Toronto

If, like me, you're already suffering from severe FOMO just by glancing at the hundreds of promising films in the 73rd Berlinale line-up or are wondering what to watch out for in international cinemas for the rest of 2023, you might profit from some bespoke pointers... et voilà:

If you like your arthouse with a good dose of crime & want to see how the Cannes director approaches a trans story:
Till the End of the Night by Christoph Hochhäusler
with Timocin Ziegler, Thea Ehre, Michael Sideris
An undercover investigator is supposed to gain the trust of a criminal through a fictitious relationship with a contact person.
World premiere, Competition

If you like Petzold + actors Beer & Brandt (both in Transit) & the next superstar Langston Uibel (my prediction) & want to see the second film in Petzold’s latest trilogy after Undine & how the director tells a queer story: Continue reading "The ultimate what-to-watch at Berlinale list" »

Dusseldorf composer Volker Bertelmann (aka the musician Hauschka) has long been a friend of the Goethe-Institut Toronto (here and here and here). Last fall he was at his TIFF world premiere to let audiences in on the breathtaking soundtrack --up for 2 Academy Awards-- for multi-Oscar nominated war drama All Quiet on the Western Front:

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. Continue reading "Making history: 9 Oscar noms for All Quiet on..." »

The new documentary "Werner Herzog – Radical Dreamer" (trailer) presents a comprehensive portrait of an iconic artist. It is about filmmaker Werner Herzog, whose films like "Fitzcarraldo" or "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" are classics and have long been part of collective cinema memory. In 2009, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of our time. At 80, Herzog continues to make films. Next-generation German filmmaker Thomas von Steinaecker accompanies him on shoots on Lanzarote and in his Bavarian home village of Sachrang, and follows him all the way to Los Angeles, where Herzog has been living for many years. In addition to Herzog himself, his wife Lena and his brothers have their say in the doc, as well as companions such as Wim Wenders and Volker Schlöndorff, and Hollywood stars with whom he has worked, including Nicole Kidman, Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson.

In the article "Welcome to Werner World," which we are bringing you in five parts over the next few weeks, von Steinaecker dives deep into his encounter with Herzog:

"... In the ensuing weeks, as I accompany Herzog with my team in Munich and on Lanzarote, where he’s shooting a new documentary and giving a workshop for young directors from all over the world, moments like this occur regularly: Continue reading "Welcome to Werner World (4 of 5)" »

Happy birthday, AG Kurzfilm! The German Short Film Association, who are turning 20, have been an important partner of the Goethe-Institut, especially through their Emerging Artists and Short Exports programs, which we have shown online and exhibited in Toronto over the years. German Short Film Association AG Kurzfilm asked to send a greeting on their 20th anniversary. So looking back at past collaborations and remembering shorts we have presented, I montaged the film titles into a "birthday poem," pondering the art form.

I have a CONFESSION: Continue reading "Hommage à AG Short Film @ 20" »

The new documentary "Werner Herzog – Radical Dreamer" (trailer) presents a comprehensive portrait of an iconic artist. It is about filmmaker Werner Herzog, whose films like "Fitzcarraldo" or "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" are classics and have long been part of collective cinema memory. In 2009, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of our time. At 80, Herzog continues to make films. Next-generation German filmmaker Thomas von Steinaecker accompanies him on shoots on Lanzarote and in his Bavarian home village of Sachrang, and follows him all the way to Los Angeles, where Herzog has been living for many years. In addition to Herzog himself, his wife Lena and his brothers have their say in the doc, as well as companions such as Wim Wenders and Volker Schlöndorff, and Hollywood stars with whom he has worked, including Nicole Kidman, Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson.

In the article "Welcome to Werner World," which we are bringing you in five parts over the next few weeks, von Steinaecker dives deep into his encounter with Herzog:

"... Almost a year later, in the fall of 2021, the first day of filming with Herzog. Continue reading "Welcome to Werner World (3 of 5)" »

The Goethe-Institut Toronto is launching it's programming year with a collaboration with the DesignTO Festival, presenting the award-winning documentary Taste the Waste in a free one-night-only community screening and launching the timely conversation of DesignTO's online symposium on "Trash Talk". Read director Valentin Thurn's take on consumption and food security:

How come you chose the topic of food waste?
In 2007, I made a documentary about dumpster divers, people living off food waste. At first it seemed to be an interesting but rather exotic topic. However, researching it I was stunned to realise the gigantic dimension of the amount of waste and its implications for our climate and global food security. I already came into contact with this throw-away madness 30 years ago: On a cycling tour through England with a friend we ran out of money at some stage. I was 18 at the time. We had a return ticket but didn’t want to go back home to Germany earlier than planned. So we decided to manage the remaining nine days without any money. This is how I came to live off fruits and vegetables sorted out by a hypermarket in London – we had been given this tip by a homeless person living in the Docks, where we had set up our tent. Continue reading "Taste the Waste" »

Almost Home (trailer), directed by Nils Keller, is one of the first short sci-fi films vying for an Oscar®. The cast includes German Film prize winner Susanne Wolff (Styx), Jeremias Meyer (We Children from Bahnhof Zoo) und Stephan Kampwirth (Dark).

The coming-of-age sci-fi film shares the story of a teenager who beats the odds only to face a dangerous destiny. It has already won a student Academy® award and is shortlisted for the 2023 Oscars®. Continue reading "ALMOST HOME @ Oscars® 2023" »

The new documentary "Werner Herzog – Radical Dreamer" (trailer) presents a comprehensive portrait of an iconic artist. It is about filmmaker Werner Herzog, whose films like "Fitzcarraldo" or "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" are classics and have long been part of collective cinema memory. In 2009, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of our time. At 80, Herzog continues to make films. Next-generation German filmmaker Thomas von Steinaecker accompanies him on shoots on Lanzarote and in his Bavarian home village of Sachrang, and follows him all the way to Los Angeles, where Herzog has been living for many years. In addition to Herzog himself, his wife Lena and his brothers have their say in the doc, as well as companions such as Wim Wenders and Volker Schlöndorff, and Hollywood stars with whom he has worked, including Nicole Kidman, Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson.

In the article "Welcome to Werner World," which we are bringing you in five parts over the next few weeks, von Steinaecker dives deep into his encounter with Herzog:

"... When Herzog appears on my screen, wearing glasses, smiling inquiringly and bearing a certain resemblance to Obi-Wan Kenobi in his cramped, book-filled study in Los Angeles, my nervousness vanishes within seconds. Continue reading "Welcome to Werner World (2 of 5)" »

The new documentary "Werner Herzog – Radical Dreamer" (trailer) presents a comprehensive portrait of an iconic artist. It is about filmmaker Werner Herzog, whose films like "Fitzcarraldo" or "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" are classics and have long been part of collective cinema memory. In 2009, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of our time. At 80, Herzog continues to make films. Next-generation German filmmaker Thomas von Steinaecker accompanies him on shoots on Lanzarote and in his Bavarian home village of Sachrang, and follows him all the way to Los Angeles, where Herzog has been living for many years. In addition to Herzog himself, his wife Lena and his brothers have their say in the doc, as well as companions such as Wim Wenders and Volker Schlöndorff, and Hollywood stars with whom he has worked, including Nicole Kidman, Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson.

In the article "Welcome to Werner World," which we are bringing you in five parts over the next few weeks, von Steinaecker dives deep into his encounter with Herzog:

"One December night in 2020, I’m sitting at my laptop in my study in Augsburg. In a few minutes, I have an appointment for a Skype conversation with Werner Herzog. Continue reading "Welcome to Werner World (1 of 5)" »