KINO/19 GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL

Venue: Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre

Date: 2019.10.11 - 2019.10.16

Price: Tickets are available at URBTIX now.

KINO/19 GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL

Screening Schedule
11/10 (Fri) 7:30pm Balloon (Opening film)
12/10 (Sat) 2pm Sweethearts
12/10 (Sat) 4:20pm The Most Beautiful Couple
13/10 (Sun) 2pm The Collini Case
13/10 (Sun) 4:30pm Chris the Swiss
13/10 (Sun) 7:30pm A Regular Woman
14/10 (Mon) 7:30pm Gundermann

15/10 (Tue) 7:30pm Roads

16/10 (Wed) 7:30pm The Mover

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KINO returns with a selection of the best and most successful films of German cinema in 2018/ 2019: exciting stories, big emotions and powerful images. We look forward to welcoming you to KINO - there is so much to see!

Our opening film BALLOON tells the story of a dramatic escape from the GDR, a ten years before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Are you a fan of suspense? Then you should not miss THE COLLINI CASE and THE MOVER. The film A REGULAR WOMAN is based on a true story: The "honor killing" of the young Turkish woman in Berlin shook the German public. Do you love buddy-comedies? Then you will enjoy SWEETHEARTS and 25 Km/h. And the journey of the two unequal friends in ROADS shows that sometimes you have to travel very far to find out the truth. In CHRIS THE SWISS, a dangerous search for clues leads back to the Balkan war of the 90s, whose violence is made palpable with threatening black-and-white animations, an award-winning documentary thriller from Switzerland. With six awards, GUNDERMANN is the absolute winner of this year's German Film Award - come and see it at KINO! Let yourself be surprised and find your favourite film in KINO/19.

Balloon (Opening film)
Director: Michael Herbig
Casts: Friedrich Mücke, Karoline Schuch, David Kross

Awards:
Washington DC Filmfest 2019 (Audience Award - Best Feature Film)
Munich International Film Festival 2019 (National Peace Prize of the German film - The Bridge)

Germany │ 2018 │ 125 mins │ German with Chinese and English subtitles │ Colour

11/10 (Fri) 7:30pm

Based on real-life events, this feature film tells the story of a spectacular escape from the German Democratic Republic. In summer 1979, after two years of preparations and planning, the Strezlzyk and Wetzel families want to escape from the GDR in a self-built hot-air balloon. The Strelzyk family goes first, but has to make an emergency landing before they get to cross the border. The damaged balloon gets carried away by the wind. While the family can make if back home safely, both, the Strelzyks as well as the Wetzels know it won’t be long before the Stasi, the dreaded omnipresent secret police, are onto them. Feverishly, they start building a new, more stable balloon to undertake another attempt to escape.

Sweethearts
Director: Karoline Herfurth
Casts: Karoline Herfurth, Hannah Herzsprung, Frederick Lau

Festivals:

Shanghai International Film Festival 2019
Stony Brook Film Festival 2019

Germany │ 2019 │ 107 mins │ German with Chinese and English subtitles │ Colour

12/10 (Sat) 2pm

It's double trouble when fate and an ill-executed diamond robbery throw Mel and Franny together in a race and chase against time. Mel, a professional criminal and single mum looking to pull off her greatest coup, and her nerdy, easily panic-stricken hostage Franny are soon pursued by the relentless detective Ingrid, who always gets her man, or women, at any price. On the run, the mismatched and constantly fighting pair have to dispose of the loot in the face of a Berlin underworld also determined to get its hands on them and the precious stones. As the forces of law and disorder close in, Franny develops a liking for Mel, deciding she is going to help her 'captor'. Mel is far less than enthusiastic, especially given Franny's idea of support. With no choice the odd couple soon become a perfect tag team. But when Mel then adds the good looking cop Harry to her collection of hostages and Franny immediately falls for him, the chaos becomes perfect - with a happy ending looking to be an impossibly long way off.

