23/10/2006

Two German productions are vying for the top prize of the International Feature Film Competition for the first time in the AFI Fest's 20th anniversary edition (November 1-12) in Los Angeles.

Aelrun Goette, who won a Lola at the German Film Awards two years ago for her stirring documentary The Children Are Dead, will be onhand to present her feature film debut Under the Ice to audiences. The festival is also screening the German-international co-production Grbavica [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Barbara Albert
interview: Jasmila Zbanic
film profile] by Jasmila Zbanic, which is now in the running for Bosnia-Herzegovina for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination.

Further German films selected in the festival’s other sections include, in the International Short Film Competition, Fair Trade by Michael Dreher, Mr. Schwartz, Mr. Hazen and Mr. Schwartz And Mr. Horlocker by Stefan Mueller and Wigald by Timon Modersohn; and in the World Cinema section, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s The Lives of Others [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Henckel von Donners…
interview: Ulrich Muehe
film profile], Germany's entry for the Oscar nomination, which will be released in the US by Sony Pictures Classics on February 23, 2007.

Moreover, the film Four Minutes by Chris Kraus has been invited to Los Angeles and will be represented by lead actress Hannah Herzsprung.

The AFI FEST is one of the most important film festivals in the US and has only recently become the only US festival to be recognised by the FIAPF.

The American Film Market (AFM) – where German Films will organise an umbrella stand – is being held in Santa Monica in conjunction with the festival. The following world sales companies are represented there: Action Concept Film & Stuntproduktion, Bavaria Film International, Kinowelt International, The Match Factory and Sola Media.