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Shout! Studios presents The Magic Flute by Florian Zigl, executive produced by Roland Emmerich, at 325 theaters with expansion likely. A reimagining of the Mozart opera, it follows a present-day teen sent from London to the Austrian Alps on singing scholarship at the legendary Mozart boarding school. There, he discovers a century old forgotten passageway into the magical world of Mozart’s famed opera.

This Harry Potter-ish adventure fantasy stars Jack Wolfe as Tim Walker, who passes from school into the world of the opera and its many adventures as hero Prince Tamino. Wide releases may be picking up steam and Scream, but in terms of new specialty, and family fare, these isn’t much new competition this weekend.

Melissa Boag, EVP of Family Entertainment at Shout! Studios, hopes it will play with fans of magical adventure, Harry Potter, and classical music. Wolfe is a star of Netflix YA series Shadow & Bone.

"You shouldn't take a risk if you're gonna figure out what it is you're missing." Shout Factory has released their official US trailer for The Magic Flute, an epic fantasy adventure thriller based on the classic Mozart opera of the same name. This premiered at the 2022 Zurich Film Festival last year and it already opened in Europe in the fall. It's now set for a US release in theaters this March. The Magic Flute is a reimagining of Mozart's opera classic and stars Jack Wolfe, F. Murray Abraham, Iwan Rheon, Stéfi Celma, Asha Banks, Stefan Konarske, Niamh McCormack, Amir Wilson, and Tedros Teclebrhan. This follows 17-year-old Tim Walker as he travels from London up to the Austrian Alps to attend the legendary Mozart boarding school. There he discovers a centuries-old forgotten passage into the fantastic world of Mozart's "The Magic Flute." This looks like another Harry Potter ripoff, with a...

Exclusive: Shout! Studios has acquired North American rights to screen adaptation The Magic Flute, which is executive-produced by Roland Emmerich.

Directed by Florian Sigl, the movie is a modern reimagining of Mozart’s opera classic. Cast comprises Jack Wolfe (The Witcher), Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus), Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones), Stéfi Celma (Call My Agent), Asha Banks (Royal Shakespeare Company), Stefan Konarske (Das Boot), Niamh McCormack (The Witcher), Amir Wilson (The Secret Garden), and Tedros Teclebrhan (System Crasher).

French soprano Sabine Devieilhe (Opéra National de Paris), Mexican-French tenor Rolando Villazón, and U.S. bass Morris Robinson are among the ensemble cast.

The adaptation is set in present-day Europe and tells the story of 17-year-old Tim Walker, who is sent from London to the Austrian alps to start his singing scholarship at the legendary Mozart boarding school. There, he discovers a century old forgotten passageway...

On Saturday, film and TV funder Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg celebrated the six films that it funded running in the official program of the Cannes Film Festival.

These were Ruben Östlund’s “Triangle of Sadness,” in Competition, Ali Abbasi’s “Holy Spider,” in Competition, Emily Atef’s “More Than Ever,” in Un Certain Regard, Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Un beau matin,” in Directors’ Fortnight, Sergei Loznitsa’s “The Natural History of Destruction,” in Special Screening, and Mantas Kvedaravicius’ “Mariupolis 2,” in Special Screening.

Commenting on the role Medienboard played in funding the films in Cannes, the organization’s chief Kirsten Niehuus said: “Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and other film funds play an important role in sustaining high quality cinema in Europe and in international co-productions around the world.”

Speaking about the type of films Medienboard likes to fund, she said: “Not very original but true – we prefer films that bring something original to an audience.

Exclusive: Deutschland 83 co-creator Jörg Winger’s latest drama series Ouija has added Starzplay as co-producer and the show has set cast, Deadline can reveal.

Co-created by Thomas Bourguignon (Réunions), the France Télévisions series was one of the first development projects detailed when Winger unveiled the Fremantle-backed Big Window Productions, which sits within his former company UFA Fiction. Ouija is co-produced by Big Window and Kwaï, another Fremantle label. Bourguignon is directing.

Principal photography has kicked off in Nice and the surrounding area, with Ophelia Kolb, Katharina Schüttler, Stefan Konarske and Bruno Solo set to lead.

The fast-paced supernatural coming-of-age story recalls the creators’ time partaking in German-French exchange programs.

