Oscar® Nomination for THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE

PRESS RELEASE by GERMAN FILMS – 01-22-2024 The social drama THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE (if…productions) by İlker Çatak has been nominated for an Oscar® in the Best International Feature Film category. This was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. This is the second time in a row that the German candidate
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The monthly German language film series will go on hiatus after our December 2023 screening

The Clinton Street Theater has been the home for our monthly German language film series since November 12, 2014. Our first film was THIS AIN’T CALIFORNIA. The series will go on hiatus after the December 2023 screening of SCHOOL OF MAGICAL ANIMALS: Part 2 (Die Schule der magischen Tiere: Teil 2) .

We will have shown nearly 100 German language films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as some international co-productions – this is the longest standing German language film series in the US! We celebrated US premieres, classic German films, PRIDE, anniversaries and jubilees of movies from UFA Production, DEFA Stiftung, CCC Film and many more. Where else would you be able to see the SISSI trilogy on the big screen? (Yes, that is a German thing!). Our children’s program gave kids an opportunity to see movies as they were supposed to be seen – in the theater! And since all movies had been subtitled, they have been accessible to everybody in the film community in Portland and surrounding areas.

So if you don't want to miss important updates and announcements, please stay in touch with the Portland German Film Festival via its social media channels:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/portlandgermanfilmfestival
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTmY8mBoeOlKExDjvKOLOfw

Thank you very much to everybody who supported the series, the film festival and Zeitgeist Northwest - you made a difference!

See you at the movies!

Yvonne P. Behrens, Director PGFF
and The Board of Zeitgeist Northwest


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‘The Teachers’ Lounge’ Takes Top Prize at 2023 German Film Awards

‘The Teachers’ Lounge’ Takes Top Prize at 2023 German Film Awards, Beating Oscar Winner ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ Netflix’s ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ took home nine Lolas, including best actor for lead Felix Kammerer. May 12, 2023 2:02pm The Teachers’ Lounge, İlker Çatak’s unsettling look at a teacher at the end of her rope, beat our
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It’s All Oscars for ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’

It’s All Oscars for ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ Edward Berger’s German-language adaptation of the classic novel wins four Academy Awards. By John DiLillo Mar 12 It wasn’t all quiet in the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night, as All Quiet on the Western Front took home Oscars for international feature, production design, score and cinematography. “This means so much to
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Berlinale: What to expect at the 2023 Berlin film festival

Berlinale: What to expect at the 2023 Berlin film festival Elizabeth Grenier 02/14/2023February 14, 2023 A look at the highlights of the Berlinale, from the stars on the red carpet to the competition for the Golden and Silver Bears, and the festival’s focus on Ukraine and Iran. Following two years of pandemic restrictions, the Berlin International Film Festival finally returns to its
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Maria Schrader’s ‘I’m Your Man’ Wins Best Film at the 2021 German Film Awards

I’m Your Man, a sci-fi rom-com from director Maria Schrader, featuring Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens as a German-speaking romance robot, has won the Lola in Gold for best film at the 2021 German Film Prize, Germany’s top film awards. Schrader, fresh off her Emmy win (for best directing for a limited series in Netflix’s Unorthodox), picked up the best director Lola for I’m Your Man. Schrader and co-screenwriter Jan
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Senta Berger – Ausgezeichnet für herausragende Verdienste um den Deutschen Film

Die Schauspielerin und Filmproduzentin Senta Berger wird bei der Verleihung des Deutschen Filmpreises mit dem Ehrenpreis für herausragende Verdienste um den Deutschen Film ausgezeichnet. Der wichtigste deutsche Filmpreis wird am 1. Oktober 2021 im Palais am Funkturm in Berlin verliehen. Das ZDF überträgt die Gala am gleichen Abend um 23 Uhr. Senta Berger zählt zu den größten und international erfolgreichsten Schauspielerinnen unseres
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German director/ actress Maria Schrader is set to direct SHE SAID

Maria Schrader, the Emmy-winning director of the Netflix series “Unorthodox,” is set to direct Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, who will play the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalists who broke the bombshell Harvey Weinstein sex scandal report in Universal Pictures’ “She Said”. According to Deadline, the studio is in negotiations with Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor to play Twohey
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KINOFEST Seattle 2021

Zeitgeist Northwest is presenting the annual Portland German Film Festival and KINOFEST Seattle in the fall of every year. Our annual festivals showcases feature films, documentaries and short films that represent the state-of-the-art in German film making. We are also delighted to include films from Austria and Switzerland to give our audience the chance to experience the diversity, history and
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Portland German Film Festival 2021

Zeitgeist Northwest is presenting the annual Portland German Film Festival and KINOFEST Seattle in the fall of every year.

