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FILMFEST MÜNCHEN 2019

Filmfest München gears up for its 37th edition

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- This year’s festival will present alternative concepts of reality and innovative variations on international genre cinema

Filmfest München gears up for its 37th edition
Bacurau by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles

Boasting a multifaceted programme, Germany’s second most important festival is ready for its 37th edition, which will take place from 27 June-6 July in the Bavarian capital of Munich. This year, Filmfest München will be showing 180 recent films from 62 countries (including 118 German and 48 world premieres). The movie that will have the honour of opening the festival this year is Riley Stearns' US comedy The Art of Self-Defense, which stars Jesse Eisenberg in the leading role. Furthermore, both Antonio Banderas and Ralph Fiennes will be honoured with the CineMerit Award at the festival’s 37th edition. The overarching themes among this year's movies include alternative concepts of reality and innovative variations on international genre cinema.

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“This year's festival begins the expansion that we announced last year. We are delighted that in 2019, we're already able to break new ground and look to the future by introducing the prestigious CineCoPro Award and a new virtual-reality section,” says Filmfest München director Diana Iljine. “Additionally, in our two retrospectives this year, we will be honouring Bong Joon Ho and Mads Brügger, two critical directors whose work reflects the current state of international cinema, and whose films masterfully combine entertainment and sophistication.”

In the CineMasters section, pictures by internationally acclaimed directors (with the exception of German filmmakers) will be competing for the ARRI/OSRAM Award (services from ARRI and OSRAM worth €50,000). Abounding in titles that celebrated their world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, this year’s CineMasters selection includes Bacurau [+see also:
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interview: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juli…
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by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles (Brazil/France), Between Two Waters [+see also:
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interview: Isaki Lacuesta
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by Isaki Lacuesta (Spain/Switzerland/Romania), Blaze by Ethan Hawke (USA), Cold Case Hammarskjöld [+see also:
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interview: Mads Brügger
interview: Mads Brügger
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by Mads Brügger (Denmark/Norway/Sweden/Belgium), An Easy Girl [+see also:
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interview: Rebecca Zlotowski
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by Rebecca Zlotowski (France), Fire Will Come [+see also:
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interview: Óliver Laxe
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by Oliver Laxe (Spain/France/Luxembourg), Liberté [+see also:
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by Albert Serra (France/Spain/Portugal/Germany), Peterloo [+see also:
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interview: Mike Leigh
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by Mike Leigh (UK), The Place of No Words by Mark Webber (USA) and Parasite by Bong Joon Ho (South Korea), this year’s Palme d’Or winner.

Furthermore, this edition’s CineVision Competition will feature ten films by emerging international filmmakers: Angelo [+see also:
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interview: Markus Schleinzer
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by Markus Schleinzer (Austria/Luxembourg), Animals [+see also:
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by Sophie Hyde (UK/Australia/Ireland), The Art of Self-Defense by Riley Stearns, The Climb by Michael Angelo Covino (USA), Judy and Punch by Mirrah Foulkes (Australia), Land of Ashes [+see also:
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by Sofía Quirós Ubeda (Costa Rica/Chile/Argentina/France), The Man Who Surprised Everyone [+see also:
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by Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov (Russia/Estonia/France), Manta Ray [+see also:
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by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng (Thailand/France/China), Song Without a Name [+see also:
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by Melina León (Peru/Spain/Switzerland) and Winter After Winter by Jian Xing (China).

For the first time, nine co-productions involving German co-producers will be competing for the CineCoPro Award, a prize endowed with €100,000. The selection of this newly created competitive section includes Gaza [+see also:
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by Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell (Germany/Ireland/Canada/UK), Yesterday [+see also:
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by Bálint Kenyeres (Hungary/Germany/France/Netherlands/Sweden/Morocco), The Invisible Life of Euridíce Gusmāo [+see also:
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interview: Karim Aïnouz
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by Karim Aïnouz (Brazil/Germany), It Must Be Heaven [+see also:
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interview: Elia Suleiman
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by Elia Suleiman (France/Germany/Canada/Turkey/Qatar), The Orphanage [+see also:
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interview: Shahrbanoo Sadat
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by Shahrbanoo Sadat (Denmark/Germany/Luxembourg/France/Afghanistan), Saturday Afternoon by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (Bangladesh/India/Germany), Stay Still [+see also:
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by Elisa Mishto (Germany), The Traitor [+see also:
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Q&A: Marco Bellocchio
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by Marco Bellocchio (Italy/France/Germany/Brazil) and Corneliu Porumboiu’s The Whistlers [+see also:
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interview: Corneliu Porumboiu
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(Romania/France/Germany).

At its 37th edition, the Filmfest München will also present its first-ever section for virtual reality (in collaboration with the Bavarian Film Centre). Titled Virtual Worlds, the new section features a selection of the most innovative and important international VR experiences.

Finally, 18 movies by emerging German filmmakers will compete in the New German Cinema section of the festival, which will also showcase a variety of films for children and television productions.

The complete programme can be found here.

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