Set against the backdrop of a generational saga, the six-parter focuses on such an exchange taking place during the 1982 football World Cup but tells the story of characters from three generations – one who fought during World War Two, one...

The cast includes Oskar Hes, Jan Nedbal and Stefan Konarske.

Helsinki-based The Yellow Affair has boarded international sales for Brothers, a Czech-German co-production directed by Tomas Masin and written by Marek Epstein.

The fast-paced drama is inspired by the true story of two brothers who, in 1953, tried to escape communist Czechoslovakia to join the US army in West Berlin. What ensued was one of the largest manhunts in modern history and the brothers are still hailed by some as heroes and others as murderers.

The cast includes Oskar Hes, Jan Nedbal, and Stefan Konarske.

The producers are Petr Bilek for...

Exclusive: Here are your first look images at feature The Magic Flute from executive producer Roland Emmerich.

Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) and Stéfi Celma (Call My Agent) are among cast for the modern reimagining of Mozart’s popular opera.

German sales outfit Sola Media is handling international rights, excluding U.S., Canada and France. The firm will be showing a new sizzle reel during the upcoming virtual AFM.

Grand Budapest Hotel and Homeland actor Abraham, who famously played Mozart’s adversary Salieri in Amadeus, is playing Dr. Longbow, the headmaster of the boarding school in Austria. Celma will portray the character Papagena.

The screen adaptation is set in present-day Europe and tells the story of 17-year-old Tim Walker, who is sent from London to the Austrian alps to start his singing scholarship at the legendary Mozart boarding school. There, he discovers a century old forgotten passageway into the...

Exclusive: Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) and Stéfi Celma (Call My Agent) are among cast joining the modern reimagining of Mozart’s popular opera, The Magic Flute. The film is being executive-produced by Roland Emmerich.

Grand Budapest Hotel and Homeland actor Abraham, who famously played Mozart’s adversary Salieri in Amadeus, will play Dr. Longbow, the headmaster of the boarding school in Austria. Celma will portray the character Papagena.

The screen adaptation, which is now underway, is set in present-day Europe and tells the story of 17-year-old Tim Walker, who is sent from London to the Austrian alps to start his singing scholarship at the legendary Mozart boarding school. There, he discovers a century old forgotten passageway into the magical world of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

As previously announced, starring will be Jack Wolfe (The Witcher) in the dual roles of protagonist Tim Walker and Prince Tamino. Iwan Rheon...

“Game of Thrones” star Iwan Rheon, Jack Wolfe (“The Witcher”), Asha Banks and Amir Wilson (“His Dark Materials”) have joined Roland Emmerich’s production of “The Magic Flute,” a modern retelling of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s popular opera.

The pic is set to begin principal photography on Feb. 8 at Bavaria Studios in Munich.

Starring alongside the young British actors will be some of the world’s most renowned opera stars, among them French soprano Sabine Devieilhe, Mexican-French tenor Rolando Villazón and U.S. bass Morris Robinson.

Directed by Florian Sigl, “The Magic Flute” is set in present-day Europe and follows 17-year-old singer Tim Walker as he travels from London to the Austrian Alps to attend the legendary Mozart boarding school. There, he discovers a centuries-old forgotten passageway into the fantastic world of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”

Wolfe, who began his career at London’s National Theatre and has appeared...

World War II drama series Das Boot, co-produced by Bavaria Fiction, Sky Deutschland and Sonar Entertainment, has been sold to more than 100 territories worldwide. Hulu has picked up rights for the U.S. The series will premiere in Sky territories Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK and Ireland beginning November 23 and Italy in December.

Territories sold to date include StarzPlay in France; AMC in Spain and Portugal; Epix/Viasat in Russia, Central & Eastern Europe; Di and Ma in Serbia; Czech TV in the Czech Republic; Vrt in Belgium; Nrk in Norway; Svt in Sweden; Yle in Finland; Ruv in Iceland; Mnet in South Africa; StarzPlay in Latin America; Sbs in Australia; and Tvnz in New Zealand.

Inspired by Wolfgang Petersen’s Oscar and Golden Globe nominated film, and Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s bestselling novel, the series was produced on a budget of $33 million. A story of choices and survival, Das Boot explores the...

World War II drama series “Das Boot,” which was produced on a budget of $33 million, has been sold to more than 100 territories worldwide. The show will debut on Hulu in the U.S. and pay TV operator Sky across Europe.

