14/01/2003

The 24th Max Ophüls opened yesterday (13 January) in Saarbruecken, Germany with the first screening of the Austrian candidate for this year’s best foreign language Oscar, Gebürtig by Lukas Stepanik and Robert Schindel.
The Max Ophüls festival has a well-deserved reputation for launching new talent and this year’s programme includes 158 films which will be screened in three of the city’s theatres until 19 January.
17 films (11 from Germany, 4 from Austria and 2 from Switzerland) will compete for the Ophüls Prize of Euros 36,000. The Austrian contingent includes Michael Pfeifenberger’s 011 Beograd, Bernhard Weirather’s Ikarus, Peter Payer’s Ravioli starring Alfred Dorfer, Kaltfront by Valentin Hitz. The German selection features Kiss and Run by Annette Ernst, Mein erstes Wunder (My First Miracle) by Anne Wild, Country No One by Kai Ehlers, Das Verlangen (The Longing) by Iain Dilthey, Out of Edeka by Konstantin Faigle, Scherbentanz by Chris Kraus, Schwabenkinder by Jo Baier Soldatenglück und Gottes Segen by Ulrike Franke and Michael Loeken.
The wining film will be screened during the Berlin International Film Festival. Germany’s state broadcaster ZDF and the Saarland Television will reward the best screenplay with a cash prize of Euros13,000 and a jury of students will also vote for their favourite film.