The Munich Film Festival (July 15-22), which started later than usual this year, is now in full swing along the Movie Mile – the strategic axis from the Filmmuseum to the Rio Filmpalast cinema.

The programme features approximately 200 international films, most of which are having their German premiere.

The event opened with the screening of Sebastian Steinbichler’s Winter Journey [trailer], recently in competition at Karlovy Vary. The director attended the screening, along with actors Josef Bierbichler, Sibel Kekilli and Hanna Schygulla.
The selection of German titles presented to festival-goers could not be more varied, with films ranging from the farce Wer früher stirbt, ist länger tot (lit. "He Who Dies Earlier is Dead Longer"), the debut feature by Marcus H. Rosenmüller, to the melancholic love story of Emma's Bliss by Sven Taddicken and starring Jürgen Vogel.

Foreign films include a section dedicated to the Iranian films by the Makhmalbaf clan, as well as Terry Gilliam's latest title Tideland [trailer].

Recent European cinema is represented in all its diversity, with Views of a Retired Night Porter by Austria's Andreas Horvath, Czech film The Indian and the Nurse by Dan Wlodarczyk, Laurent Cantet's Heading South [trailer, film focus] (see Focus) and the directorial debut by Italy's Giorgio Diritti, The Wind Blows Round.

Among the daily events at the Munich Festival are informal encounters with film personalities, which are open to the general public.