The series is produced by Bavaria Fiction, Sky Deutschland and Sonar Entertainment, which distribution rights for the world, except for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, U.K., Ireland and Italy, where Sky holds the rights.

Territories sold to date include StarzPlay in France; AMC in Spain and Portugal; Epix/Viasat in Russia, Central & Eastern Europe; Di and Ma in Serbia; Czech TV in the Czech Republic; Vrt in Belgium; Nrk in Norway; Svt in Sweden; Yle in Finland; Ruv in Iceland; Mnet in South Africa; StarzPlay in Latin America; Sbs in Australia; and Tvnz in New Zealand.

Inspired by the Oscar-nominated movie by Wolfgang Petersen, and Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s bestselling novel, the series filmed in Munich,...

Chicago – There is one week to go in one of the country’s most comprehensive Eurocentric cinema event, the 21st Chicago European Union (EU) Film Festival at the Gene Siskel Film Center. It wraps up with Closing Night on Thursday, April 5th, 2018, screening “The Young Karl Marx,” directed by Raoul Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro”). The film, which acts as a superhero origin story for a geopolitical philosophy, is the closer for the four week fest, which began on March 9th.

’The Young Karl Marx’ Closes the 2018 Chicago EU Film Festival on April 5th

Photo credit: SiskelFilmCenter.org

“The Young Karl Marx” is set in 1843, in a period when Europe was in upheaval, with revolution and politics at the forefront. Karl Marx (August Diehl) is a journalist, whose ideas are stirring the debate in his travels, to keep ahead of his creditors. His wife Jenny (Vicky Krieps) supports his writings,...

The Orchard is taking a left turn this weekend with its latest release, The Young Karl Marx by I Am Not Your Negro filmmaker Raoul Peck. The Berlin '17 premiere starring August Diehl and Stefan Konarske as Karl Marx and Friederich Engels has had initial success in social media after its trailer brought out commentary from the left, right and in-between. The title is among a number of limited release newcomers this weekend, which also features a slew of thrillers including…...

The Young Karl Marx The Orchard Reviewed by: Harvey Karten Director: Raoul Peck Screenwriter: Pascal Bonitzer, Raoul Peck Cast: August Diehl, Stefan Konarske, Vicky Krieps, Olivier Gourmet, Michael Brander Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 2/13/18 Opens: February 23, 2018 What four people influenced our present world more than any others? The classic answer: Freud, Moses, […]

The post The Young Karl Marx Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

"You are the greatest thinker of our times." The Orchard has released an official Us trailer for the indie biopic The Young Karl Marx, which first premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last year. This film tells the story of a young Karl Marx, as the title indicates, who became one of the great philosophers and activists in the mid-1800s. German actor August Diehl (seen in Inglourious Basterds) plays Karl Marx, and Vicky Krieps (seen in Phantom Thread) plays his wife, along with a cast including Stefan Konarske, Olivier Gourmet, Hannah Steele, Alexander Scheer, Hans-Uwe Bauer, Michael Brandner, and Ivan Franek. I'm intrigued by this, and it's described as "a spry romp through the seven years leading up to the drafting of the Communist Manifesto." This film looks like it's seriously worth your time. Check it out below. Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for Raoul Peck's The Young Karl Marx,...

Following his outstanding, acclaimed documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” director Raoul Peck tackled another culture changing, and politically charged figure in “The Young Karl Marx.” However, he takes a feature film approach this time around, but the results are no less compelling.

Starring August Diehl, Stefan Konarske and “Phantom Thread” breakout Vicky Krieps, the film traces the footsteps of Karl Marx through the Socialist movement and founding of the Communist League, as it originated in Paris during the 19th century.

Continue reading ‘The Young Karl Marx’ Trailer: Happiness Requires Rebellion [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

The Berlinale has revealed the first films within its Competition and Berlinale Special lineups.

Source: Amazon

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot

The Berlin Film Festival (15 - 25 Feb) has revealed the first films within its Competition and Berlinale Special lineups.

Directors including Benoit Jacquot, Gus Van Sant, Alexey German Jr., Małgorzata Szumowska, Philip Gröning, Thomas Stuber and Laura Bispuri will compete in this year’s Competition while Isabel Coixet and Lars Kraume feature in the Berlinale Special strand.

