Editor

KINO's jubilee event in 2003:
25 years of German Cinema in the Museum of Modern Art in New York

Big round of applause for ROSENSTRASSE at the opening and a substantial increase in admissions for KINO 2003

On the occasion of KINO's 25th jubilee, the Export-Union of German Cinema and the Museum of Modern Art opened the season of German films (6-16 November 2003) with the Venice prize-winner ROSENSTRASSE in the presence of director Margarethe von Trotta, co-author Pamela Katz and the lead actress Maria Schrader.

The film, which is being distributed in the USA by Samuel Goldwyn Films, received a big round of applause in the sold-out Gramercy Theatre. In addition, other films by Margarethe von Trotta were shown: SISTERS, OR THE BALANCE OF HAPPINESS (SCHWESTERN ODER DIE BALANCE DES GLUECKS), MARIANNE AND JULIANE (DIE BLEIERNE ZEIT) and ROSA LUXEMBURG, which was presented in the presence of the lead actress Barbara Sukowa at another sold-out performance.

Around 300 guests - including many representatives of the New York film and music scene - came to the opening reception in the renowned Players Club afterwards. The guests also included directors from Germany who were able to introduce their new films in person to the American audiences, such as Bernd Fischer (FROM DACHAU WITH LOVE/GRUESSE AUS DACHAU!), Felix Fuchssteiner (DIE KURVE), Bernd Boehlich (THE PUBLISHER/DER VERLEGER), Andreas Krein (NUTS AND
BOLTS/HOCHBETRIEB) and Winfried Bonengel (FUEHRER EX).

Fatih Akin's SOLINO turned out to be the audience favourite, and Oliver Hirschbiegel's MY LAST FILM (MEIN LETZTER FILM) as well as Oskar Roehler's ANGST (DER ALTE AFFE ANGST) were enthusiastically received by the audiences, with SEPTEMBER by Max Faerberboeck being the subject of heated discussions. Also showing in the programme were THE LONGING (DAS VERLANGEN) by Iain Dilthey and Lothar Lambert's THANK GOD, I’M IN THE FILM BUSINESS! (ICH BIN, GOTT SEI DANK, BEIM FILM!) For the first time, the Export-Union showed the latest programme of shorts in NEXT GENERATION 2003 which was particularly well received by the younger cinema-goers.

A substantial increase in admissions was posted by Laurence Kardish, head of the department for film and media at the Museum of Modern Art: „We are pleased about the many sold-out performances with over 4,000 admissions, that is 15% more than last year. The interest in German cinema is unbroken, especially among the young cinema-goers."

„I am particularly pleased about the honour of a German retrospective in the Museum of Modern Art on the occasion of the jubilee“, says Oliver Mahrdt, representative of the Export-Union for the East Coast of the USA. „Until 19 January 2004, we will be showing another 25 feature films by leading German directors, including Percy Adlon, Doris Doerrie, Andreas Dresen, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Dominik Graf, Reinhard Hauff, Werner Herzog, Romuald Karmakar, Fred Kelemen, Caroline Link, Jeanine Meerapfel, Ulrike Ottinger, Rosa von Praunheim, Roland Suso Richter, Helke Sander, Helma Sanders-Brahms, Volker Schloendorff, Werner Schroeter, Jan Schuette, Peter Sehr, Tom Tykwer und Wim Wenders.