PR_23: Review 2011

Oldenburg comes of age

For the 18th time the festival looks back on exciting and successful days: More than 15.000 visitors  watched the 55 films


After five eventful days filled with 8 world premieres, 9 international premieres, 3 European premieres, 17 German premieres and a total of 55 shown films the Oldenburg International Film Festival ended on Sunday to a rapt audience and with another audience record. The festive opening gala was highlighted by the comedy “No Sex is no Option” by Torsten Wacker in front of 1300 people at Oldenburg’s EWE Arena with stars Stephan Luca, Anna Thalbach, Armin Rohde and Janin Reinhardt in attendance. With the award ceremony and the premiere of “Anduni – Where is Home” with guest Florian Lukas the festival ended on Sunday.

“Dr. Ketel” by Linus de Paoli won the jury award “German Independence Award – Best German Film”. The international jury of Matthew Modine, Radley Metzger, Ildi Toth Davy, Soopum Sohn, and Matteo Lovadina concluded, “The film adventurously explores the techniques of film making. Pushing the boundaries of storytelling to an area that is unique in contemporary cinema.”
The “German Independence Award – Audience Award” – presented by Peter Göttelmann, CEO Marketing of EWE AG – went to “Happy New Year” by K. Lorrel Manning with Michael Cuomo as lead actor. Both attended the festival.
Director Markus Engel received the award for the best short film for his work “The Last Guest” with a special recommendation going to “15 Summers Later” by Pedro Collantes.

Another highlight of the festival was the German premiere of US-Spanish co-production “The Way” by Emilio Estevez in attendance of Deborah Kara Unger and Yorick van Wageningen at the packed St. Lamberti Church, where the festival showed a film for the first time.
Among the many programming highlights were “Brawler”, an energizing tale about two brothers who fight for the same woman in a series of illegal bouts. Filip Tegstedt was showing his surprise hit “Marianne”, a suggestive and sensitive family drama drawing heavily from myths about ghosts and trolls. Henry Barrial’s “Pig” is a dystopian scifi-film enriching the program. Robbie Pickering’s debut film “Natural Selection” had won several awards at SXSW Festival in Texas already. He ironically mixes the conventions of Christian redemption films with classical outsider road movies.

Among the guests of this years festival were: Matthew Modine, Deborah Kara Unger, Inger Nilsson, Ted Kotcheff, Roger Fritz, Mark Polish, Arthur Brauss, Radley Metzger, Bela B. Felsenheimer, Stephan Luca, Anna Thalbach, Armin Rohde, Janin Reinhardt, Kostja Ullmann, Ken Duken, Florian Lukas, Marc Senter, Nathan Grubbs, Chris Sivertson, Noémie Merlant, and Burak Yigit.

PR_22: Award winners announced

The award winners of the 18th Oldenburg International Film Festival have been announced

„German Independence Award – Best German Film“ for „Dr. Ketel“ by Linus de Paoli. „Happy New Year“ by K. Lorrel Manning wins the audience award. „Der letzte Gast“ by Markus Engel is honored as “Best Short Film”, a special recommendation goes to „15 Summers Later“ by Pedro Collantes. The new award for “Outstanding Acting Performance“ goes to Maja Schöne of „The Fire“.
With more than 14500 international guests and visitors the 18th Oldenburg International Film Festival ends on a high note today with the award show for the German Independence Awards. The retrospective went to Canadian filmmaker Ted Kotcheff. Roger Fritz was honored with a tribute.

The winner of the “German Independence Award  - Best German Film” is “Dr. Ketel” by Linus de Paoli. The 4000 EUR award was handed out by mayor Prof. Dr. Gerd Schwandner and the members of the international jury: Matthew Modine, Radley Metzger, Ildi Toth Davy, Soopum Sohn and Matteo Lovadina. Anna and Linus de Paoli and a score of members from their team came to Oldenburg and received the award together with actors Ketel Weber, Burak Yigit and Oldenburg born Franziska Rummel. From the jury: “There was one film that adventurously explored the techniques of filmmaking. Pushing the boundaries of storytelling to an area that is unique to film making.”
For the first time the jury introduced an award for “Outstanding Acting Performance” – it went to actress Maja Schöne (“The Fire”).

The audience voted for “Happy New Year” as the best independent film. Director K. Lorrel Manning and actors Michael Cuomo received the award from Peter Göttelmann, CEO marketing of EWE Oldenburg. Michael Cuomo’s acting in this moving story about an Afghanistan veteran reminds us, that war leaves the deepest marks on human souls. The award is sponsored by the EWE and worth 2000 EUR.

Director Markus Engel received the short film award for “Der letzte Gast”. The jury consisted of Arthur Brauss, Pia Marais and Frank Fokke. From the jury: “The film builds an atmosphere of authenticity drawing the audience into the story, which fascinating twists keep the suspense high.” The award is worth 500 EUR. A special recommendation went out to “15 Summers Later” by Pedro Collantes.
The 18th Oldenburg International Film Festival closed on Sunday tonight with “Anduni – Fremde Heimat” presented by actor Florian Lukas.