Alongside the previously announced opening film, Isle of Dogs by Wes Anderson, seven productions and co-productions from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Serbia, the Russian Federation, and the USA are announced for the Competition.

Gus Van Sant’s drama Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far, which will debut at Sundance, is the only film announced today which is not a world premiere. Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill,...

The Berlinale has revealed the first films within its Competition and Berlinale Special lineups.

Source: Amazon

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot

The Berlin Film Festival (15 - 25 Feb) has revealed the first films within its Competition and Berlinale Special lineups.

Directors including Benoit Jacquot, Gus Van Sant, Alexey German Jr., Małgorzata Szumowska, Philip Gröning, Thomas Stuber and Laura Bispuri will compete in this year’s Competition while Isabel Coixet and Lars Kraume feature in the Berlinale Special strand.

Alongside the previously announced opening film, Isle of Dogs by Wes Anderson, seven productions and co-productions from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Serbia, the Russian Federation, and the USA are announced for the Competition.

Gus Van Sant’s drama Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far, which will debut at Sundance, is the only film announced today which is not a world premiere. Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara and [link...

Production on the big-budget television series is set to commence this summer.

Bavaria Fernsehproduktion, Sky Deutschland and Sonar Entertainment have announced that filming on the Das Boot sequel will begin this summer, and have revealed its cast.

The eight-episode series is a sequel to Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s novel and 1981 film of the same name and will premiere in autumn in 2018 in Sky territories Germany, Austria, Italy, the UK and Ireland. Co-producer Sonar Entertainment will handle international distribution in the rest of the world.

Directed by Andreas Prochaska, the 104-day shoot on the $28 million production is set to begin on August 31 in La Rochelle, France and will contine in Prague, Malta and Munich.

In addition, the cast has been announced for the event series, including including Lizzy Caplan, August Wittgenstein and Rainer Bock.

Also starring are Rick Okon, Vicky Krieps, Jonathan Zaccaϊ, Leonard Scheicher, Robert Stadlober, Franz Dinda and Stefan Konarske.

Tony Saint and [link...

Well over a year ago, it was announced that an 8-hour, TV sequel to Wolfgang Petersen‘s 1981 WWII German U-boat drama classic “Das Boot” was in the works. It was interesting news, and it made us curious, but as with anything else that happened eighteen months ago, we totally forgot about. Well, the project is headed to sea with some interesting developments.

“Masters Of Sex” and “Party Down” star Lizzy Caplan is the lone Hollywood name boarding the project, that has lined up an ensemble which includes August Wittgenstein, Vicky Krieps, Jonathan Zaccaϊ, Leonard Scheicher, Robert Stadlober, Franz Dinda, and Stefan Konarske.

Continue reading Lizzy Caplan Joins ‘Das Boot’ TV Sequel at The Playlist.

Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.

– Fox Searchlight has bought the rights to “The Spy With No Name,” an ebook written by Jeff Maysh and published by Amazon Kindle Single, Deadline reports. Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert of Emjag Productions will produce alongside “Argo” executive producer David Klawans.

Read More: Film Acquisition Rundown: Grasshopper Film Gets ‘Escapes,’ Amazon and IFC Films Date ‘City of Ghosts’ and More

The true story centers on Erwin van Haarlem, a Cold War secret agent who stole the identity of a Dutch man whose mother had given him up for adoption. The Communist spy pretended to be Johanna van Haarlem’s long lost son for 11 years before being caught.

– FilmRise has acquired the U.S. rights to Michael Almereyda’s “Marjorie Prime,...

Distributor plots theatrical release for autumn. Separately, FilmRise acquires Marjorie Prime, Gravitas Ventures takes California Typewriter, Oscilloscope picks up Polina and Summer 1993, and Paladin and Electric Entertainment acquire The Drowning.

The Orchard has acquired all Us distribution rights to Oscar-nominee Raoul Peck’sThe Young Karl Marx.

Peck’s latest film premiered at the Berlinale in February on the heels of his Oscar nomination for the documentary I Am Not Your Negro.

Directed, produced and co-written by Peck with Pascal Bonitzer, The Young Karl Marx explores the origins of the international socialist movement, the emergence of the Communist League and its founding document,The Communist Manifesto written by Marx and Friedrich Engels.