Our annual festivals showcases feature films, documentaries and short films that represent the state-of-the-art in German film making. We are also delighted to include films from Austria and Switzerland to give our audience the chance to experience the diversity, history and progress of German-speaking countries in Europe. All films are shown in German with English subtitles to allow a broad audience access to these German-language movies.

As you all know, we weren’t able to produce our regular film festivals in Portland and Seattle last year. We were able to have a small virtual film festival online with streaming options but through the experiences of our home theater, Cinema 21, we learned there were several obstacles that made this less than ideal. The most significant of which are technical. Neither the festival nor Cinema 21 have the resources to invest in a full service streaming platform at this time. While we are looking into options, we are not there yet.
 
We are currently sorting through options, BUT  we were also able to start our monthly German language film series at the Clinton Street Theater back up, we are showing German language films every 2nd Wednesday of each month.
 
We look forward to being with you all again. Stay safe and be well.

Please check our website for any updates in regards to the 2020 German language film festivals!


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DEFA TURNS 75! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

DEFA@75 - Join Us in Celebrating!

On May 16, 1946 the Soviet Military Admin. approved the founding of a film studio in the Soviet Occupation Zone. The next day, over 300 guests from all Occupation Zones celebrated the founding of the new DEFA Studio on the former Ufa grounds in Potsdam-Babelsberg...

(Read the rest below!)

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the DEFA Studio, in 2021 we are initiating a wide range of programs and new resources, including:


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ALBRECHT SCHUCH IS THE GERMAN SHOOTING STAR 2021

ALBRECHT SCHUCH IS THE GERMAN SHOOTING STAR 2021

EFP (European Film Promotion) announced the ten European up-and-coming actors who will be honoured as EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS 2021. Germany will be represented by Albrecht Schuch.

Albrecht Schuch has shone in recent years thanks to his performances in such films as BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ and SYSTEM CRASHER as well as the internationally highly successful TV series BAD BANKS. He will be seen in April 2021 in his latest role in Dominik Graf's adaptation of Erich Kästner's novel FABIAN.


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Oscars® 2021: And Tomorrow The Entire World World to enter the race for Germany

The feature film AND TOMORROW THE ENTIRE WORLD by Julia von Heinz (Seven Elephants GmbH) will enter the race for Germany for the 93rd Oscar® in the category Best International Feature Film. The decision was made by an independent jury, whose members were appointed by German Films. A total of ten films were submitted for selection. The nine-member jury with
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GERMAN FILMS & GOETHE-INSTITUT OPEN GERMAN FILM OFFICE IN NEW YORK

Mark October 1st in your calendars: That day the German Film Office opens for business! The joint New York based office of German Films and the Goethe-Institut is being established to pool resources and activities and use the synergies of this collaboration to position German films even more soundly on the North American market. “I want to give the utmost
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German films for consideration to become the country’s International Feature Oscar contender

‘When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit’ Beta Cinema / Frédéric Batier German Films has released a list of ten films that were submitted by German producers for consideration to become the country’s International Feature Oscar contender. Among the front-runners for selection are likely to be Julia Von Heinz’s And Tomorrow The Entire World, Caroline Link’s When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, Burhan
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PGFF and KINOFEST Seattle 2020 postponed

Dear Fans, Supporters, and Zeitgeist Northwest Members, The 2020 edition of the Portland German Film Festival and KINOFEST Seattle is now postponed until further notice. The Portland German Film Festival is a prestigious and widely publicized event, which offers a unique platform to promote German language films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland in the Pacific Northwest. Each year, it is
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Actor with a thousand faces: Mario Adorf turns 90

Yes, he was the murderer of Winnetou, the popular fictional Native American hero — and, to this day, many viewers have never forgiven him for that. But controversy was never far away from many of Mario Adorf’s characters, whether it is beating up his foes, or even assassinating them. He was loud and brash, hard and foul-mouthed. And yet, he is much adored
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Portland German Film Festival – Virtual Edition – starting Friday, July 31, 2020

Portland German Film Festival – Virtual Edition - starting Friday, July 31, 2020  (BUY TICKETS HERE)

Like many small businesses in Portland and across the country, Cinema 21 has been forced close by Covid-19 since March. The future of the Portland German Film Festival is also not certain as there is considerable doubt that Portland will move into Phase II of reopening in the near term.