PR_12: Closing Night and further Highlights

Closing Night film and further highlights

This year too Oldenburg is looking forward to many premieres, international stars, inspiring talks and unforgettable moments. The program has been announced and we are happy to present some of the highlights:

The Closing Night Gala film is Oldenburg’s nod to Turkish-German cinema: Samira Radsis’ feature film debut “Anduni – Fremde Heimat” is a tragic comedy documenting the never-ending search for our identities. The film had its world premiere at the Max Ophüls Festival and received the Award of the DEFA Foundation. The film is released by Filmlichter on December 1st in Germany.

Henry Barrial’s “Pig” is a puzzle: A man wakes alone in the desert, his hands are bound and he can’t remember who he is and how he got there. Barrial drew inspiration from the CIA’s treatment of terror suspects for this twisted and complex search for memory and identity. The film won the Best Feature Award at the London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

“Hellacious Acres: the Case of John Glass” is an apocalyptic nightmare: Protagonist John Glass is woken from cryogenic sleep after human civilization has been wiped out. His mission: to save the last small hope for humanities survival. Director Pat Tremblay presents his story as a dark and thoughtful, yet always funny and weird low-budget sci-fi piece. We happily join John on his quest for the ominous Self Sector.

Robbie Pickering’s protagonist Linda has to take some unexpected detours on her search for redemption and liberation in “Natural Selection”. Linda struggles through her marriage, learns of her infertility and has to find out that her husband has been donating to a sperm bank for years. As a strong believer she sets out to find the one son her husband has anonymously fathered. “Natural Selection” will have its European Premiere in Oldenburg after winning seven awards at the SXSW Festival.

“Freerunner” is ninety minutes of pumping adrenaline: A group of hip young free runners wakes up to realize that somebody strapped bombs to their necks. Now they have to run. Lawrence Silverstein created a fierce film about the bad ass version of parkour. The film has its world premiere in Oldenburg and features Seymour Cassel in a guest role.

The great José Garcia picks up on living the Italian mafia way really quickly in “At Gino’s”. His pizza parlor is broke, but his dying uncle has set aside millions for him, but only if he joins the ranks of the mafia clan. Gino has always led a quiet life in Brussels and now transforms himself into something his genes always knew he was meant for. Samuel Benchetrit’s mix of comedy, tragedy, slapstick and social criticism will have its German premiere in Oldenburg.

Two nameless ghosts are fed up with their spiritual existence. They go on a pilgrimage along the St. James Way to find the Finis Terrae – the end of the world. They follow their goal on foot, horseback or in wheelchairs – always clinging to the hope that reaching the end of the world will offer them a chance to return to the lands of the living. Sergio Caballero’s “Finisterrae” offers wild and off-beat comedy in the subversive style of early Monty Python.

Chris Siverston’s “Brawler” is transporting the underground fighting scene of the Mississippi delta straight into Oldenburg cinemas. The film is a hardboiled, tough tale about brotherly rivalry, bloody sport and neglected love. The characters are vividly portrayed and the story offers some surprising twists. “Brawler” has its European premiere in Oldenburg.

The documentary “Twittamentary” is filmmaking 2.0: Internet, microblogging and social networks are the focal points of director Tan Siok Siok’s work. She records the tales of Twitter users, collecting footage from tweets and videoblogs and driving through the whole of the USA to get to the bottom of the virtual phenomenon that is creating friendships and transforms our communication and society.
Together with Wirtschaftsförderung Oldenburg and cre8 Oldenburg Filmfest Oldenburg presents the world premiere of “Twittamentary” and will be offering a special event: After the screening director Tan Siok Siok will hold a special Q&A. The talk will be tweeted as well as held in the cinema, with questions from fans within the cinema and around the merging.

PR_10: Jury and German Independence Award

International jury and nominees for the „German Independence Award – Best German Film“ announced

Jury president Matthew Modine is joined by an impressive cast of film industry insiders on the festival’s jury. Four excellent German films will compete for the jury’s favor.


International jury

Oliver Stone, Sir Alan Parker, Stanley Kubrick and Robert Altman have all worked with him. Matthew Modine won a Golden Globe for “Short Cuts” and the actor’s award at the Venice Film Festival. In 2011 the 52year old actor, director and producer heads the jury of the Oldenburg International Film Festival. His directorial debut came for Radley Metzger at the age of 28 with the historical tragedy “Dark Odyssey”. His later works like “Therese and Isabelle” or “The Lickerish Quartett” are hailed as masterpieces of erotic cinema. Last year the festival’s retrospective showcased Metzger’s works. Director, writer and cameraman Soopum Sohn is a mainstay at Pusan and Sundance Film Festivals, winning the silver medal at the Student Academy Awards for his “Island to Island”. He is junior professor at the Long Island University. Running a company like Altadena Films has given Ildi Toth Davy the chance to bring many films like “The Girl Next Door” or “Travellers” into international cinemas. She started her career as a sales assistant at Carolco on the film “First Blood”, which is part of this year’s retrospective. Matteo Lovadina has been working in the film industry for more than ten years before he started his own distribution company Reel Suspects. Two of his films “22nd of May” and “The Orphan Girl without an Arm” are running in Oldenburg this year.


