Cherry Blossoms bursts onto screens
As of today, German audiences will have the chance to discover a local film that screened in competition at the Berlinale last month: Cherry Blossoms - Hanami [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Doris Dörrie (see news) . The title, which did not pick up any awards, nonetheless moved festival audiences.
This film – shot in Germany and Japan – explores death, life, acceptance and joy with remarkable sobriety coupled with the superb cinematography that captures both small details and vast expanses.
The title was produced by Munich-based company Olga Film and co-produced by BR, ARD Degeto Film and ARTE.
Cherry Blossoms - Hanami – which features magnificent performances by Elmar Wepper and Hannelore Elsner, as well as Nadja Uhl and the former Shooting Star Maximilian Brückner – won two Bavarian Film Awards. The film is being distributed by Majestic.
Novapool Pictures are releasing Franziska Meletzky’s According to the Plan, a comedy produced by Berlin-based Credofilm. The film – written by Meletzky’s loyal partner Elke Rössler – is based on a premise that always gives rise to the craziest situations: a family reunion. Three sisters celebrate their mother’s birthday, leading to chaos and conflict.
This week’s other German release is the documentary Knut und seine Freunde by Michael Johnson, which looks at the first birth in captivity of a polar bear in 30 years (distributed by Farbfilm).
Pro-Fun are launching Austrian/German co-production Keller - Teenage Wasteland, written and directed by Eva Urthaler. The film – which screened in competition at the 2005 Locarno Film Festival – recounts the escalation of violence (involving alcohol, theft, abduction and worse) of two bored teenagers.
The European titles in this week’s line-up are co-productions. These include Mahamet-Saleh Haroun’s Daratt - Dry Season [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], co-produced by Chad, France and Belgium (distributed by Kairos); and French director Raphael Nadjari’s Tehilim [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] co-produced by Israel, France and the US (distributed by Mec Film).
(Translated from French)
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