4th German Film Week in Manila Features 12 Full-Length Films

A roster of German films will yet again grace the big screens around the country as the 4th German Film Week officially commences on November 6, 2019 in SM Manila Cinema 6.

Balloon (2018)
November 6, 7 p.m. (SM City Manila)
November 7, 9:30 p.m. (SM City Manila and SM Megamall)

The 4th German Film Week is opened by the film Balloon (2018), which tells the true events of how families attempt to escape from the German Democratic Republic by means of a hot-air balloon. This film was deemed the Best Feature Film during the Washington DC Film Fest 2019.  

 

25 KM/H (2018)
November 7, 7 p.m. (SM City Manila)
November 9, 7 p.m. (SM Megamall)

Recipient of the Best Comedic Achievement in German Film award in 2018, 25 KM/H follows the adventure of brothers Lars Eidinger and Bjarne Mädel as they traverse Germany in their mopeds or small motorcycles following their father’s funeral. They gradually come to realize that above all, blood is indeed thicker than water.

100 Things (2018)
November 10, 7 p.m. (SM City Manila)
November 12, 7 p.m. (SM Megamall)

When all of your possessions are taken away from you and you can only get one thing back each day, what would you do? 100 Things embodies this question through the characters of Paul and Toni, who are both deeply attached to their material possessions and are shackled by consumerism.

Notably, this film was esteemed as the Best Screenplay at the Roma Gala in Austria this 2019.

A Regular Woman (2019)
November 8, 7 p.m. (SM Megamall)
November 12, 7 p.m. (SM City Manila)

This film lays on the table the struggles of a German mother as she tries to lead a free, self-determined life away from the dominating power of her family that shackles her.

All About Me (2019)
November 7, 7 p.m. (SM Megamall)
November 11, 7 p.m. (SM City Manila)

All About Me is a film adaptation of the autobiography of German entertainer Hape Kerkeling. It tells the story of how a boy with a natural flair in making people laugh takes his family’s misfortune to his comedic advantage.

Some of the many awards the film garnered include Highest Grossing Film of the Year and Outstanding Feature Film in the German Film Awards 2019, as well as Best Cinematography and Best Direction at the Romy Gala in Austria.

Barbara (2012)
November 8, 9:30 p.m. (SM Megamall)
November 12, 9:30 p.m. (SM City Manila)

This film centralizes on a doctor in the capital named Barbara, who was demoted to a small town when she applied to emigrate to the West. But in the countryside, she started to lose her grip on herself, her plans, and her heart especially following her encounter with her news boss André.

Barbara was a recipient of notable awards such as Reader Jury of the Berliner Morgenpost in the Berlinale 2012, and Outstanding Feature Film at the German Film Awards 2012.

Berlin Blues (2003)
November 7, 9:30 p.m. (SM City Manila)
November 9, 9:30 p.m. (SM Megamall)

Frank, who’s known as Mr. Lehmann, is a prominent person in the group of social misfits in Kreuzberg district during the 1989 West Berlin.

When he turned 30, he was still tending to his heart that was broken by a woman named Katrina. But since that time coincides with the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, he cannot help but be inspired especially as he joins the celebration induced by the historic event.

Cold Feet (2018)
November 9, 7 p.m. (SM City Manila)
November 11, 7 p.m. (SM Megamall)

What was planned as a robbing stint became a caretaking episode for the petty criminal Denis. This is after he found himself entangled in a curious mix-up that rendered him as a caretaker for his robbery subject, Raimund.

Good Bye, Lenin (2003)
November 8, 7 p.m. (SM City Manila)
November 10, 7 p.m. (SM Megamall)

To keep his mother’s health at bay after being unconscious for eight months, Alex tried his best to turn their house into the East Germany that she remembers⁠. However, things did not go as planned as her mother leaves her bed one day.

Good Bye, Lenin was esteemed as the Best European Film at the European Film Awards 2003, as well as the Outstanding Feature Film at the German Film Awards 2003, among others.

Gundermann (2018)
November 9, 9:30 p.m. (SM City Manila)
November 11, 9:30 p.m. (SM Megamall)

This music film follows Gerhard Gundermann, a rebel who took on many⁠⁠ faces including that of a poet, a clown, a loyal husband, and an idealist. Most of all, a spy who was eventually spied on.

Gundermann bagged multiple awards at the German Film Awards 2019 such as Outstanding Feature Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

The Keeper (2018)
November 8, 9:30 p.m. (SM City Manila)
November 10, 9:30 p.m. (SM Megamall)

During a fateful football match with other captives of the British, goalkeeper Bernd Trautmann piqued the interest of Jack Friar, who was the manager of an amateur club. As he showed his flair in the sports, he was eventually signed to play for Man City FC. This sparked an outrage⁠, supposedly due to the signing of the “Nazi.”

The Keeper traverses Trautmann’s journey to acceptance. Notably, it was the recipient of the Best Production accolade of Bavarian Film Awards 2019.

The Lives of Others (2006)
November 8, 9:30 p.m. (SM City Manila)
November 10, 9:30 p.m. (SM Megamall)

When Party-loyalist Captain Gerd Wiesler took on the business of collecting evidence against the playwright Georg Dreyman and his girlfriend—the celebrated theater actress Christa-Maria Sieland, he did not know that he would open a completely new way of life that he will have more trouble resisting.

Also read: See The Philippines Through German Eyes Exhibit in Makati

Before entering the cinema halls, remember to get the sheet of paper containing quiz questions to get a raffle entry for a trip to Germany!

Tickets to the Metro Manila screenings are only Php 100 each, available at the SM Cinema counters of the participating malls, SM Cinema website, and the SM Cinema App.

Further, these films will also be screened in select cinemas across Baguio, Cagayan De Oro, and Cebu.

For more information, you may visit Goethe Institut’s website. 

Details

What: 4th German Film Week
Where: SM City Manila and SM Megamall
When: November 6 to 12, 2019
Website: goethe.de/ins/ph/de/index.html
Facebook: facebook.com/goetheinstitut.philippinen
Ticket information: Php 100 for each film screening

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Source: Goethe Institut’s official press release and website
Featured image grabbed from Goethe Institut’s Facebook and website