Riding the Oscar Wave: 10th Festival of German Cinema Now Open in Beijing

Ole Engelhardt | Mar 27, 2023 4:31 pm | Add a comment | 108 reads

German movies are officially en vogue again, since Edward Berger's All Quiet on the Western Front won the award for Best International Movie at this year's Academy Awards two weeks ago. This ended the long-lasting dry spell of German movies at the Oscars after Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck took the award home in 2007 for his GDR movie The Lives of Others.

It can therefore surely be considered the perfect timing for the 10th German Film Festival in China to open its doors in Beijing following a delay from December due to Covid. The festival opened on Friday, Mar 24 at the Broadway Cinematheque MOMA near Dongzhimen, and will be open until this Sunday.

In the welcoming booklet the two main organizers, Simone Baumann (Managing Director German Films) and Robin Mallick (Director Goethe-Institut China), write: “This is a great opportunity for the Chinese audience to see the work of German directors and actors, especially in these times where in-person cultural exchange is difficult.”

Although All Quiet on the Western Front isn’t featured in this event – festival organizers have hinted it could be screened at the 11th edition – the German Film Festival, which is organized by German Films and supported by the Goethe-Institut and Broadway Cinemas, treats guests to an entertaining variety of German films. The full list of all 14 participating movies, as well as the up-to-date screening schedule and information on how to purchase tickets, can be found here.

The festival runs until Sunday, Apr 2 and is taking place in three venues across Beijing: Broadway Cinematheque MOMA, the Goethe Institute (798 branch) and Beijing Broadway Cinema (APM).

Rabiye Kurnaz vs. Georg W. Bush was chosen as the opening movie for the ceremony on Friday. It tells the real story of the “ordinary” German-Turkish woman Rabiye Kurnaz, whose life is turned upside down after 9/11, when her son Murat is accused of terrorism and is shipped off to Guantanamo Bay. Her battle to release her son eventually led her all the way to the Supreme Court in Washington.

Other movies to certainly watch out for include Contra, directed by Sönke Wortmann and featuring Christoph Maria Herbst (famous for his role in Stromberg, the German version of The Office) and A Stasi Comedy, directed by Leander Haussmann.

Ticket prices range from RMB 60 for shows at MoMA, and RMB 65 for shows at Broadway (RMB 70 for non-Broadway Cinema members at both venues), while screenings at the Goethe-Institut are free. Scan either of the QR codes below to register.