„German Independence Award – Best German Film“. The nominees.
 
Breathing: Austrian actor and first time director Karl Markovics is presenting an impressive piece of social realism with his debut feature. 19year old Roman Kogler (Thomas Schubert) is about to be released from prison but he is ill prepared for the life outside – reclusive, solitary and with no contact to his family he seems bound to fail. “Breathing” is released in Germany on December 8th by ThimFilm Verleih. It was selected as the Austrian entry for the Oscar 2012.

Dr. Ketel: The graduation film by Anna and Linus de Paoli is set in the near future. Health care has become too expensive for ordinary citizens and the black market for prescription drugs is run by ruthless security companies. In this shady world the philanthropist Dr. Ketel tries to care for his patients, but he is hunted by the mysterious Louise, played by none other than Amanda Plummer.

Headshots: Director, editor and writer Lawrence Tooley presents his first feature film project. Marianne (Loretta Pflaum) is a Berlin fashion photographer, who realizes that her life in the city of creative and hip people has reached a dead end. When she learns that she is pregnant and a model dies during a photo-shoot her life unravels. Headshots is a film about self realization, false love and painful truths.

The Fire: Director Brigitte Maria Bertele tells the story of 35year old Judith who is raped on her way home. She fights the memories of the crime but the destructive energies begin to change her life. “Der Brand” is an intense portrait of a woman who repeatedly became victim to sexual violence. The film starts in German theatres on October 27th by Zorro Film Verleih. It won an award for Best Directing at the festival in Montreal.

PR_09: Opening film

PR_05: Trailer and further highlights (16.08.11) (Kopie 1)

PR_01: Oldenburg Filmfestival coming of age (April 4 2011)

After last year’s budget cuts cast doubts on the future of the „German Sundance“ it is now certain that there will be an 18^th edition of the festival in 2011.

There will be an Oldenburg Film Festival No. 18. After the forced budget cuts by the municipal council in 2010 the festival was financially endangered. Grants by the city of Oldenburg were cut by more than half. In December 2010 the municipal council got together and with the votes of CDU, Green Party and Free Voters Association took back some of the harshest cuts from last year, leaving the festival well short of the original funding, but securing finances enough for a continued operation. The municipal budget for 2011 – still under review by the municipal superintendent – provides 77.000 Euro in funding for the festival.

Torsten Neumann’s reaction was positive: “This is a very good sign for us and more than enough reason to continue with the festival in Oldenburg.” If nothing else, the very high attendance turnout despite fewer screenings at last year’s festival was giving a clear indication that the festival is of vital interest for cinema lovers in Oldenburg and for the film industry as well.

Last year’s chosen mascot, the frog, has proven to be a symbol of growth and prosperity as foreseen by jury-president Deborah Kara Unger.

The 18^th International Oldenburg Film Festival takes place from September 14^th to September 18^th 2011.

Films for entry consideration can still be submitted until June 22^nd. The early bird deadline, allowing entry at a reduced rate, is April 22^nd. The documents for film entries can be found online at www.filmfest-oldenburg.de. Films can also be submitted through withoutabox.com. American film critic Chris Gore describes the Oldenburg Film Festival as one of the Top 5 most influential festivals worldwide in his esteemed Film Festival Guide. In 2011 the festival will stay true to its commitment to innovative and independent filmmaking.

PR_20: Review 2010

The 17^th Oldenburg International Film Festival takes positive stock of this year’s edition and is able to match last year’s audience with 14.500 admittances –despite smaller venues and twelve screenings less.

The exciting festival days drew to a close, having witnessed a total of eight world premieres, 17 German premieres, seven international premieres and five European premieres among the 56 shown films, on Sunday September 19^th with the world premiere of “Pound of Flesh” by director and festival guest Tamar Simon Hoffs and stars Timothy Bottoms and Whitney Able also in attendance. During the Closing Night, ceremony the “German Independence Award – Best German Film”, the “German Independence Award – Audience Award” and the “German Independence Award – Best Short Film” were announced. The international jury Deborah Kara Unger, Jesse Scolaro, F. X. Feeney, Travis Stevens and Dorka Gryllus awarded the “German Independence Award – Best German Film” to Philip Koch and his movie “Picco” at the Oldenburg CinemaxX, pointing out that the “savagery and moral deprivation displayed in Picco can be applied to juvenile delinquents in any country”. They went on to praise the film for its “clear and heartbreaking storytelling”. Mayor Prof. Dr. Gerd Schwandner and festival director Torsten Neumann presented the 4,000 Euro award, which is supported by the City of Oldenburg to Felix Neunzerling, CEO of ZOOM medienfabrik, who is in charge of marketing for “Picco”. “The German Independence Award” is also sponsored by Avid and Holland Subtitling.

