16/06/2006

As announced by Vision Kino on June 6, the president of the Federal Republic, Horst Köhler, has decided to sponsor the network, which was set up in February 2005 with the objective of providing film training to German school children.

The financial backing will "honour the efforts of all institutions, establishments, teachers and pupils committed to developing film and media culture," said Vision Kino director Sarah Duve. The president’s support also contributes towards the importance of cinema in cultural training.

On an initiative of Köhler’s, a screening of The Lives of Others [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Henckel von Donners…
interview: Ulrich Muehe
film profile] is set to take place today, June 16, at Bonn’s German Modern History Museum, which will be attended by the president himself along with the film’s director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and actress Martina Gedeck, as well as pupils from several schools.

Vision Kino, financed by the BKM (Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien) and the FFA (Filmförderungsanstalt) also used the occasion of the June 6 press release to reveal the members on its new managerial board, which includes Minister of Culture Bernd Neumann, Brandenburg State President Matthias Platzeck, actress and president of the German Film Academy Senta Berger, producer of children’s films and director of Bavaria Filmverleih und Produktion Uschi Reich, specialist in politics education Thomas Krüger and director Tomy Wigand.

(Translated from French)