15/11/2007

Full houses and strong audience interest were the end result of the sixth German Panorama at the Warsaw International Film Festival (October 12-21) and the Days of German Cinema (October 26-November 1), held after the festival in Krakow.

In Warsaw, over 3,500 cinemagoers saw the 13 German films in the Panorama focus, which was opened in festive manner by German Ambassador Michael H. Gerdts and Ann-Kristin Reyels’ Hounds [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. The film’s lead actress Luise Berndt and producer Fabian Pöhlmann participated in a Q&A with the audience after the screening.

A further highlight at the festival was the Polish premiere of Robert Thalheim’s And Along Come Tourists [+see also:
trailer
interview: Alexander Fehling
film profile], which ran in the New Films, New Directors competition. The director was joined by the two lead actors, Ryszard Ronczewski and Alexander Fehling, and producer Britta Knoeller for the presentation and a discussion with audiences following the sold-out screening. This is a promising sign for the film's Polish release, scheduled by local distributor SPI Polska for 2008.

Also very well attended were the screenings of the documentary Havanna – Die Neue Kunst, Ruinen Zu Bauen by Florian Borchmeyer and Matthias Hentschler. The film not only found favour with the Warsaw audience but perhaps a Polish distributor as well, met during the Distributors’ Lunch organised by German Films.

Filmmakers Michael Schorr (Schroeder's Wonderful World), Volker Koepp (Sons), and Claudia Lehmann (a director of shorts, including Memoryeffekt) were also pleased about the lively discussions with Polish audiences. Screening in the Master’s Touch section, the premiere of Volker Schloendorff's Ulzhan [+see also:
trailer
film profile] also played to a big crowd, in the presence of the director.

A part of the Warsaw programme was subsequently presented at the Days of German Cinema organised by German Films with the Nuernberg-Haus in Krakow.