The second German Film Week opened last September 27 with the Philippine premiere of "My Brother Simple" (Simpel, 2017) at the SM Mall of Asia Cinema 4. German filmmaker Markus Goller, whom the Goethe-Institut flew in especially for the occasion, gamely answered questions from the audience after the screening.
Aside from the opening film, an interesting slate of films that presents the wide range of contemporary German cinema makes up this year's festivities. After its successful launch last year, the festival once again offers a diverse selection of films in its goal of promoting German language and culture.
The German Film Week draws film buffs and students from all over the Philippines, as well as filmmakers, members of the media and industry leaders. This year’s lineup of films were carefully selected among the latest releases in Germany, some of which have already received numerous awards in international film festivals.
"We are truly excited to unveil this year’s films and new voices to Philippine audiences," said Dr. Ulrich Nowak, director of Goethe-Institut Philippinen. "Whether mainstream, romantic comedies, or micro-budget indies, we made sure our festival attendees will be entertained and pleased."
In addition to German films, this year's edition will also feature a film by acclaimed Filipino filmmaker Brillante Mendoza. "Captive," which has been screened at a previous Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), will be shown during the week-long festival. In one of these screenings, a film appreciation session will follow wherein audiences will get to meet and speak with the multi-awarded director.
"The Brillante Mendoza screening is an addition to this year’s program," Dr. Nowak explained. "Our goal at the institute has always been to promote cultural exchange between Germany and the countries we support. And this is one way to achieve that goal — to share German features and highlight Filipino creativity."
The succeeding film screenings will run from Sept. 28 to October 5 at SM Mall of Asia and SM North EDSA. Subsequent screenings will take place in SM Clark, Cebu and Davao in October.
Tickets are priced at 100 pesos for all German films and 200 pesos for Captive. Tickets may be purchased at the cinema counters of participating SM malls.
The German Film Week is made possible through the partnership with SM Lifestyle Malls and SM Cinemas and the support of the Film Development Council of the Philippines. For more information, visit Goethe.de/Manila.