The film paints a portrait of the two young men who, with the support of Marx’s wife Jenny, passionately believed in the vision of a humane society and the revolutionary power of the abused and oppressed. The film stars August Diehl, Stefan Konarske and [link...

The Oscar-nominated Raoul Peck is back.

After scoring a nomination for the documentary I Am Not Your Negro, the director's next venture, The Young Karl Marx, has found a distributor.

The independent film, TV and music company The Orchard has acquired all distribution rights for the film, which stars August Diehl, Stefan Konarske and Vicky Krieps, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

The film first premiered at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival and tracks the origins of the International Socialist Movement and the rise of the Communist League, as well as The Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. 

...

The Orchard has acquired U.S. distribution rights to The Young Karl Marx, the latest film from Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro director Raoul Peck. A fall theatrical release is planned for the pic, which bowed this year at Berlin. August Diehl, Stefan Konarske and Vicky Krieps star. Peck directed, produced and co-wrote the film, which explores the origins of the international Socialist movement, the emergence of the Communist League and its founding document the…...

In cooperation with Berlinale Panorama, Berlinale Special and dffb: A conversation between Raoul Peck and Ben Gibson.Raoul Peck and Ben Gibson

Acclaimed Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck has created a body of work in documentary and fiction distinguished by its critical engagement and intellectual courage. Taking on such specters of postcolonial injustice as underdevelopment, racism and communal violence, Peck’s films illuminate the personal stories and contradictory experiences of those individuals often treated by history and cinema as faceless, invisible, silent. This year’s Berlinale features two new Peck films: the fictional “The Young Karl Marx” in Berlinale Special and the Academy Award-nominated “I Am Not Your Negro,” a documentary based on an unfinished manuscript by James Baldwin in Panorama. In the 50th year of the dffb, Peck, a graduate of the Berlin film school, reflects on his cinematic journey with Ben Gibson dffb’s first non-German director of the school.

Author: Stefan Pape

While he has a film nominated for the Academy Award this year, with documentary I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck has been celebrated for showing innovation and ingenuity, and yet the talented filmmaker returns with a dramatic offering The Young Karl Marx, which falters in the aforementioned area, ticking all the boxes of the period piece biopic, abiding frustratingly by formula. Naturally tedium kicks in, but at least the director can be commended for taking this complex series of events and making them easily digestible, and accessible to a broad audience.

Set in 1844, we’re introduced to Marx (August Diehl) at the age of 26, living in exile with his wife Jenny (Vicky Krieps); a man who wants to change the world but is lacking the platform to do so – until he meets Friedrich Engels (Stefan Konarske), the son of a factory owner, dismayed by the treatment of the staff,...

There’s a specter haunting Europe — the specter of mediocre biopics. A straightforward period piece about the life and times of a radical man, Raoul Peck’s “The Young Karl Marx” is well-furnished and fitfully gripping stuff, but it desperately lacks the full-bodied fervor that crackles throughout his Oscar-nominated documentary “I Am Not Your Negro.”

Snagged between the hard-nosed history of “Lumumba” (Peck’s sobering 2000 docudrama about the first prime minister of the Congo) and the jocular gusto of “Shakespeare in Love,” this immaculately furnished film sacrifices too much drama in order to expound upon its characters’ ideals, and sacrifices too much exploration of those ideals in order to accommodate for a healthy degree of drama. “I’m done fighting with needles,” Marx says, “I want a sledgehammer.” Peck opts for a safety net, ensuring that even the most electric moments never feel like they’re risking a challenge to...

Next to Ava DuVernay’s “13th,” there is perhaps no movie more vital to the current moment of race relations, political unrest, and social and class strife than “I Am Not Your Negro.” Raoul Peck’s documentary uses some of the final writings of James Baldwin to paint an incendiary portrait of the political climate, and his interest in figures who have stirred popular thought continues with his next film, “The Young Karl Marx.”

A narrative feature that will be premiering at the Berlin Film Festival, it stars August Diehl, Stefan Konarske, Vicky Krieps, Olivier Gourmet, Michael Brandner, Alexander Scheer, Hannah Steele, and Niels Bruno Schmidt, it follows the exiled Karl Marx who becomes newly inspired to revolution when he meets Friedrich Engels.

