2015 Berlin & Beyond Film Festival in Honolulu

Post date: Oct 17, 2015 1:57:54 AM

New Venue at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Welcomes America’s Largest Film Festival of Contemporary German Film with Third Annual Showcase of Thought-Provoking and Award-Winning Cinema.

Thursday, October 15, 2015 (San Francisco, CA)

The Goethe-Institut San Francisco, in collaboration with the German Language Program at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and the Honorary Consuls of the Federal Republic of Germany and Switzerland in Honolulu - under the auspices of the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in San Francisco and the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco, proudly present the third festival of films from German-speaking countries:Berlin & Beyond Honolulu, November 6-8, 2015, at the University’s Art Auditorium.

The auditorium is located in the University’s Art Building, located at 2535 McCarthy Mall, room ART 132, Honolulu, HI, 96822.

The cinematic program brings forth personal and timely stories of people living on the edge, endeavoring to find answers and solutions. All seven films will be presented as premiere screenings in the state of Hawaii. Among them are: Edward Berger’s compelling troubled youth drama “Jack”, winner of the 2015 German Film Award Best Film in Silver, on Opening Night; Bora Dagektin’s irreverent school comedy “Fack ju Göhte”, one of the biggest box office hits in German cinema history; Boran bo Odar’s hacking thriller and blockbuster hit “Who Am I: No System is Safe”, which the American studio giant Warner Bros. acquired the rights to remake.

Festival Schedule

November 6, 2015

• • 6:00 PM – Opening Reception

  • 7:30 PM – Opening Night Film: Jack – 103 mins.

November 7, 2015

• • 4:00 PM - Tibetan Warrior – 84 mins.

  • 6:00 PM - Inbetween Worlds – 98 mins.

  • 8:30 PM - Fack ju Göhte – 118 mins.

November 8, 2015

• • 3:00 PM - Best Chance – 104 mins.

  • 5:00 PM - Unlikely Heroes – 94 mins.

  • 7:30 PM - Closing Night Film:  Who Am I: No System is Safe – 105 mins.

Prior to the first screening, the 6:00 PM Opening Night Reception will celebrate the festival’s return with German-inspired appetizers, wine, and beer.

Ticketing Information

• • Admission per film: $9.00 general; $8.00 seniors; $7.00 students.

  • Opening Reception: $15.00 general public. No discounts.

  • Festival Pass (all films + reception): $60.00 general; $50.00 seniors; $40.00 students.

  • Available in advance online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/profile/98451

Complete Film Information (in order of screening)

OPENING NIGHT FILM Jack

Friday, November 6, 2015 at 7:30 PM

Directed by Edward Berger. Germany. 2014. 103 minutes. German with English subtitles.

Hawaii Premiere

Winner of the 2015 German Film Award Best Film in Silver. Berlin-based and New York-trained director Edward Berger delivers a pleasingly non-judgmental yet stirring tale about courage and responsibility. Jack runs. Everything he does is infused with purpose, every muscle in his taut little body focused on getting things done. Getting up on time, waking his little brother Manuel, going to school, preparing dinner – all a lot for a child, but with a single mother, Sanna, who's sweet, girlish and utterly unable to cope, Jack runs the house – and runs it well. Until an accident breaks their little community apart: Child Welfare assigns Jack to a state-run home. When the holidays arrive, but Sanna doesn't pick him up and another boy bullies him with tragic results, he flees on foot across the vast expanse of Berlin. To Sanna, who is nowhere to be found, he picks up Manuel from a friend of his mother's, and crisscrosses the city in search of his mother. Jack runs into trouble. The two boys need food, rest, sleep, but Jack keeps going, fear and anguish written in his face, desperately searching for Sanna, desperate to avoid being sent back to the home. Jack runs out of steam. After what seems like an eternity, Jack finds Sanna. And comes to a drastic realization...

