BERLIN & BEYOND Mar. 2023

[Chris Knipp]

BERLIN & BEYOND SAN FRANCISCO Thu, Mar 23, 2023 - Sun, Mar 26, 2023

FESTIVAL REVIEWS



2023 Films
Official Selections of the 27th Berlin & Beyond Film Festival

A chance to see some exciting new German language films

B&B website


EVERYTHING WILL CHANGE

OPENING NIGHT FILM

Everything Will Change
Dir. Marten Persiel –– 93 min. | Germany, The Netherlands | 2022
San Francisco Premiere
In a dystopian 2054, three friends go on a road trip into the past.
Official Selection: Zurich (Competition)
In English
Starring: Noah Saavedra, Jessamine-Bliss Bell, Paul G Raymond, Wim Wenders, Markus Imhoof

DOC SPECIAL

Werner Herzog – Radical Dreamer
Dir. Thomas von Steinaecker –– 102 min. | Germany, United Kingdom | 2022
Northern California Premiere
Werner Herzog: Master film maker, poet, truth seeker, pith helmeted explorer, brand, meme, actor, lauded voice artiste, doomsayer, legend… a portrait of an iconic artist of our time.
Official Selection: Telluride, IDFA, Santa Barbara
In English and German with English subtitles
Featuring: Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Chloé Zhao, Joshua Oppenheimer, Wim Wenders, Nicole Kidman, Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson
View Trailer

CINEMA PANORAMA

Axiom
Dir. Jöns Jönsson –– 112 min. | Germany | 2022
West Coast Premiere
An eloquent museum keeper invites his colleagues on a sailing trip, but little by little it turns out that Julius is not who he seems to be.
Official Selections: Berlin (Encounters), Karlovy Vary
In German and some English, with English subtitles
Starring: Moritz von Treuenfels, Ricarda Seifried, Thomas Schubert
View Trailer

Family Affairs (Der Nachname)
Dir. Sönke Wortmann –– 87 min. | Germany | 2022
US Premiere
The equally caustic sequel to “How About Adolf?” A family reunion wrangles into complicated lines of inheritance, pregnancies, and family concepts.
Official Selection: Zurich (Gala)
In German and some Spanish and English, with English subtitles
Starring: Iris Berben, Christoph Maria Herbst, Florian David Fitz, Caroline Peters, Justus von Dohnányi, Janina Uhse
View Trailer

The Forger (Der Passfälscher)
Dir. Maggie Peren –– 116 min. | Germany, Luxembourg | 2022
Berlin, 1942. Audacious Cioma poses as a marine officer and forges documents to help fellow Jews escape Nazi Germany.
Official Selection: Berlin (Gala)
In German with English subtitles
Starring: Louis Hofmann, Jonathan Berlin, Luna Wedler, André Jung

Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush (Rabiye Kurnaz gegen George W. Bush)
Dir. Andreas Dresen –– 119 min. | Germany, France | 2022
Northern California Premiere
A housewife and loving mother from Bremen battles for the release of her son Murat from Guantanamo. Official Selection: Berlin (Competition)
Award Selection: 2022 German Film Awards Best Film (Silver), Best Actress Meltem Kaptan, Best Supporting Actor Alexander Scheer
In German, Turkish, and English with English subtitles
Starring: Meltem Kaptan, Alexander Scheer, Charly Hübner, Nazmi Kirik
View Trailer

Rhinegold (Rheingold)
Dir. Fatih Akin –– 140 min. | Germany, The Netherlands, Morocco, Mexico | 2022North American Premiere
Based on German rapper Xatar’s autobiography “All or Nothing,” the path of Giwar Hajabi’s life from the drug underworld to the top of the music charts. Official Selection: Hamburg, Rome
In German and some Kurdish, Dutch, Arabic, English, and Turkish with English subtitles. Starring: Emilio Sakraya, Mona Pirzad, Kardo Razzazi, Ilyes Raoul, Sogol Faghani

GOETHE FORUM

Piaffe
Dir. Ann Oren –– 86 min. | Germany | 2022
West Coast Premiere
A foley artist goes on a voyage of self-discovery while growing the tail of a horse.
Official Selection: Locarno, San Sebastián, São Paulo, BFI London
In German with English subtitles
Starring: Simone Bucio, Sebastian Rudolph, Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau


Golden Years
SWISS FILM & TALKS

Golden Years (Die goldenen Jahre)
Dir. Barbara Kulcsar –– 92 min. | Switzerland | 2022
Northern California Premiere
A retired couple heading on a Mediterranean cruise ends up on separate journeys of self-discovery.
Official Selection: Zurich
In Swiss German, German, and French with English subtitles
Starring: Stefan Kurt, Esther Gemsch, Ueli Jäggi

YOUTH 4 GERMAN CINEMA 2023 WINNER

The Ordinaries
Dir. Sophie Linnenbaum –– 120 min. | Germany | 2022
West Coast Premiere
In a repressive three class-society, Paula, a simple Supporting Character, is about to face the most important test of her life.
Official Selection: Karlovy Vary, Munich, Zurich
Award Selection: 2022 Filmfest München German Cinema New Talent Award for Director
In German with English subtitles
Starring: Fine Sendel, Jule Böwe, Henning Peker, Noah Tinwa
View Clip

SHORTS 2023

All four short films will screen altogether in one program. 100 min.
Purchase virtual ticket to view all four short films.

