Newest German films at Istanbul Modern’s fifth screening program

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Hannah Arendt

Istanbul Modern Cinema, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Istanbul, will present a selection of brand new films from Germany for the fifth time, in a 10-day program this month.

A tradition for five years, the screening program includes prominent German films of the year that have won awards in various international festivals. The program is curated by director of the Goethe-Institut Istanbul Claudia Hahn-Raabe, Istanbul Modern Film Programs Coordinator Müge Turan, film critic Engin Ertan, and Film Projects Coordinator at the Goethe-Institut Istanbul Fügen Uğur.

The title for this year’s program is “New Paths.” Films in the selection bring to the screen very different stories in which the characters turn over a new leaf in their lives, attempt a new beginning, or try to look at things from a new perspective.

Two documentaries

The screening program also includes two music documentaries. The first is “We Are Modeselektor,” a documentary about one of the best electronic music groups of our time Modelesektor, who will also have a live performance in Istanbul on June 9 along with the music mockumentary. The second documentary is “Fraktus,” which includes renowned director Fatih Akın among its producers.

Among the other films in the program, “Hannah Arendt,” directed by Margarethe von Trotta, Adolf Eichmann, one of the major organizers of the Holocaust, stands trial in Jerusalem in 1960, watched by renowned philosopher and writer Hannah Arendt watches the trial to report it for the New Yorker.

Actress Barbara Sukowa delivers a stunning performance in the film. Teaming up for the sixth time with her favorite actress Sukowa, director Trotta presents passages from the life of Hannah Arendt, one of the major thinkers of the last century. Winning Sukowa the Lola award for Best Actress, “Hannah Arendt” was also one of the most acclaimed films of the Istanbul Film Festival this year.

Stephan Lacant’s “Free Fall” was the opening film in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section at the Berlin International Film Festival this year and was critically acclaimed. While critics noted the film’s success in drawing attention to the homophobia that exists in a small town and in the police force, “Free Fall” was also compared to “Brokeback Mountain.” Two popular actors in recent German cinema, Hanno Koffler and Max Riemelt, portray to perfection the passion between their characters.

Fatih Akın

In “My Beautiful Country” by Michaela Kezele, Danica lives in poverty with her two sons Vlado and Danilo in a neighborhood mostly inhabited by Serbs. The film won the Best Film and Audience Awards at the Film Festival Turkey/Germany in Nuremberg.

Directed by Lars Jessen, “Fraktus” draws on Rob Reiner’s famous mockumentary “This is Spinal Tap” and is on its way to becoming a cult movie itself. Fraktus is a German band formed in the early 1980s. This music “documentary,” which also includes Fatih Akın among its producers, is one of this year’s most entertaining movies.

Another film in the program, Dietrich Brüggemann’s “Move” follows eight friends in Berlin over the course of a year. Throughout the film this group of young people in their twenties is constantly moving. The moves never end because life always goes on.

David Sieveking’s new film “Forget-Me-Not” preserves an optimistic view of Alzheimer’s disease, old age, and death. The film was critically acclaimed in Germany, invited to many international festivals, and won awards.

Among the other films in the screening program, “Silvi” tells the story of 47-year-old Silvi, who is unexpectedly deserted by her husband. The film is particularly notable for the cast’s naturalistic performance and the film’s humorous style.

The last film to be screened, “You Drive Me Crazy,” is an entertaining documentary by Andrea Thiele about culture clash.