Munich Film Festival is 30

by Bénédicte Prot

29/06/2012 - With 65,000 visiting members of the public and 2,500 visiting professionals each year, the Munich International Film Festival is Germany's second largest film festival after the Berlinale. Today, it kicks off celebrations for its 30th edition to last until July 7.

Bavaria's great cinematic event, for the first time directed by Diane Iljine, is to screen over 200 titles in different sections that are each more enticing that the other, starting with the CineMasters section that is to show films by renowned foreign filmmakers, including Leos Carax with his sensational Cannes contender Holy Motors, Jacques Audiard with another Palme d'Or nominee, Rust & Bone [trailer, film focus], Mathieu Kassovitz with Rebellion [trailer], Terence Davies with The Deep Blue Sea [trailer, film focus] starring Rachel Weisz, Andrea Arnold with her version of Wuthering Heights [trailer, film focus], and Italian director Emanuele Crialese with Terraferma [trailer, film focus]. The titles in this section will all be vying for the ARRI Award for best foreign film (which comes with a € 30,000 cash prize).

The CineVision Award for the best new foreign director, to be presented this year for the second time by the distributor Senator Film, now has its own section in the competition which is open to all first and second features from the whole world. This year, its selection notably includes the Serbian film Clip [trailer, film focus] by Maja Milos, The Last Man on Earth [trailer] by Italian director Gianni Pacinotti, Unconditional by Bryn Higgins from Britain, in which a twin adopts the identity of his twin sister out of love, and Americano [trailer] by Mathieu Demy. The award, along with its € 12,000 grant, aims to support the winning film's visibility in Germany.

In the New German Cinema section, no less than € 70,000 will be distributed among new local talents for best director, best producer, best screenplay, best actor, and best actress.

The International Independents section is also focused on youth and innovation, with a vast selection of films such as Best Intentions by the Romanian director Adrian Sitaru,Là-bas: A Criminal Education [trailer, film focus] by Guido Lombardi and a film from the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes, Le Repenti by Merzak Allouache. As for the sensational international line-up in the Spotlight section, it has been conceived to include both captivating titles by acclaimed filmmakers and fabulous new discoveries.

This year, the festival will celebrate French director and actress Julie Delpy, Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, German humorist, actor, and director Vicco von Bülow, otherwise known as Loriot, who died last year, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, who died thirty years ago this month, as well as Melanie Griffith (who won the CineMerit Award this year for her contribution to cinema) and Todd Haynes.

German films for television have their own section as usual, as do children's films. The festival is also to include several open-air screenings.

(Translated from French)