The Most Beautiful Couple^
Director: Sven Taddicken
Casts: Maximilian Brückner, Luise Heyer, Jasna Fritzi Bauer

Nomination:
Hamburg Film Festival 2018 (Art Cinema Award - Best Feature)
German Film Awards 2019 (Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role)
The Mons International Film Festival 2019 (Grand Prix Awards, Best Acting Award)

Germany │ 2018 │ 98 mins │ German with Chinese and English subtitles │ Colour

12/10 (Sat) 4:20pm

An erotic vacation in Mallorca yields a lingering trauma – a sexual assault that a couple must learn how to cope with. Back in Germany, their relationship is held together by the pretense of normalcy until the perpetrator reappears. Liv wants to forget, forgive and move on; Malte, wracked with guilt and shame, longs for revenge. Will this second tragedy separate them in search of personal truths, or remind them of love that can implode their present to become new together? A harrowing and gripping thriller at its finest.

The Collini Case

Director: Marco Kreuzpaintner
Casts: Elyas M’Barek, Alexandra Maria Lara, Franco Nero

Germany │ 2019 │ 120 mins │ German with Chinese and English subtitles │ Colour

13/10 (Sun) 2pm

Elyas M’Barek is cast as the young German defense lawyer Caspar Leinen in the screen adaptation of Ferdinand von Schirach’s international bestselling courtroom drama "Der Fall Collini" ("The Collini Case").

For over 30 years, Fabrizio Collini has worked diligently for a German carmaker before going and killing a man, seemingly on a whim. It’s a nightmare for lawyer Caspar Leinen, who takes over his case as a court-assigned lawyer: He has a client who won’t talk to him, and an opponent who seems far superior in legendary prosecutor Professor Richard Mattinger. Furthermore, Casper discovers a personal connection to the victim. When he decides to tackle the case anyway, he starts uncovering one of the greatest legal scandals ever, stretching back to World War II. But how much is he willing to sacrifice to expose the truth?

Chris the Swiss

Director: Anja Kofmel
Screenplay: Anja Kofmel

Awards:
Swiss Film Award 2019 (Best Documentary Film, Best Film Score, Best Film Editing)
Zurich Film Awards 2018 (Best Film)

Nominations:
Cannes Film Festival 2018 (Critics' Week Grand Prize, Golden Camera, Golden Eye)

Switzerland / Croatia / Germany / Finland │ 2018 │ 90 mins │ German, Swiss German, English, Spanish with Chinese and English subtitles │ Colour

13/10 (Sun) 4:30pm

Anja Kofmel already admired her cousin Chris as a little girl. His mysterious death in the midst of the wars in Yugoslavia in 1992 still keeps her occupied. Especially as the young Swiss journalist wore the uniform of an international mercenary group at the time of his death. What happened?

As an adult, Anja decides to follow his story. She tries to understand what Chris' actual involvement in this conflict was and takes us on a quest to Croatia. She tells of her journey in a fine mix of documentary and animated film. Chris the Swiss won the Swiss Film Prizes 2019 in three categories. The film has been awarded several prizes, including the Swiss Film Awards 2019 in three categories.

A Regular Woman

Director: Sherry Hormann
Casts: Almila Bagriacik, Rauand Taleb, Meral Perin

Nominations:
German Film Awards 2019 (Best Cinematography)
Tribeca Film Festival 2019 (Best International Narrative Feature)

Germany │ 2019 │92 mins │ German and Turkish with Chinese and English subtitles │Colour

13/10 (Sun) 7:30pm

Inspired by tragic real-life events, A Regular Woman introduces audiences to Hatun "Aynur" Sürücü (Almila Bagriacik), a lively young Turkish woman growing up in Berlin in a devout Muslim family. Forced into an abusive arranged marriage with a cousin in Istanbul at 16, Aynur escapes back to Berlin and gives birth to a son. She is considered a disgraceful burden by her parents and siblings, so Aynur soon leaves her family and attempts to start a new life. Her dramatic struggle ends bloody when her younger brother shoots her in the street in an "honor killing".

Director Sherry Hormann’s unflinching film tells Aynur’s story from the character’s point of view, giving her a voice she never had. Aynur’s narrative voice also reveals the effect of her decisions on her family, rendering the extreme actions that they take in the name of “honor” understandable but no less horrible. Blending stark cinematography with beautiful still imagery (with some pictures featuring the real Hatun "Aynur" Sürücü), A Regular Woman is a unique non-fiction narrative anchored by Bagriacik’s riveting performance.

