What Germany is Watching: Win Tickets to the Festival of German Cinema in China

Joey Knotts, Contributing Editor | Nov 6, 2019 10:00 am | Add a comment | 523 reads

Germany will hit the big screens of Beijing once again this month with the return of the annual Festival of German Cinema in China, Nov 15-24. Since its inaugural event seven years ago, the festival has attracted a sizable following among local film buffs with a diverse selection of the latest and greatest from Deutschland’s directors.

But more than just an opportunity to view the most successful, profound, and controversial movies of the country, the festival will treat attendees to panel discussions featuring experts from the Chinese film industry in an effort to fuel the exchange between these movie worlds on opposite sides of the earth. This year, a jury of six such experts also voted on which films will be shown, making this the first time that local input has been taken into consideration.

As we sat down with Anke Redl, China representative for the Festival of German Cinema, she told us that many Beijingers are developing an affinity not just for the movies themselves, but for the whole cinematic and communicative experience. “You can always watch a German film on iQiyi or on different platforms,” she says, “but this is an opportunity to sit down to enjoy films in a proper cinema with other people from another part of the world. There’s a strong community here that appreciates that, and it’s growing.”

Redl emphasizes that the movies coming out of Germany go far beyond the historical depictions of the Second World War and the divided nation that followed, but at the same time, screenwriters are still coming up with new ways to wrestle with this history. Take for example How About Adolf, a largely static-setting social satire playing at the festival this year in which a couple suggests that they give their unborn child the taboo name of Adolf. “While the topic is serious, the film is thought-provoking but also intensely funny in a way that would have made it difficult to make ten years ago.”

It’s not the only intelligent comedy playing either. In 100 Things, two best friends give up all their possessions on a wager, leaving them nude throughout part of the film as they reclaim their possessions in order of priority attached to them. Elsewhere, another comedy and box-office hit, All About Me, tells the true story of one of Germany's most beloved comedians, Hape Kerkeling. Some readers who embrace stereotypes might be surprised to see so many knee-slappers on the list at a German film festival, but, Redl insists, some Germans and their films have always been funny – it’s just that the world is finally beginning to see it.

A few documentaries will be playing as well, and for Redl, these in particular prove the universality of storytelling through film: “In Germany, you have topics which are very German, but you also have a lot of themes which transcend if you’re Chinese or you are German, or from wherever,” she explains. “Especially with those topics that go to the heart. These issues don’t stop at the German border.”

That's especially true for documentaries like Bauhaus Spirit, recalling the 1920s German architectural movement that had broader and international societal implications, as well as The Inner Light, which sensitively tackles the subject of dementia, something that more and more families in Beijing are coming across as the city’s population ages.

The Alfred Bauer Prize winner System Crasher will open the festival on Friday, Nov 15 at 6.30pm. Meanwhile, Wang Jingchun, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actor award at the Berlinale Festival for his role in So Long, My Son, will be welcomed as the guest of honor.

Win free tickets from the Beijinger

We are giving away two pairs of tickets for all screenings at MOMA (excluding the opening ceremony and panel screenings). To enter to win, email win@truerun.com with your name and phone number and with "Festival of German Cinema" in the subject line before midnight on Sunday, Nov 10. We will contact the lucky winners the following day.