Peter Göttelmann, head of marketing of main sponsor EWE, handed the “German Independence Award – Audience Award” to Paul Gordon for his deep and witty comedy “The Happy Poet”. The award is worth 2,000 Euro.

“Salvation Insurance” by Jeremy Bradley and Reuben Sack was voted best short film by the short-film jury of Thomas Darchinger, Norbert Kneißl and Dagmar Schmidt. The award is worth 500 Euro.

The opening of the five exciting festival days was celebrated with Christoph Hochhäusler’s “The City Below”, with star Nicolette Krebitz in attendance, presenting the film to a moved audience at the Fliegerhorst.

During the festival gala evening at the EWE Forum Alte Fleiwa, the guests of honor Timothy Bottoms and Radley Metzger were honored with the “German Independence Honorary Awards”. The 81 year old Metzger was guest of the retrospective and the festival’s tribute was dedicated to Timothy Bottoms.

Among the other festival highlights were the galactic directing debut “Drones” by Amber Benson and Adam Busch, Alexandre Rockwell’s pitch-black gangster comedy “Pete Smalls is Dead” and Gareth Edwards’ stunning low budget production “Monsters”, presented by star Whitney Able. Mark Lewis‘ impressive and humorous sequel “Cane Toads: The Conquest” with its 3D frog documentary pleased the audience as well.

This year’s festival guests included: Deborah Kara Unger, Howard Marks, Peter Dinklage, Paul Gordon, Tamar Simon Hoffs, Timothy Bottoms, Radley Metzger, Seymour Cassel, Arthur Brauss, Bela B. Felsenheimer, Jan Plewka, Jesse Scolaro, Raul Inglis, Matt Kelly, Alexander Riesel, Simon Rumley, Elena Serrano, Philip Koch, Constantin von Jascheroff, Thomas Stiller, Liv Lisa Fries, Oliver Mommsen, Nicolette Krebitz, Kate Connor, Adam Busch, Amber Benson, Yony Leyser, Dylan Verrechia, Christian Alvart and Whitney Able, who all spent some time in Oldenburg.

PR_19: The award winners of the 17th Oldenburg Film Festival

 “Picco”   has been honored with the “German Independence Award – Best German Film”.The Audience Award went to “The Happy Poet” by Paul Gordon. “Salvation Insurance” by Jeremy Bradley and Reuben Sack has been honored as “Best Short Film”.

The 17th Oldenburg International Film Festival drew to a close this evening with the award ceremony for the German Independence Awards. The number of visitors was 14,500, and because of smaller cinemas as well as a reduction in screenings – twelve less than last year –it was comparably higher than in 2009. The retrospective was dedicated to American filmmaker Radley Metzger. Actor Timothy Bottoms was honored for his life’s work with a tribute.

Winner of the “German Independence Award – Best German Film” is the important and touching drama “Picco” by Philip Koch. The 4,000 Euro award was presented by Mayor Prof. Dr. Gerd Schwandner and the members of the international Jury, Deborah Kara Unger, Jesse Scolaro, Travis Stevens, F. X. Feeney and Dorka Gryllus. Based on a true story, the film showcases the brutal reality of everyday life in a German juvenile detention facility. The jury stated: “PICCO – a portrait of hell-on-earth in the form of a boy’s prison. The power struggles, and the moral quicksand in which the young hero may drown: These things are depicted with such harrowing realism that one may wish to flee; yet the film is as hypnotic as it is universal. The savagery and moral tragedy PICCO describes can be applied to adolescent life in any country. One need not have ever been to prison to know first-hand the fears and self-treacheries of its young protagonist. On a purely formal level, the film is closely woven, expertly shot and cut so as to keep us emotionally inside its walls, and yet keep just enough distance to suffer, and wonder, and try to interpret what we’re living through with the characters. The film is vivid and heart-breaking in any language.”

The audience voted for “The Happy Poet” by Paul Gordon to win the Audience Award. The director accepted the “German Independence Award – Audience Award” from Peter Göttelmann, marketing director of the EWE. “The Happy Poet” is a subtle and clever comedy about a lovely poet who keenly strives for his goals. Following the world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, Paul Gordon celebrated the German premiere in Oldenburg. The EWE sponsored award is worth 2,000 Euro.

“Salvation Insurance” by Jeremy Bradley and Reuben Sack was honored as “Best Short Film” by the members of the short film jury, Thomas Darchinger, Norbert Kneißl and Dagmar Schmidt. The award is worth 500 Euro.