Starring Ivo Pietzcker, Georg Arms, Luise Heyer, Vincent Redetzki, Jakob Matschenz, Nele Mueller-Stöfen

Tibetan Warrior

Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 4:00 PM

Documentary Film.

Directed by Dodo Hunziker. Switzerland, India. 2015. 84 minutes. English. Hawaii Premiere

The true story of one man's fight for freedom. For more than 60 years Tibetans have been fighting Chinese oppression, but their non-violent struggle appears to be in vain. Now, as a new form of peaceful protest, Tibetans are setting themselves on fire. Loten Namling – an exiled Tibetan and musician living in Switzerland – is deeply disturbed by such self-destructive action. So he sets off from Europe to India, on a one-man mission to meet top politicians, experts and young radicals. He himself becomes increasingly radical and is on the verge of violent protest. Finally he ends up at The Office of the Dalai Lama in India to seek the advice of the exiled Tibetan leader.

Inbetween Worlds (Zwischen Welten) Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 6:00 PM

Directed by Feo Aladag. Germany. Filmed in Afghanistan. 2014. 98 minutes. German, English, Dari and Pashto with English subtitles.

Hawaii Premiere

Official Selection, 2014 Berlin International Film Festival Competition. German soldier Jesper (Ronald Zehrfeld) signs up for a mission in Afghanistan, despite having lost his brother during an operation in the war-torn country. Jesper and his squad are assigned to protect a village outpost from increasing Taliban influence. With the help of young and inexperienced interpreter Tarik (Abdul Salam Yosofzai), Jesper seeks the trust of the local community and the allied Afghani militia. More than ever, he discovers the immense differences between the two worlds. When the lives of Tarik and his sister Nala are threatened by the Taliban, conflicted Jesper is torn between his military obligations and his conscience.

Starring Ronald Zehrfeld, Abdul Salam Yosofzai, Saida Barmaki, Salam Yosofzai, Burghart Klaußner, Felix Kramer

Fack ju Göhte (Suck Me Shakespeer)

Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 8:30 PM

Directed by Bora Dağtekin. Germany. 2013. 118 minutes. German with English subtitles.

Hawaii Premiere

Winner of the 2014 German Film Award’s Audience Award for Highest Grossing German Film of the Year. Somebody built a school gym directly over the stolen cash his table-dancing girlfriend Charlie buried for him. And now, ex-con Zeki Müller has no choice but to pass himself off as a substitute teacher at the Goethe Comprehensive School, thus providing the educational system with one more problem, i.e. the craziest teacher of all time. At night, Zeki digs secretly for his loot: during the day, he uses drastic yet effective methods to bring the unruly kids of class 10B back on track. Although his prim and proper fellow teacher Lisi Schnabelstedt condemns the unorthodox pedagogical approach taken by her new “colleague”, she nevertheless finds herself falling in love with Zeki and even helps him dig up something more valuable than cash, namely the remains of his own moral integrity. Recently, the sequel to this motion picture, "Fack ju Göhte 2" stormed the German box office with an amazing six million admissions in four weeks.

Starring Elyas M’Barek, Karoline Herfurth, Katja Riemann

Best Chance (Beste Chance)

Sunday, November 8, 2015 at 3:00 PM

Directed by Marcus H. Rosenmüller. Germany. Filmed also in India. 2014. 104 minutes. German with English subtitles. Hawaii Premiere

Special screening of the Audience Award Winner for Best Film Premiere at the 2015 Berlin & Beyond Film Festival. This is the third film in Marcus H. Rosenmüller’s celebrated “Best” Trilogy. Since graduating from high school five years ago, best friends Jo (Rosalie Thomass) and Kati (Anna Maria Sturm) have not been in touch with each other. While Jo has been traveling the world – ending up in India – Kati has been struggling with college life and her final exams. After receiving a disturbing voicemail from Jo, Kati immediately drops everything and returns to her hometown in rural Bavaria to round up the old buddies in order to launch a rescue mission for Jo. Time has passed there, too. Rocky (Ferdinand Schmidt-Modrow, The Wave) and Toni (Volker Bruch, Generation War) are caught up in their own marriages and family lives, so naturally their response to Kati’s idea is not filled with enthusiasm. Outraged and disappointed, but still convinced she’s doing the right thing, Kati sets off on her own en route to an Ashram in India, as Jo is on her way home.