Continue reading Berlin: First Clip & Images From ‘I Am Not Your Negro’ Director Raoul Peck’s New Film ‘The Young Karl Marx’ at The Playlist.

The 2017 Berlin Film Festival has revealed its first slate of 14 films for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections, including new work from Aki Kaurismaki (“The Man Without a Past”), Oren Moverman (“Time Out of Mind”) and Sally Potter (“Ginger & Rosa”). The festival will also screen a restored version of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 TV series “Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day.”

Read More: The 2016 Indiewire Berlin International Film Festival Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During Run of Festival

So far, ten films have been invited to screen in Competition, and four films have been selected for Berlinale Special. These productions and co-productions are from the United State, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Belgium, Poland, Senegal and more.

The 67th Berlin International Film Festival will run from February 9 through 19. Further films will be revealed in the coming weeks. For more information, visit the official website.

Read More: The...

After Sundance Film Festival concludes in late January, the next big cinematic event on the globe is the Berlin International Film Festival. With Paul Verhoeven serving as jury president for the 67th edition of the festival, they’ve now announced their first line-up of titles, including Aki Kaurismäki‘s The Other Side of Hope (pictured above), Oren Moverman‘s Richard Gere-led The Dinner, Sally Potter‘s The Party (pictured below), and Agnieszka Holland‘s Spoor, as well as a restoration of a Rainer Werner Fassbinder TV show.

Check out the first titles below, and return for our coverage from the festival.

Competition

A teströl és a lélekröl (On Body and Soul)

Hungary

By Ildiko Enyedi (My 20th Century, Simon the Magician)

With Géza Morcsányi, Alexandra Borbély, Zoltán Schneider

World premiere

Ana, mon amour

Romania/Germany/France

By Călin Peter Netzer (Child‘s Pose, Maria)

With Mircea Postelnicu, Diana Cavallioti,...

Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Sally Potter among Competition lineup.

The first 14 films have been announced for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

Among directors with movies in competition are Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Andres Veiel, Sebastián Lelio and Sally Potter.

Festival veteran Kaurismäki will debut new film The Other Side Of Hope about a Finnish travelling salesman who meets a Syrian refugee.

Moverman’s (The Messenger) mystery-drama The Dinner stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall and Chloë Sevigny. Based on the novel by Herman Koch, the film looks at at how far parents will go to protect their children.

Oscar-nominated Holland, who was nominated for the Golden Bear in 1981, will be at the Berlinale with crime-drama Pokot.

Potter returns to Berlin with ensemble comedy-drama The Party starring Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas and [link...

Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Sally Potter among competition lineup.

The first 14 films have been announced for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

Among directors with movies in competition are Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Andres Veiel, Sebastián Lelio and Sally Potter.

Moverman’s (The Messenger) mystery-drama The Dinner stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall and Chloë Sevigny.

Fernando Trueba’s comedy-drama The Queen of Spain, starring Penelope Cruz, will get its international premiere in the Berlinale Special strand.

More to follow…

Competition

A teströl és a lélekröl (On Body and Soul) (Hungary)

By Ildiko Enyedi (My 20th Century, Simon the Magician)

With Géza Morcsányi, Alexandra Borbély, Zoltán Schneider

World premiere

Ana, mon amour (Romania / Germany / France)

By Călin Peter Netzer (Child‘s Pose, Maria)

With Mircea Postelnicu, Diana Cavallioti, Carmen Tănase, Adrian Titieni, Vlad Ivanov

World premiere

Beuys - Documentary (Germany)

By Andres Veiel ([link...

Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck is currently filming "Le jeune Karl Marx" ("The Young Karl Marx"), a period drama on the shaky friendship between Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels - the German intellectual titans and fathers of Marxism - charting their completion of the Communist Manifesto, and the creation of a revolutionary movement out of which were born the theoretical tools for emancipating oppressed masses in Europe and all around the world. In what is described as quite an ambitious project, the film stars German actors, August Diehl as Marx, and Stefan Konarske as Engels. Produced by Agat Films and Peck's own Velvet Film, as well as...

France’s Diaphana Distribution has picked up Haitian-born Raoul Peck’s long-gestating project, The Young Karl Marx.

The film centres on the budding friendship between Marx and Friedrich Engels in the mid-19th century.

The title character is played by August Diehl. Stefan Konarske, one of the stars of Philip Koch’s Outside The Box, plays Engels.

