Goethe-Institut New Zealand is bringing the German Film Festival back for its 7th turn, delivering ten quality German films this September.
Films from Austria and Switzerland as well as Germany will screen in Auckland (8-13 Sept), Wellington (15-19 Sept), Dunedin (26-27 Sept) and also New Plymouth (29 Sept-4 Oct), where the German Film Festival is making its debut this year.
Appropriately, on the anniversary of German Re-unification, the festival kicks off with Bornholmer Strasse, a film about that memorable night of the 9th November, 1989 when the Wall came down.
The highly-debated selection features a mixture of other historical films including a documentary about Berlin in the wild 1980s B-Movie: Lust and Sound in West-Berlin, the drama 13 Minutes – which tells the story of Georg Elser who failed to kill Hitler in 1939 – and films about present day life in Germany such as the tale of young Cindy, who grows up in a suburb of Berlin and is bullied by her classmates in Schönefeld Boulevard.
Tour de Force deals with the subject of Euthanasia, currently topical in both Germany and New Zealand. This heart-rending film grapples with the complexities families and friends face when a suffering loved one wishes to end their life.
The programme also offers gripping thrillers, comedies and a children’s feature that both younger and older viewers will enjoy. Lola on the Pea captures the pain and joy of childhood with honesty, humour and a big heart. School screenings may be arranged if booked a week in advance.
All ten films will screen in their original language with English subtitles.
The full programme, with schedule, is available online at: www.goethe.de/nz