So we decided to hold a virtual German language film festival to benefit CINEMA 21!

Starting Friday, July 31 – August 14, 2020 the following films are available (All films will be in German with English subtitles!):

 


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New German film: For the 75th birthday: A bright one on Fassbinder

Munich (dpa) – restless, restless, provocative – but also brilliant. German director, screenwriter, actor and film producer Rainer Werner Fassbinder shaped “New German Film” like no other. On May 31, Fassbinder would have been 75 years old. He died at the age of 37 on June 10, 1982 in Munich. His artistic legacy is impressive: over 40 feature films, as
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Suspending all screenings till further notice

Dear friend of German language films:

Given the rapidly evolving public health crisis involving COVID-19 (coronavirus), we are suspending our monthly German language film series until further notice. This is in response to the Governor of Oregon's recommendations that large gatherings of over 250 people should be postponed or canceled and that smaller gatherings in venues that do not allow for social distancing of six feet per person should be postponed or canceled. The CLINTON STREET THEATER and CINEMA 21 at this point are having virtual screenings - please support them and check out their website.

Our and their top priority is the safety of our patrons, members, staff and volunteers, and we will continue to monitor this health crisis, particularly as it impacts the film exhibition industry and the city of Portland.

We know that you were looking forward to screenings advertised on our website. We will do everything possible to reschedule these films in the future.

We appreciate your support during this crisis, and look forward to welcoming you back to one of our screenings as soon as possible. Please continue to check our homepage for updates on our schedule.

Sincerely,

Yvonne P. Behrens                                                                                     The Board of Zeitgeist Northwest
Director, Portland German Film Festival                                              ZEITGEIST NORTHWEST


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Focus on Switzerland – Portland German Film Festival 2019

The film industry based in Switzerland dates to the 1930s. It is influenced by the neighboring countries of France, Germany and Italy, with which it shares languages. Before the mid-1960s Swiss films were often sentimental, but the French New Wave led to more experimental cinema. In German-speaking cantons, French-language films usually have German subtitles. Likewise, in French-speaking cantons, German-language films
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Focus on Austria – Portland German Film Festival 2019

Little known yet widely influential, Austria’s film industry is unique among world cinemas. While naming your favorite Austrian films may be a challenging exercise, this landlocked country also boasts one of the world’s most controversial and influential directors: Michael Haneke. Without a doubt he is the most internationally successful Austrian filmmaker working today, and his cinematic impact resonates globally. However
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KINOFEST Seattle 2019

The Portland German Film Festival in collaboration with the Northwest Film Forum presents our 4th annual KINOFEST Seattle 2019, We are showing German language films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland on Oct. 22 - Nov. 5, 2019 with a kick off at the Goethe Pop Up Seattle on Oct. 3, 2019 with NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER 2018 from German Films
 
The annual festival showcases feature films, documentaries and short films that represent the state-of-the-art in German language film making, including films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland to give our audience the chance to experience the diversity, history and progress of German-speaking countries in Europe. All films are shown in German with English subtitles
 
Here is a list of the films which will be playing this years and we are very proud that all these award nominated/ winning movies films are WASHINGTON premieres:
 
BALLOON (Ballon) - Germany 2018
 
FAIR TRADERS - Switzerland 2018
 
THE REFORMER. ZWINGLI – A LIFE’S PORTRAIT (Zwingli) - Switzerland 2019
 
ALFONS JITTERBIT - COUNTDOWN TO CHAOS (Alfons Zitterbacke - Das Chaos ist zurueck) - Germany 2019
 
HOW ABOUT ADOLF? (Der Vorname) – Germany 2018
 
BRECHT (Germany 2019)
 
ROCCA CHANGES THE WORLD (Rocca verändert die Welt) - Germany 2019
 
THE TOBACCONIST (Der Trafikant) - Austria/ Germany 2018
 
A big DANKE to the Honorary Consuls of Germany, Austria and Switzerland in Seattle for their support!
 
Stay tuned for updates on dates and time and “like” us on Facebook.
 
The festival is proudly sponsored by CONDOR .
 