Konarske replaces Alexander Fehling, who left the role to play the boyfriend of Claire Danes’ character in Us TV drama Homeland.

The film is a French-German-Belgian co-production between agat films & Cie and Peck’s own company Velvet Film, with Berlin and Leipzig-based Rohfilm and Belgian producer Patrick Quinet’s Artemis Film.

Shooting began at the beginning of September and continue for nine weeks to Nov 7.

Sales agent Films Distribution pre-sold the feature to Germany’s Neue Visionen Filmverleih at this year’s Berlinale.

There were several prizes for German co-productions at the Cannes Film Festival (14 - 25 May 2014) this year: Winter Sleep (Tr/De/Fr, Bredok Film Production) won the Palm d'Or . The film by Nuri Bilge Ceylan also received the Fipresci Prize from the international film critics. Another co-production with German participation, Le Meraviglie by Alice Rohrwacher (It/Ch/De, Pola Pandora), was awarded the Grand Prix. White God by Kornél Mundruczó (Hu/De/Se, Pola Pandora) received the main award in the Un Certain Regard sidebar. Pola Pandora, the German production company serving as a partner on both films, was co-founded by the recently departed Karl Baumgartner, a pioneer of European arthouse cinema. Wim Wenders and his co-director Juliano Ribeiro Salgado received the Special Prize in the Un Certain Regard sidebar for the French production The Salt of the Earth. Juan Sarmiento G. was responsible for the camerawork on Leidi, the Golden Palm for Short Films. He is now living and working in Berlin after having studied at the Hff Potsdam-Babelsberg.

The cinema was filled to capacity at the world premiere of the Next Generation Short Tiger 2014 program of shorts on Sunday, 18 May 2014. Around 250 guests came to the Star Cinema where the directors and producers of the 14 selected shorts presented their works to an audience of international professionals. The director and Oscar-winner® Caroline Link, who was a member of the jury, was also present at the premiere in Cannes. Next Generation Short Tiger 2014 is organized by German Films and the German Federal Film Board (Ffa). After the screening, the audience – which included representatives of international festivals, journalists, producers and buyers, rewarded the achievements of the German short film talents with long and enthusiastic applause.

Mariette Rissenbeek, managing director of German Films: "We are delighted that this year again saw such a large interest from people wanting to get to know the up-and-coming generation of German filmmakers at the Next Generation Short Tiger premiere. Everything was represented – from the Western through drama, animation, thriller, documentary and also comedy – and all of this was of a very high quality." The first festival invitations had already started coming in after the screening in Cannes. The Next Generation Short Tiger 2014 program will be shown in the upcoming months as part of the Festivals of German Films which are organized by German Films in Madrid, New York, Buenos Aires, Paris and Moscow.

This year, the market screenings organized by German Films under the banner of " New German Films in Cannes " at Cannes' Marché du Film presented 35 new German films. The screenings were well received by the professional visitors. A popular and highly regarded meeting place – along with the German Pavilion in the International Village – proved once again to be the German Reception in honor of German cinema and the films with German participation at the festival.

Over 850 guests took the opportunity to come together in a convivial atmosphere on La Plage - Majestic Barrière on Saturday, 17 May 2014. The State Minister for Culture, Prof. Monika Grütters, made the opening speech on the occasion of her first visit to Cannes. The producers Eva Blondiau (Torn), Michael Eckelt (That Lovely Girl / Gett, The Trial of Viviane Amsallem), Alfred Hürmer (Maps to the Stars), Thanassis Karathanos (Clouds of Sils Maria) and Titus Kreyenberg (Bridges of Sarajevo), the directors Elmar Imanov and Engin Kundag (Torn), Slomi Elkabetz (Gett, The Trial of Viviane Amsallem) and Jessica Hausner (Amour Fou) as well as the actors Christian Friedel and Stefan Großmann (Amour Fou) were among those attending from the delegations of the German co-productions showing at the festival. The guests included, among others, representatives of festivals from Moscow, Montreal, Palm Springs, Locarno and São Paulo, the actors Stefan Konarske and Maxim Mehmet, the directors Margarethe von Trotta, Caroline Link, Dietrich Brüggemann, Veit Helmer and Marco Kreuzpaintner, author Katja Eichinger as well as international and national distributors, producers and funders.