Archive 2004
NEW GERMAN CINEMA
G ood films are like good wine. There are unforgettable ones and the ones over which you would like to cast the mantel of oblivion as swiftly as possible.
The eight films show the whole palette of contemporary German-language film making. Hendrik Hölzemann’s "Kammerflimmern" affords insight into the day-to-day life and dreams of an ambulance man; Clemens Schönborn’s "Fräulein Phyllis" is an overlooked jewel. We are also expecting the leading actress Sophie Rois. "Such mich nicht" and "Sommer Hunde Söhne" by Tilman Zens and Cyril Tuschi show what high standards debuts have reached in the last few years. "Cattolica" is a trip to Italy of a different kind and the young director Bettina Blümner is not only introducing her first fulllength film "Die Kette", she is also presenting her latest film "Das süße Leben".
Actor and director Detlef Bothe has gathered together an illustrious collection of German TV stars in his film "Meine Frau, meine Freunde und ich". And Welzel Storch is presenting his latest work "Die Reise ins Glück"
Die Reise ins Glück
D: Wenzel Storch, D 2004, 73 min, 35 mm, colour, GV
Captain Gustav wants to go into a welldeserved retirement with his snail ship. With his motley crew consisting of both man and beast (numerous natives, a bear, an owl and five frogs) he is stranded on a mysterious island. They prepare joyously for the landing, little suspecting that at the heart of the island is an evil king...
As a zany genius Wenzel Storch has acquired a true following of fans among cinema buffs and lovers of humour.
Such mich nicht
D: Tilman Zens, D 2004, 80 min, 35 mm, colour, GV
Anna works as a contract killer for her boss Levin. Feelings of guilt are foreign to her; it’s only the loneliness of the job that gets to her. Then she meets Lino and she is instantly fascinated by his charm. But Anna cannot afford an affair. Her next contract is for a professional killer who wishes to retire. But he turns out to be a hard nut to crack and Anna only just manages to get away. She flees to Lino, to whom she gradually tells everything. However, Levin’s next job is a real dilemma for the young woman...
Fräulein Phyllis
D: Clemens Schönborn, A 2004, 80 min, 35 mm, colour, GV
Phyllis, forty years old and living with her mother, seems never to have grown up. She is bound to her overpowering mother by love and hate. For reasons which only she fathoms she has taken a fancy to Henry, an unheeded supporting actor in a hospital series. Flattered by her attentions he overlooks the fact that she has made him the centre point of her life. With her neurotic energy she completely disrupts his life. Will Phyllis get what she wants?
Kammerflimmern
D: Hendrik Hölzemann, D 2004, 100 min, 35 mm, colour, GV
As an assistant ambulance man Crash is out on Cologne’s streets every day. He lost both parents in a car crash when he was a boy and has been alone ever since. He escapes harsh reality in dreams in which the smiling face of young woman always appears. One night in the course of his work Crash meets November, the woman in his dreams. A tender love affair begins and he is happy for the first time in his life. But then the day comes when history seems to repeat itself...
Olgas Sommer
D: Nina Grosse, D 2003, 105 min, 35 mm, colour, ES
Olga is sixteen, ready for love, adventure, anything! She only has to get out of her small home town. When she pulls the fired comic book author Daniel unconscious from the wreck of his car one day, she is sure of one thing: this man will take me out of this hole! Who cares if he claims to have killed his wife in an attack of rage? Or that the car crash was a suicide attempt? Olga only obeys her own laws and gets her way: she and Daniel go on a trip to the seaside. But Olga’s dream is greater – she wants to go to Tangiers!
SommerHundeSöhne
D: Cyril Tuschi, D 2004, 96min, 35 mm, colour, GV
Two completely different men, Frankie and Marc, set off on a trip to Tangiers in Morocco. Marc, a real go-getter, thinks he has killed someone and in desperation steals Frankie’s mother’s camper when she is out doing the shopping. Frankie is in still in the car! Frankie is very nervous at first but gradually begins to trust Marc and to realize that he is looking for his missing father. They meet Ivy, a beautiful and generous young blonde, who just lives for the day. Each day they get closer to their goal – namely to search themselves, their true feelings and their aims in life.
Cattolica
D: Rudolph Jula, D/CH 2003, 84 min, 35 mm, colour, GV
After the death of his mother Martin discovers a family secret: his mother had an affair with an Italian guest worker and Martin is his son! And he has a brother Stefan, whose existence he never even suspected. When Martin visits him and tells him the secret Stefan’s world collapses. His adoptive parents had kept him in the dark about his origins. In addition, the two brothers could hardly be more different: one is carefree and gay, the other a family man. Still, they resolve to look for their father in Italy.
Meine Frau, meine Freunde und ich
D: Detlef Bothe, D 2004, 90 min, 35 mm, colour, GV
Soap opera actor Richard organizes a^spontaneous birthday party for his wife. When he sees her kissing one of the guests, a fight ensues, which then escalates. To make matters worse, he loses his job the following day. This film is about the sombre reality of a supersaturated society in which Richard and his friends, all around forty, are all doomed to failure in their attempts to realize their personal wishes and to keep up appearances. But then everything is finally settled. Well, almost everything. At least, some things...
Die Kette
D: Bettina Blümner, D 2004, 61 min, Beta SP, colour, GV
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link and when this link breaks a whole chain of events can be set in motion. When the daughter of Bernd is attacked by a dog, a chain of events begins for Bernd which puts friendship, love and courage to the test. When his friend shoots the dog, a chain of smaller and larger misfortunes begins, at the end of which an optimistic boy is dead, a marriage is in ruins, a friendship is saved and all involved have lost no few illusions.
La Vida Dulce (Das süße Leben)
D: Bettina Blümner & Rouven Rech, D/C 2004, 15 min, Beta SP, colour, GV
It is Mother’s Day in Havanna, Cuba – a bakery has a lot to do. All the people are gaping through the windows and cracks. The director observes the creamy morsels on their way from the bake shop to the sales counter to the several homes and finally to the stomachs of the customers.