Zeitgeist Northwest will present the 9th Annual Portland German Film Festival from Oct. 5 – 9, 2018 @ 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.)
SAT. OCT. 06, 2018 @ 3.00 PM
THE PEPPERCORNS AND THE CURSE OF THE BLACK KING
(Die Pfefferkörner und der Fluch des Schwarzen Königs)
Germany (2017), 97 min. DCP Projection
German and English with English Subtitles
Director: Christian Theede
Screenplay: Dirk Ahner
Cinematography: The Chau Ngo
Cast: Marleen Quentin, Ruben Storck, Emilia Flint, Luke Matt Röntgen, Leo Gapp, Devdi Striesow, Katharina Wackernagel
Producers: Michael Lehmann, Kerstin Ramcke, Holger Ellermann
Production Company: Letterbox Filmproduktion, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Senator Film Produktion
Young amateur detectives Mia (Marleen Quentin), Benny (Ruben Storck), and Alice (Emilia Flint) solve crimes in their big-city hometown of Hamburg, Germany. Because they are small, fiery, tough, and as a group, pack a powerful punch, they are known as The Peppercorns. Before their summer class trip to the Gruber family’s mountain ranch, Mia’s young friend Luca Gruber (Leo Gapp) warns them not to come. Luca fears that his search for the fabled treasure of the Black King has cursed the ranch. When the class arrives, a series of mysterious events seem to confirm Luca’s fears. What is behind the curse? Where will the clues lead them? Is the ranch really under the spell of an evil mountain spirit, or is someone trying to put the Grubers out of business? This is a case for the Peppercorns. With the assistance of their new classmate Johannes (Luke Matt Röntgen), the young sleuths use their combined skills to unravel this mountain mystery and hope to save the Gruber’s ranch. Full of suspense, action, and adventure, Christian Theede’s film brings the beloved German television series to the big screen.
CHRISTIAN THEEDE was born in 1972 and studied Literature and Theater in Tübingen before taking up studies in Film & Television in Dortmund and Cologne. Also active as a writer, his film work includes: various successful comedy formats, music videos, TV movies and series such as HANS IN LUCK (2015), ALARM FOR COBRA 11 and the features IM WEISSEN RÖSSL (2013) and TIME HEROES (2016). THE PEPPERCORNS AND THE CURSE OF THE BLACK KING is his third feature film.
SUN. OCT. 07, 2018 @ 3.00 PM
JIM BUTTON AND LUKE THE ENGINE DRIVER
(Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer)
Germany (2018), 105 min. DCP Projection
German and English with English Subtitles
Director: Dennis Gansel
Producer: Christian Becker
Writer: Andrew Birkin
Cast: Henning Baum, Annette Frier, Christoph Maria Herbst, Michael Bully Herbig, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Solomon Gordon
Based on the bestselling novel by Michael Ende (The Neverending Story), this epic fantasy adventure follows a young orphan boy JIM BUTTON, his best friend LUKE and a magical steam engine called EMMA as they travel across the world in search of the truth about where Jim came from. Battling pirates and dragons, outsmarting make-believe giants, they must travel through the Forest of a Thousand Wonders, beyond the End of the World to find the hidden Dragon City.
The Story
Once upon a time there was a tiny island called Morrowland, which consisted of only two mountains, a picturesque palace, one house, a grocery store, a set of train tracks and four inhabitants. They lived in peace for many years until one day the mailman delivers a mysterious package – in it, an adorable, baby boy from a far away, unknown land. So the Morrowlanders took in the orphan boy and named him Jim.
When Jim turns 10, he discovers he is not from Morrowland and becomes desperate to know who is he and where is he from?
As Jim grows older King Alphonse also worries about the day when he will need his own house, for which there is no space on the tiny island. So one day the King commands that Luke, who has become Jim’s best friend, get rid of his beloved steam engine Emma, in order to create room on the island. As Luke doesn’t have the heart to break away from dear Emma he quickly decides to leave the island with her without telling anyone. Unbeknownst to Luke young Jim overhears his plans to run away and secretly stows away, hidden from sight until Morrowland is far behind them.
When Luke discovers Jim and agrees to take him along, they begin the greatest adventure of their lives from the oriental shores of Mandala where they end up promising the Emperor they will go and rescue his daughter, Princess Li Si, who was kidnapped by pirates and dragged across the terrifying Valley of Shadows to the deadly Dragon City. The farther they get, the more their suspicion grows that there is a connection between Jim’s unknown origins and the disappearance of Princess Li Si.
Both films will be also playing at KINOFEST Seattle, Oct. 19-21, 2018.