Gundermann

Director: Andreas Dresen
Casts: Alexander Scheer, Anna Unterberger, Axel Prahl

Awards:
Bavaria Film Prize 2019 (Best Leading Actor)
German Film Awards 2019 (Best Film: Gold, Best Directing, Best Screenplay, Best Leading Actor, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design)

Germany │ 2018 │ 128 mins │ German with Chinese and English subtitles │Colour

14/10 (Mon) 7:30pm

Andreas Dresen one of Germany’s most prominent filmmakers, returned to Germany's recent past with his portrait of the contradictory life of the digger driver Gerhard Gundermann who made a name for himself as a singer-songwriter in former East Germany, tragically dying at only 43 in 1998.

Gerhard Gundermann wants to be a hard worker, good husband, caring father, artist, clown, politician – all at the same time. He is hero and anti-hero, a walking contradiction, a dazzling figure typical of the former East Germany – or not. People everywhere like him, even as they are offended by him. In Germany, the film was a box-office hit while critics hailed it as an outstandingly honest portrait of living in an oppressive society.

Roads

Director: Sebastian Schipper
Casts: Fionn Whitehead, Stéphane Bak, Moritz Bleibtreu

Nomination:
Tribeca Film Festival 2019 (Best International Narrative Feature)

Germany, France │ 2018 │ 99 mins │ English with Chinese subtitles │Colour

15/10 (Tue) 7:30pm

Two extremely unlike young men meet in Morocco: 18-year-old Gyllen was supposed to be on a family vacation with his mother and stepfather, but then he decided to "borrow" the luxury RV of his parents and to take off on his own. William, who hails from Congo, is also 18 years old and tries to make the passage to Europe, where he hopes to find his missing brother. Together, the two go on a trip that will take them across half of Europe and will change their lives.

The Mover

Director: David Nawrath
Casts: Rainer Bock, Albrecht Schuch, Uwe Preuss

Awards:
Torino Film Festival 2018 (Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Prize - International Competition, Special Jury Award, Prize of the City of Torino - Best Actor, Best Feature Film)

Germany │ 2018 │ 100 mins │ German with Chinese and English subtitles │Colour

16/10 (Wed) 7:30pm

Walter is a 60-year-old mover for forced evictions. He is the best and most loyal hauler that Walter’s boss Roland Grone employs at his house moving company. Grone is planning a risky real estate deal that involves money laundering for a notorious family clan. The tenants of an inner-city apartment building are to be evicted and the house re-sold with a huge profit. However, one remaining tenant refuses to leave his home. Walter recognizes the stubborn young man as the son he abandoned decades ago and hasn’t seen since. Not revealing himself as his long lost father, Walter tries to get close to his adult son Jan and Jan’s family. Once he realizes how dangerous the men Grone is mixed up with really are, Walter is already caught in the middle. His attempts to keep Jan out of danger end in disaster.

^The Most Beautiful Couple has been censored and classified as Category III by the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration. Persons who are under 18 are not permitted.
Refunds will be made to ticket holders under 18 years of age, if their tickets were purchased before the announcement.

Forms for Refund application will be available from the day of announcement until 28 Oct 2019 at the box office of Hong Kong Arts Centre. Completed application forms should be returned to the Box Office at 2/F, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai on or before 28 Oct 2019 (Monday). Refund cheques will be sent to ticket holders by post. (Any services charges will not be refunded.

Tickets are now available at URBTIX.

Ticket price of Opening film: Balloon: $95 / $76*

Ticket price: $80 / $64*

*20% off discount for full-time students, senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and the minder and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. Tickets for CSSA recipients available on a first-come-first-served basis. Concessionary ticket holders must produce evidence of their identity or age upon admission
*20% off for each purchase of 4 or more standard tickets
*20% off discount to Goethe-Institut Hongkong’s students with a valid discount letter (Not applicable to opening film, internet and telephone booking)

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Credit card telephone booking: 2111 5999

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Presenter: Goethe-Institut Hongkong
In collaboration with: Hong Kong Arts Centre

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