The festival closed with the world premiere of “Pound of Flesh” in attendance of director Tamar Simon Hoffs and actors Timothy Bottoms and Whitney Able.

PR_14: MUBI co-operation starts

Oldenburg Filmfestival enters a co-operation with on-demand video portal MUBI.

Those who cannot attend the Oldenburg Filmfestival in person now have the option to enjoy some festival atmosphere in their own homes. But seats are limited. The films on offer – with the notable exception of the retrospective – can only be viewed by 300 users. Among the films shown are some of this year’s award nominees and the films of the Radley Metzger Retrospective.

As one of the world’s leading online film libraries MUBI is looking for strategic partners around the globe. More than 300.000 film enthusiasts have registered as users. MUBI started in 2008 with 300 films and has grown to host a repertoire of more than 1100. They have classics and indie films on offer, both from aspiring artists and established directors. The portal functions as a networking platform as well. Registration is free at www.mubi.com

Radley Metzger, director, producer, writer and distributor, was once labeled “the aristocrat of eroticism”. His provoking and sophisticated films revolutionized American mainstream cinema. At Filmfest Oldenburg he presents among others “Camille 2000”, an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ “The Lady of the Camellias” and “The Lickerish Quartet” in which a mysterious acrobat entices the fantasies of a whole family.

Promoting independent filmmaking in Germany has been one of the main goals of the 2000 Euro German Independence Award – Best German Film, which is awarded by an international jury. Among the four nominees is Tatjana Turanskyj’s “Eine Flexible Frau”, which is also available to 300 MUBI users outside of Germany.

The festival also presents the best short film with an award, also decided by a jury. A selection of the nominated films can be found online at MUBI’s Oldenburg Filmfestival site. Among them are Justin Ho’s “Enamour”, “Expatriate”, the short drama by John Gallagher, Matthew Harrison’s comedy “Hey Vendor” and the moving short “In Memoriam” by Paul Taylor. Frederick Sandy has his “Koda” in competition and Guilio Ricciarelli’s “Ampelmann” as well as Nic Romm’s “Pick Up 6:50h” are German nominees for the award. “Salvation Insurance” by directing duo Jeremy Bradley and Reuben Sack is also among the nominated shorts. They all can be viewed by 300 MUBI users.

After registering with MUBI the films can be found at

mubi.com/festivals/oldenburg 

We would appreciate it if you would consider the news of our co-operation with MUBI for publication in your respective media. If you have further questions we will gladly assist you.

Best regards

Sabina Poppen, Christine Strüver & Team

PR_10: Festivalhighlights 2010

Like in previous years this year’s festival edition will feature its share of premieres, inspiring film talks, international stars and unforgettable moments.

Pascal Bourdiaux’ “Le Mac” guarantees to evoke laughter from any audience. The French comedy is witty, has a classy cast and a subtlety that has made it an instant hit across the border. “Mr. Nice” is Bernard Rose’s British answer to “Blow”, portraying the life of legendary drug dealer Howard Marks. Marks himself will be attending the festival in Oldenburg. Wicked humor, ironic side blows and a star-studded cast are the ingredients for the pitch-black comedy “Pete Smalls Is Dead” offering a deep glimpse into the dark heart of independent cinema. Alexandre Rockwell is presenting his film, featuring Steve Buscemi, Peter Dinklage and Seymour Cassel. Camera legend Phedon Papamichael is famous for his gorgeous images (“Walk the Line”, “Sideways”). In his third work as a director he turns “Arcadia Lost” into a memorial made of film. His brilliant star Nick Nolte travels to the spiritual roots of Papamichael’s home in Greece, which regains its classical mythic aura. Kate Connor is also searching for her roots in the thrilling “Fort McCoy”. She is presenting the world premiere of her film in person, revealing a little known aspect of German history. A film of alien qualities is directing duo Amber Benson’s and Adam Busch’s creative and heart-warming sci-fi office comedy “Drones”. The two are well known for their acting roles in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and have now taken up position behind the camera. Paul Gordon’s charming and subtle comedy “The Happy Poet” is a wonderful topical tale with an important message: It pays to be perseverant. After the world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival the film has its German premiere in Oldenburg. Forceful, permissive and energetic is the rhythm of Isild Le Besco’s furious directing debut “Bas-fonds”. She pulls us right over the abyss of human existence and casts off all expectations of bourgeois society. She has been nominated twice for the César as best young actress working with the likes of Benoît Jacquot. Yony Leyser tries to get close to an enigmatic genius with his internationally acclaimed documentary “William S. Burroughs: A Man Within”. The infamous legend of the beat-generation comes to live once again with all his splendor and paranoia. Oscar winner Leon Gast presents “Smash His Camera”: An inside look at the world of paparazzi through the life of legendary star photographer Ron Galellas, who rose to fame when Marlon Brando broke his jaw and Jackie Kennedy sued him.