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STUDIO BABELSBERG – THE OLDEST FILM STUDIO IN THE WORLD

1912 TO 1921 – THE BEGINNINGS On February 12th, 1912, in a glass-house atelier, shooting began on the silent movie DER TOTENTANZ starring Asta Nielsen – thus marking the birth of Studio Babelsberg. Deutsche Bioscop Filmge- sellschaft had discovered the old factory complex located just outside of Berlin, and it soon became a vibrant center of the silent film production
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Director and Media artist Lutz Dammbeck in Portland

Thanks to funding from the Deutschlandjahr project, the DEFA Film Library will bring filmmaker and artist Lutz Dammbeck to the U.S. in the fall of 2019. They will show Dammbeck’s experimental short films as part of Arts Night at German Studies Association Confernce (GSA) and two of his films will be showing during the Portland German Film Festival 2019. Now
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Children’s movies at this year’s Portland German Film Festival 2019

Zeitgeist Northwest will present the 10th Annual Portland German Film Festival from Oct. 4 – 8, 2019 @ at Cinema 21. Stay connected with us and get updates on the films we are showing with facebook. Over the next month we will release our upcoming schedule, here are this year’s children’s movies. (All films are in German with English subtitles.)
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Hannelore Elsner, German Film and TV Star, Dies at 76

One of the great originals of European cinema, she starred in such films as ‘No Place to Go,’ ‘Cherry Blossoms’ and ‘Go for Zucker.’ Hannelore Elsner, a German actress who moved easily between art house cinema and mainstream television without losing her edge, or her army of local fans, has died. She was 76. Matthias Prinz, a lawyer for the
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42nd Portland International Film Festival (March 7 – March 21, 2019)

Drawing an audience of 38,000, the Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) is the biggest film event in Oregon, premiering more than 140 international shorts and feature films to Portland audiences annually. Audiences can experience a variety of parties, visiting artists, and plenty of festival adventure taking in this feast of cinematic fare. Besides films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, there
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Bruno Ganz, Who Played an Angel and Hitler, Is Dead at 77

Bruno Ganz was born in Zurich, the son of a Swiss mechanic and his Italian wife.CreditCreditThomas Peter/Reuters Bruno Ganz, the melancholy Swiss film actor who played an angel longing for the visceral joys of mortality in “Wings of Desire” and a defeated Hitler with trembling hands facing his own mortality in “Downfall,” died on Friday at his home in Zurich.
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Special screening of “From the West (Aus westlichen Richtungen)” with German director Juliane Henrich in attendance.

Juliane Henrich studied writing, art and film in Leipzig, Berlin, and Jerusalem – with Thomas Arslan, Heinz Emigholz, Avi Mograbi and others. 2012 she graduated with honors from University of the Arts in Berlin. Currently she is an artist-in-residence at Villa Aurora, Los Angeles. Her work often deals with the changing definitions that are applied to places. The films and
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#Wunderbar Together – Celebrating German Films

DEUTSCHLANDJAHR From October 2018 until the end of 2019, Germany and its deep ties to the U.S. will be on display all across the United States. The campaign Wunderbar Together (“Deutschlandjahr USA”/The Year of German-American Friendship) will travel across the entire U.S., bringing with it a collection of events and exhibits revolving around business and industry, politics, education, culture, and
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Emmy Award winner, Visual Effects Supervisor Juri Stanossek to attend screening of JIM BUTTON AND LUKE THE ENGINE DRIVER

Emmy Award winner, Visual Effects Supervisor Juri Stanossek to attend screening of JIM BUTTON AND LUKE THE ENGINE DRIVER Juri Stanossek started his career in 1994. Since then he’s supervised more than 40 movies for TV and cinema. He acted as Visual Effects Supervisor at Elektrofilm from 2004 to 2008 and then moved forward to Pixomondo Stuttgart, where he supervised
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JIM BUTTON: MACKEVISION’S ADVENTURES IN MANDALA

The legendary kingdom of Mandala from “Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver” is not as far away as you may think. You don’t have to take a plane and fly to China to get there. Instead, just take a look behind the scenes of Mackevision.

Not that we invented the city, of course. That was master storyteller Michael Ende in his first Jim Button story. Now, 58 years after the book was originally published, a team of film makers have dared to bring the story to life using real-life actors. And we were involved to bring the beautiful city of Mandala to life.


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