Almost Home
Dir. Nils Keller –– 30 min. | Germany | 2022
Northern California Premiere
When they learn of an outbreak of a dangerous virus shortly before their long-awaited return to Earth, a teenager and his mother struggle to decide whether to land or return to space aboard their confined spaceship.
Award Selection: 2022 Student Academy Award Narrative Gold
In German with English subtitles
Starring: Stephan Kampwirth, Jeremias Meyer, Susanne Wolff

Aralkum
Dirs. Daniel Asadi Faezi and Mila Zhluktenko –– 14 min. | Germany, Uzbekistan | 2022
California Premiere – Documentary Format
A few lonely rusty shipwrecks. Low desert scrub grows around them, holding the sand together in the merciless storms. Aralkum, the Aral Desert, is the bare seabed, the last thing left of the Aral Sea.
Award Selection: 2022 Visions du Réel Nyon Jury Prize for the Best Short Film. In Kazakh with English subtitles

Nakam
Dir. Andreas Kessler –– 33 min. | Germany | 2022
Ukraine 1942. 12-year-old violinist Mitka plays in a Ukrainian restaurant with pianist Yegor. Nobody knows that Mitka is part of a Jewish partisan movement.

Award Selection: 2022 Cleveland International Film Festival Best Live Action Short
In German, Ukrainian, Yiddish, and Russian with English subtitles
Starring: Anton Krymskiy, Peter Miklusz, Jevgenij Sitochin, Rostyslav Bome, Irina Usova

Rooms (Eigenheim)
Dir. Welf Reinhart –– 23 min. | Germany | 2021
Northern California Premiere
Every tenant’s worst nightmare becomes reality for a senior citizen couple in Munich when their new landlady hands them a notice to vacate their apartment.
Award Selection: 2022 Student Academy Award Narrative Silver
In German with English subtitles
Starring: Ingrid Farin, Reinhart Firchow, Christiane Bärwald

[Johann]

Great stuff!
Will you see the Herzog doc?

[Chris Knipp]

Yes I will.

[Chris Knipp]

AXIOM (Jöns Jönsson 2022)

Portrait of a liar so skillful and inventive and inexplicable he creates that sense of personal danger Graham Greene spoke of in entering the world of charming psychopath Tom Ripley created by Patricia HIghsmith. This Swedish-born director settled in Germany's sophomore feature promises great things to come.

[Chris Knipp]

WERNER HERZOG: RADICAL VISIONARY (Thomas von Steinaecker 2022)

Herzog is an immense figure in film and we need to see him, but I think he deserves better than this.
Showtimes:
Saturday, March 25 – Roxie, SF:
1:00 PM:

[Johann]

So the doc is disappointing. That's too bad, with such a perfect subject.

[Chris Knipp]

A perfect subject requires a worthy chronicler. "Dutiful" won't do.
Watch Burden of Dreams, and maybe there are other juicy documents.
A celebration of him at the San Francisco Film Festival in 2006 was a glimpse of his greatness. A tribute to Herzog, with an onstage interview, and program of clips, and a screening of his 2005 feature, "The Wild Blue Yonder," took place April 26, 2006 at the Castro Theatre. It was a grand occasion.

[Chris Knipp]

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (Edward Berger 2022)

Berlin & Beyond has announced it's adding the Oscar-nominated film to the roster in 35 mm at Roxie, March 28

An update:

Festival Official Selections screen March 23-28, 2023

(March 9, 2023) San Francisco's Berlin & Beyond Film Festival, presented by the Goethe-Institut San Francisco, announces additional programs, finalizing this year’s schedule. Current nominee of 9 Academy Awards, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT will be screened in a very special presentation in 35 mm film, at the Roxie Theater, on March 28, 2023, 6:30 PM; tickets are now on sale at berlinbeyond.com.

In addition to its Oscar nominations, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (Im Westen nichts Neues) is winner of 7 BAFTA Awards (including Best Film and Best Director). The epic film tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches. The film, from director Edward Berger, is based on the world-renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. The 35 mm film print is courtesy of Netflix. Click here for the Netflix digital booklet on its 9 Oscar nominations.

Another addition is a second screening of THE ORDINARIES, which will be at the Vogue Theatre in San Francisco, Friday, March 24, at 11:30 AM. THE ORDINARIES also screens earlier in the day with the Youth 4 German Cinema program at 10:00 AM at the Roxie Theater, and is sold out, so this additional screening allows the general public to attend (limited tickets available.)

These additional programs complete the 27th Berlin & Beyond Film Festival schedule, taking place March 23-25 and 28, 2023 at the historic Roxie Theater in San Francisco, March 26 virtually, and March 27 at the Rialto Cinemas Elmwood in Berkeley. All details are at berlinbeyond.com.

The Roxie Theater was the principal venue for previous editions of the Berlin & Beyond Autumn Showcase. This will be Berlin & Beyond's first event at the Elmwood; six previous festival editions in the East Bay have taken place at the shuttered California Theatre and Shattuck Cinemas.

The 2023 program also marks the 10th Anniversary of the educational and international jury program, Youth 4 German Cinema, which has shown films to over 6,000 visiting high school and middle school students, through the years.

[Chris Knipp]

THE ORDINARIES (Sophie Linnenbaum 2022)

This wildly inventive debut from Munich is an Orwelllian meta-cinema world that Jonathan Romney in his very admiring Screen Daily review says "shows ambition and craft on a mightily impressive level." Once I got into it I was intrigued. Surprising and unique. Reminds one of Blade Runner and of Brazil, occupying a "rarefied conceptual zone" that lies "somewhere between Pirandello and Charlie Kaufman.""