PR_08: Deborah Kara Unger revealed as jury president

Actress Deborah Kara Unger is going to preside over the international jury.
The Gala Night will feature her in Raul Inglis’ thriller “Takedown”.
The Closing Night screening will be Tamar Simon Hoff’s world premiere of “Pound of Flesh”.

Deborah Kara Unger made her screen debut at the side of Russell Crowe in “Blood Oath”. Her breakthrough performance came with her extremely sensual display in Cronenberg’s “Crash”. Since then the cool blonde has been seen in David Fincher’s “The Game” with Michael Douglas or alongside Al Pacino in “88 Minutes”. With her role in “Emile” she won the Geraldine Page Award, while she managed to receive the Canadian Academy Award twice for “Sunshine” and “Between Strangers”.

Deborah Kara Unger will sit on the festival jury and decide who will win the German Independence Award – Best German Film together with the following four professionals: F. X. Feeney is an American writer, critic and filmmaker who works for the LA Weekly and worked as a consultant for legendary Channel Z in the 80s. Hungarian born actress Dorka Gryllus worked on Fatih Akin’s lauded “Soul Kitchen” and Sam Garbarski’s internationally acclaimed “Irina Palm” alongside Marianne Faithfull. Producer Jesse Scolaro created the 2009 Oldenburg festival entry “The Missing Person”. This year he is presenting “La Soga” which is released by his company 7-57 Releasing. Producer Travis Stevens was responsible for the marketing of “The Zombie Diaries” and “The Living and the Dead”. This year he took over the international distribution arm of Celluloid Nightmares.

Deborah Kara Unger is going the present the main attraction of the Gala Night on Friday September 17th 2010 at the EWE Forum Alte Fleiwa with Raul Inglis’ intelligent and thoughtful thriller “Takedown”. Before the film is screened the international jury will be presented to the audience.

This year’s Closing Night Film is Tamar Simon Hoff’s “Pound of Flesh”, which has its world premiere on Sunday September 19th at 7pm in the CinemaxX theatre with the director and star Timothy Bottoms as well as other guests in attendance.

PR_07: „The City Below“ to open Oldenburg International Film Festival

The nominees for the “German Independence Award – Best German Film” have been announced.

Emotional, sensual and elegant are fitting ways to describe Christoph Hochhäusler’s “The City Below” (Unter dir die Stadt). In it he portrays a cold, male-dominated world, ruled by power and money. Nicolette Krebitz gives a convicing performance as a fun-loving wife of a banker, who turns her husbands
capitalistic morals upside down. Christoph Hochhäusler (“Falscher Bekenner”, “Milchwald”) is fascinated by the parallel universe called “the banking system”, whose inhabitants suck our society dry like vampires. “The banking world is a strong metaphor for modern use of power. Work is done in a very abstract way, which still has enormous influence on our everyday lives. Still: There is no blood shed on the trading floor” explains the director. He was inspired in part by the biblical story of King David summoning Bathseba into his bedchamber while her husband was fighting for his kingdom. The film will be released this autumn by Piffl Medien. After a successful world premiere at Cannes “Unter dir die Stadt” opens the 17th Oldenburg International Film Festival on Wednesday September 15th at 7.30pm at a new location: The Fliegerhorst Oldenburg. Guests the evening will be Nicolette Krebitz and other famous faces as well as the festival’s two guests of honor Radley Metzger and Timothy Bottoms. “German Independence Award – Best German Film” “The City Below” (Unter dir die Stadt) doesn’t only open the four days of cinema glory but is also one of the four nominees for the “German Independence Award – Best German Film”. The Drifter (Eine flexible Frau): Tatjana Turanskyj brings an empathic portrait of a fragile yet emancipated woman onto the screen. The director questions our contemporary social dynamic and lays bare the false hopes of those who struggle on their way through the jungle of expectations for modern women. The film will be released on November 4th by Filmgalerie 451. Picco: The film is based on a true story and shows with condensed images and storytelling the prevailing sadism and brutality in a youth prison. Philip Koch never puts the blame solely on one side but rather questions the whole microcosm of the penal system. Picco is his feature debut and will be released nationwide on November 25h by Movienet Film. The film has won awards at the Max Ophüls Festival and
was screened in Cannes in the Sektion Quinzaine des Réalisateurs. This Will Be Life (Morgen das Leben): Alexander Riedel’s laconic and sensual portrait of a city and the lost souls inhabiting it is equally beautiful and depressing. Loneliness and desperation compound into an explosive mixture that will go off anytime. The film is Riedel’s feature debut and will be released in Germany by Movienet Film this autumn.

You can find materials for the films at: www.filmfest-oldenburg.de/presse/downloads/

PR_06: Trailer and cinematic festival highlights

Trailer to run nationwide in cinemas – Festival director Torsten Neumann commented on the strained budget situation and presented first festival highlights and guests.

