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RELEASES Germany

European cinema bites back

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Up against new releases from US majors and two 3D horror films (Scar, distributed by Fantasia Film, and Turkish title Cehennem, distributed by Kinostar), several distributors are hoping for success with attractive European auteur films.

First up is Alamode, which is launching UK street artist Banksy’s cinematic sensation Exit Through the Gift Shop [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, a “happening” which had a very special screening at this year’s Berlinale and can be interpreted on several different levels (see review).

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Meanwhile, Arsenal Institut is releasing Italian director Pietro Marcello’s The Mouth of the Wolf [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pietro Marcello
film profile
]
, another title presented at Berlin (followed by many other festivals), where it won the Teddy Award.

Concorde’s latest release hails from Ireland: Ondine [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
. The film by Neil Jordan (Breakfast on Pluto [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
) stars Colin Farrell in the role (which earned him an IFTA Award in February) of a fisherman who finds a woman in his nets, believing she is a mermaid. The film picked up a total of four IFTA awards out of eight nominations.

As for local productions, German audiences will get the chance to discover Kleinstatthelden, written and directed by Marc Schaumburg. This ode to nice "losers" centres on Janosch, a young lad who has given up university and his dreams of becoming a musician. Shamefaced, he returns to his parents’ house for the weekend. This ACCOMM Entertainment production is distributed by Six Star Films.

Finally, Senator is releasing Rex Bloomstein’s German/UK documentary This Prison Where I Live (co-produced by Rex Entertainment with Munich-based company Yo Mani Media Productions), about Burma, actor Maung Thura’s imprisonment by the dictatorship and German actor Michael Mittermeier’s commitment to the country’s cause.

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(Translated from French)

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