Starring Anna Maria Sturm, Rosalie Thomass, Volker Bruch, Ferdinand Schmidt-Modrow

Unlikely Heroes (Schweizer Helden)

Sunday, November 8, 2015 at 5:00 PM

Directed by Peter Luisi. Switzerland. 2014. 94 minutes. Swiss-German and German with English subtitles. Hawaii Premiere

Audience Award (Prix du Public UBS) Winner at the 67th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. Sabine is slightly down on her luck. Her kids are on vacation, her husband has left her, and things aren‘t going very well at work. Over Christmas, she decides to volunteer at a refugee camp, preparing a play with the residents in time for New Year‘s. While Sabine concentrates on directing the group, the asylum seekers have other problems to deal with: staying in the country, love, family, and, of course, the German language. Will they be ready for the curtain call?

Starring Esther Gemsch, Karim Rahoma, Komi Togbonou, Klaus Wildbolz, Newroz Baz, Elvis Clausen

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

Who Am I: No System is Safe (Who Am I—Kein System ist sicher)

Sunday, November 8, 2015 at 7:30 PM

Directed by Boran bo Odar. Germany. 2014. 105 minutes. German with English subtitles.

Hawaii Premiere

2014 Bavarian Film Prize for Best Director and winner of three 2015 German Film Awards, including Best Editing. The outsider Benjamin and the charismatic Max share one mutual interest: hacking. Together with Max's friends, they form the subversive hacker group CLAY. CLAY provokes with hilarious hacks and connects with a whole generation. For the first time in his life Benjamin feels like he belongs. But when CLAY is suddenly investigated by the German Secret Service and Europol, Benjamin must face the consequences of his actions.

In autumn 2014, Warner Bros. acquired the rights to remake “Who Am I”. Baran Bo Odar is currently filming the 2016 motion picture "Sleepless Night" with Michelle Monaghan, Dermot Mulroney, and Jamie Foxx.

Starring Tom Schilling, Elyas M'Barek, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Antoine Monot Jr., Hannah Herzsprung, Trine Dyrholm

About the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival

Since 1996, the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival has been the leading festival of contemporary German cinema in the Americas, and has presented over 500 motion pictures, along with the presence of celebrated film figures, including Fatih Akin, Moritz Bleibtreu, Daniel Brühl, Florian David Fitz, Bruno Ganz, Werner Herzog, Barbara Sukowa and Wim Wenders. The festival is presented by the Goethe-Institut San Francisco, a cultural institution of the Federal Republic of Germany. The main 20th Anniversary Berlin & Beyond Film Festival will take place January 14-20, 2016, primarily at the historic Castro Theatre movie palace in San Francisco.

Official Website: www.berlinbeyond.com

About the Goethe-Institut San Francisco

The Goethe-Institut is Germany’s official cultural center comprised of 160 institutes in 94 countries. The Institut exists to promote art and films from Germany, the study of the German language, and encourage the international cultural exchange with Germany. The San Francisco branch has been promoting German culture and language since 1967. Its year-round cultural activities include up to five art exhibitions, weekly film screenings and annual events with local cultural institutions.

Official Website: www.goethe.de/sanfrancisco

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Principal Contacts

• • Sabine Erlenwein, Director of the Goethe-Institut San Francisco and Berlin & Beyond’s Board President - director@sanfrancisco.goethe.org

  • Denis Salle, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Honolulu - honolulu@hk-diplo.de

  • Sophoan Sorn, Director of the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival - festival@sanfrancisco.goethe.org