During the annual press conference festival director Torsten Neumann presented an outlook of the 17th Oldenburg International Film Festival on Monday at the EWE Forum Alte Fleiwa. The press conference commenced with the premiere of this year’s festival trailer, which can be seen nationwide starting August 19th. The three minute film is a spoof of an independent film, taking its cues from “The Aristocrats” which was shown in Oldenburg in 2005: In Aristofrogs a number of actors, among them Bela B., Peter Lohmeyer, Stacy Keach, Ken Russell, Seymour Cassel and Catherine Flemming, find themselves in locations like 5th Avenue, a hotel in Montreal, a garden hut in Hamburg or a frog pond in Vancouver and tell the same joke. The directors of the segments are: John Gallagher, Douglas Buck, Buddy Giovinazzo and Jan Hinrik Drevs. The glory belongs to the joke’s protagonists – a  frog, which captured the hearts of the festival team and found its way into the program.

The reason for the frog-theme is a rather unpleasant one: Just a few weeks ago it was announced by the city council that the 52.500 Euro support by the City Oldenburg is cancelled. Added to that is a scheduled cut in EFRE support by 10.200 Euros, which leaves the festival short more than 60.000 Euros this year. The festival trailer asks the question how much importance we ascribe to cultur in today’s society.

Despite the dramatic financial situation Torsten Neumann offered some highlights from this year’s festival. The “German Independence Award – Best German Film” jury president will be no other than indie icon Deborah Kara Unger. She made her impact on the scene with “Crash” and starred alongside Al Pacino in “88 minutes” as well as with Mel Gibson in “Payback” or with Michael Douglas and Sean Penn in David Fincher’s “The Game”. Deborah Unger comes to Oldenburg not only to preside over the jury but also to present Raul Inglis’ revenge thriller “Takedown”. Another expected guest for this film is Lou Diamond Phillip.

Other highlights from the program are Julio Medem’s poetic erotic “Room in Rome”, a journey through the changing landscape of our souls and passions. The quirky Scandinavian divorce comedy “The House of Branching Love” sees the comeback of Mika Kaurismäki to Oldenburg. Bernard Rose follows the trail of a legendary and sophisticated drug baron in “Mr. Nice”. His very British answer to “Blow” comes across colorful and hip and has brilliant actors in Rhys Ifans and Chloë Sevigny. No matter if they were the Stones, the Sex Pistols or Depeche Mode: Julien Temple made portraits and videos to remember for these bands and shaped pop culture’s collective consciousness. Now the English director embarks on a time travel as he uncovers the secret history of Dr. Feelgood in “Oil City Confidential”. Giada Colagrande’s third feature “A Woman” comes straight from the Lido in Venice to Oldenburg. Her husband Willem Dafoe stars in the role of a very successful writer. And even the frog from the trailer made in into the main program: The cult documentary “Cane Toads – An Unnatural History” finally has a sequel. And to top things off is “Cane Toads – The Conquest” done in 3D. Never before has man’s utter failure to use nature for his own will been seen so scarily close.

Another highlight will be the closing night ceremony headed by the world premiere of “Pound of Flesh” on Sunday September 19th. 75 year old Tamar Simon Hoffs is going to present her film with lead actor Timothy Bottoms in attendance.

We are proud to announce the very good cooperation with out supporters from nordmedia/ EFRE and the City of Oldenburg, as well as our main sponsors OLB – Oldenburgische Landesbank and EWE AG and our sponsors CeWe Color, ACARA Hotel, DPD – Deutscher Paketdienst, Flyerheaven, Männermode Bruns, Audi Zentrum Oldenburg and altera  Hotel & Restaurant. Thanks goes to our partners: CinemaxX Oldenburg, Einrichtungshaus Ullmann, Kottkampp, Kulturetage, sharpness - Agentur für neue Medien. As in the past the Nordwest Zeitung will be our media partner.

Images for the films and the trailer are available from our website’s press section.

We would appreciate it if you could include these program highlights in your respective media. If you have any further questions or need additional material we are glad to assist you.

PR_02: Tribute to Timothy Bottoms | First films

With Timothy Bottoms Oldenburg International Film Festival is honoring an icon of New Hollywood cinema. His classics like “Johnny Got His Gun” or “The Last Picture Show” made him a star at a very young age. Recently the 58year old could be seen in the wonderfully ironic role as George W. Bush in Trey Parker’s cult sitcom “That’s my Bush”.

The first festival films have been confirmed – among them are several premieres.

