Dear Readers,
The end of last year was indeed exciting and turbulent in equal measure for us all in the German film industry. The uncertainty in December about what would happen with the new German Film Law Act and whether and how it would be implemented in 2025 was a major concern for every one of us. The fact that at least the new law has now been passed is a good thing and important. We’re naturally hoping that the other two pillars of the reform – the tax incentive model and the investment obligation – will follow soon.
At German Films, we have also been looking back on our anniversary year. In 2024, we celebrated 70 years of German Films. The year was characterized by many events, encounters and special film screenings. We would like to thank everyone who celebrated this anniversary year with us.
And we’ve also had some news to start the new year with in 2025. The end of January saw the German entry THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG by Mohammad Rasoulof being selected as one of the final five films in the Best International Feature Film category for the Oscar nominations. This is the third time in a row that the German entry has been nominated for an Oscar. The film is an outstanding work by one of the great directors of world cinema who has found refuge in Germany. In the portrait in this issue, Mohammad Rasoulof talks about the difficult shooting conditions and what it means to him that he is allowed to enter the Oscar race for Germany with this film.
German cinema as a whole will have another major presence at this year‘s Berlinale. With over 60 German productions and co-productions in various sections in the anniversary edition’s line-up, the participation from a German perspective is as numerous and diverse as almost never before. We are delighted that the two majority German productions – WHAT MARIELLE KNOWS by Frédéric Hambalek and YUNAN by Ameer Fakher Eldin – are in the Competition, and PUNCHING THE WORLD by Constanze Klaue will be screening in Perspectives, the new competitive section for debuts. The 75th Berlinale will open with Tom Tykwer‘s THE LIGHT which will have its world premiere in Berlin. German films also featured in the competitions at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in early February, with IN MY PARENTS‘ HOUSE by Tim Ellrich in the Tiger Competition and BAD PAINTER by Alber Oehlen in the Big Screen Competition.
We are also celebrating a small, but equally special anniversary in 2025. Our talent campaign FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS will be turning ten this year. Since its first edition in 2016, the annual campaign has established itself as a platform to give German film talent international visibility. This year will again see seven young and impressive personalities from different trades serving as our ambassadors to represent German cinema. They are following in the footsteps of such respected filmmakers as internationally renowned stars Sandra Hüller and Christian Friedel. We are showcasing the FACES 2025 in this issue of GFQ. Apart from the portraits, we will also be featuring articles in future issues of GFQ to highlight and present various subjects about cinema and the film industry from the past, present as well as the future. We are looking forward to a new year of cinema in 2025 that’s certain to be exciting on many different levels and have quite a lot in store.
Simone Baumann, Managing Director