On November 15th, the 2024 Festival of German Cinema, presented by German Films and Goethe-Institut China, opened at Beijing Broadway Cinematheque. At the opening ceremony, Ms. Simone Baumann, Managing Director of German Films, Ms. Anke Redl, German Films Representative in China, Mr. Robin Mallick, Director of Goethe-Institut China, and Dr. Patricia Flor, the German Ambassador to China, expressed their best wishes for the festival.
Mr. Robin Mallick, Behrooz Karamizade, Dr. Patricia Flor, Ms. Anke Redl, Anna Janus
Host of the evening, Anke Redl welcomed everyone to the opening ceremony of 2024 and thanked everyone for coming. The aim of the festival is to show a diverse range of German films, which will not only impress the audience but also lead to discussion and explore topics from different angles.
Ms. Anke Redl
Dr. Patricia Flor, the German Ambassador to China, expressed her gratitude to German Films and Goethe-Institut China for hosting this film festival and for selecting all the excellent films. The Festival celebrates the long and rich tradition and the diversity of German movies. The history goes back to the expressionist masterworks of the early 20th century and a creative new tradition in the 1970s. There are films about equality and diversity, urgent political issues, such as climate change and environmental destruction, or about freedom and human rights. She extended the hope that the subjects of the movies will trigger additional and deep thinking.
Dr. Patricia Flor
Simone Baumann sent her greetings through a video and expressed her gratitude for the organizers of the festival, including German Films, Goethe-Institut China and Broadway Cinemas. This year marks the 70th anniversary of German Films, so they’re going to screen some of the most successful German films of all time and hope everyone will enjoy them.
Ms. Simone Baumann
Robin Mallick said, ”I’m very happy that we’re able to present to you a diverse selection of German cinema from the last one and a half years, as well as some of the all-time classics.” He also welcomes the audience to come to Broadway Cinema as often as possible, as well as to the Goethe-Institut China for special screenings and talks with directors and actors during the upcoming 9 days. Beyond Beijing, the festival will also come to Chengdu starting next week, and hopefully soon in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Mr. Robin Mallick
The 2024 Festival of German Cinema opened with Empty Nets, which was selected for the Competition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2023 and won the Special Jury Prize. In the same year, the film was also selected for the “Hidden Dragon” section of the 7th Pingyao International Film Festival, where it was awarded the Roberto Rossellini Honor - Special Mention. Behrooz Karamizade, the director of Empty Nets, came to the Beijing screening site and had a post-screening Q&A with the audience. The Q&A session was hosted by film critique, curator and KOL Yu Mengjiao.
Q&A of the opening film: Yu Mengjiao, Behrooz Karamizade, Zhang Zheng
The festival will screen 15 films, 12 of which are new films completed between 2023 and 2024, dealing with a variety of subjects, which have made a mark at festivals and have also scored well at the German domestic box office. In addition to Empty Nets, the programme includes the Academy Award nominee for the Best International Film The Teachers' Lounge, the film Subject: Filmmaking, which was selected for the Special Screening section of Berlin International Film Festival 2024, Not a Word, which was nominated for the Best Film at Beijing International Film Festival 2024, and Another German Tank Story, which was nominated for the Best Film at Shanghai International Film Festival 2024, The Theory of Everything, a Competition film of the 2023 Venice International Film Festival.
Opening Reception of the 2024 FGC
In addition, the festival will also feature three classic German films, including Wings of Desire directed by Wim Wenders and winner of the Best Director Award at Cannes International Film Festival; Toni Erdmann, a comedy-drama directed by Maren Ade and selected as one of the best films of the decade by Cahiers du Cinéma; and Good Bye Lenin!, directed by Wolfgang Becker and selected in the Competition of the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival. All three films will be screened at the Goethe-Institut China. As a special guest of the Festival, the director of Empty Nets, Behrooz Karamizade, will also be present at a panel discussion held at the Goethe-Institut China. As in previous years, we are honored to have invited two scholars from China - Li Xun and Che Lin - to serve as advisors for this year's festival. They will provide professional insights into the films to be screened based on cultural exchange between China and Germany, connecting the past and the present.
Jury: Li Xun, Che Lin
This year marks the 70th anniversary of German Films, which has consistently demonstrated its dedication to promoting German cinema on a global scale. Since its inception, the Festival of German Cinema in China has screened many films (in the Cinema Section and the Special Screening Section) in a wide range of genres, including drama, documentary, comedy, thriller, experimental video and interactive film. German Cinema in China aims to continuously bring the latest German-language releases to Chinese audiences and to build a platform for exchange between movie fans and creators in both countries. Let's delve into the fascination of German cinema on the big screen for the next two weeks!
日程安排
Screening & Event Schedule
百老汇影城排片
Broadway Cinemas Schedule
歌德学院排片
Goethe-Institut China Schedule
活动时间如有变动，以各平台/机构线上发布信息为准。
The screening schedule is subject to change. Please confirm screening times on the official platforms.