Timothy Bottoms is one of the unforgettable faces of New Hollywood. With his debut in Dalton Trumbo’s breathtaking and radical anti-war statement “Johnny Got His Gun” which won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 1971 he entered a career spanning more than 65 films, starring alongside Dennis Hopper, Jeff Bridges, Donald Sutherland or Henry Fonda and Richard Widmark. He also appeared in Bogdanovich’s “The Last Picture Show” which was nominated for eight Oscars. Oldenburg International Film Festival presents a tribute to Bottoms and shows his classic hits and great successes as well as his latest film, which sees him starring next to Malcolm McDowell: “Pound of Flesh” is an moral tale without a moral tone. 75year old director Tamar Simon Hoffs is going to present her film as a world premiere in Oldenburg. Her first short film “The Haircut” toured the festival circuit in 1983 and was lauded at Cannes, Toronto and Sundance. She also directed several music videos for The Bangles, whose lead singer Susanna Hoffs is her daughter.

First film highlights of this year’s festival
Two Spanish films are having their German premieres in Oldenburg: Agustí Vila’s complex family portrait “The Mosquito Net” (starring Emma Suárez and Geraldine Chaplin) has just been honored as best film at the Karlovy Vary festival. Eduard Cortes’ heartbreaking and chilling film “Ingrid” follows the steps of its protagonist into a mysterious world between dream and reality. After the worldwide success of his first film “The Living and the Dead” Simon Rumley comes to Oldenburg with an equally disturbing feature. “Red, White & Blue” is the first film from Celluloid Nightmares, a new label formed through the merger of Celluloid Dreams and XYZ Films. Provoking, experimental and shameless are just a few attributes to describe Harmony Korine’s latest masterwork “Trash Humpers”. The film follows four sociopaths into the abyss of American white trash culture. Korine came to fame with the script for Larry Clark’s “Kids” and his cult-debut “Gummo”. The most talked about independent film of the year will be running in Oldenburg as well, when the highly praised sci-fi flick “Monsters” by Gareth Edwards comes to Oldenburg to continue its celebration of original low budget cinema.

Images of the mentioned films are available at
www.filmfest-oldenburg.de/presse/pressedownloads

Online-Streams for selected films
For the first time this year Oldenburg International Film Festival is showing part of its programme online. This is made possible through the co-operation with the online platform MUBI. Users from outside Germany can watch the nominated films for the German Independence Award at home. In German everyone can watch this years short film programme. The offer is free of charge but each film can only be viewed 300 times. Oldenburg INternational Film Festival is the first German festival to enter partnership with renowned video-on-demand platform MUBI.

We would appreciate it of you could include the news about the festival’s guest of honor and information about the first confirmed films in your publications. If you have any further questions we are glad to assist you.

Best regards
Sabina Poppen, Christine Strüver & Team

 

Oldenburg International Film Festival | Contact: +49.441.9250855  | presse(at)filmfest-oldenburg.de | www.filmfest-oldenburg.de

PR_01: Innovations at the 17th Oldenburg International Film Festival

The Oldenburg International Film Festival is the first German festival to showcase a selection of its films online via the video-on-demand platform MUBI.

Also new this year is the introduction of an iPhone app for festival visitors. This mobile festival guide will provide users with quick and conclusive information about films, events and locations during the Oldenburg Festival.

Many international festivals are already in partnership with MUBI, but the honor of being the first German festival invited to team up with MUBI goes to Oldenburg Film Festival. This year a selection of festival films can be seen via online-stream, among them the nominees for the German Independence Award. The offer is free of charge, but limited to 300 views only from outside of Germany.

Festival director Torsten Neumann is delighted about this cooperation: “MUBI is among the highest regarded video-on-demand platforms worldwide for arthouse cinema. To be selected as the first German festival and to be among other partner festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Sao Paulo or Karlovy Vary shows what a high standing Oldenburg has achieved among international festivals. This is another stepping stone for our goal to promote German independent cinema internationally and to give it as wide an audience as possible.”

With one of the best online film libraries MUBI selects strategic partners to add to this impressive catalogue. More than 300.000 cineasts are registered for their services and every two minutes a new member joins. MUBI started in 2008 with just 300 films, which have grown to 1100. The catalogue includes classics and international indies by renown directors such as the Coen brothers, Kitano, Almodóvar, Tarantino or Gus van Sant. But MUBI offers more than films, festivals or exciting retrospectives. They see themselves as a social network for international film fans. Registering with MUBI is free and can be done at: www.mubi.com and watch out http://mubi.com/festivals/oldenburg.

Together with the 2010 festival catalogue at the end of August the festival will for the first time offer its fans the chance to use the Film Festival Oldenburg iPhone app. Just like a personal festival guide the app navigates the festival’s films, helps with the way to locations and reminds of screenings and events. The interactive map and the feature to copy dates directly into the iPhone calendar will make sure that no festival highlight are missed.

The 17th Oldenburg International Film Festival takes place from September 15th to 19th 2010.

We would appreciate if you could include this news in your media. If you have further questions or are in need of additional material we will gladly assist you.

Best regards
Sabina Poppen, Christine Strüver & Team

Internationales Filmfest Oldenburg| Kontakt: +49.441.9250855  | presse@filmfest-oldenburg.de | www.filmfest-oldenburg.de