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RELEASES Germany

Vampires, a bear, and two emperors under the Christmas tree

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- Still a few surprises in store before the New Year: Wolfgang Groos' story of vampire sisters, this year's Golden Bear, as well as Peter Sehr and Marie Noëlle's biopic Ludwig II

Sony Pictures wanted to make one last present to young Germans before the New Year. Now out in cinemas is Wolfgang GroosDie Vampirschwestern [+see also:
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, a Claussen + Wöbke + Putz production that, instead of the bloody element of most vampire stories, contains lots of humour. The Tepes family, made up of a vampire father (Stipe Erceg), human mother (Christiane Paul), and their 12-year-old daughters Dakaria and Silvania, one with short brown hair and the other with long red hair, leave Transylvania for a more "normal" life in Germany. But, for the two sisters, it's hard spending the whole day at school when they are not allowed to fly, and it's even harder making friends! 

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Warner has a title of a different genre up its sleeve, and it's one that is very well adapted to the Christmas holidays: 143-minute historical drama Ludwig II [+see also:
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, a biopic written and directed by Peter Sehr and his wife Marie Noëlle. This Franco-German-Austrian co-production produced by Bavaria stars Sabin Tembrea and Sebastian Schipper in the main role at different ages and Hannah Herzsprung as Empress Sissi. 

Camino has waited for the end of the year to offer the German public a golden film: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's 2012 Berlinale Golden Bear winner Caesar Must Die [+see also:
film review
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interview: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
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And Filmgalerie 451 hasn't played all its cards yet either. The production and distribution company has released Frieder Schlaich's film for teenagers Weil ich schöner bin. Based on a true story, the film centres on a 13-year-old illegal immigrant from Colombia who has become too attached to life in Berlin to leave.

Other European films to wrap up the year include two documentaries: Malik Bendjelloul's Anglo-Swedish co-production Searching For Sugar Man about the death of singer Sixto Rodriguez (distr. Rapid Eye Movies) and an Anglo-German title about wind and water artist Susumu Shingu, Thomas Riedelsheimer's Breathing Earth (distr. Piffl).

 
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(Translated from French)

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