GERMAN GUESTS IN EDINBURGH

After last year’s focus on German cinema at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, again a large number of contemporary works with a total number of 19 German films and international co-productions were shown in Scotland. All German screenings were UK premieres. German Films supported the presence of director Telemach Wiesinger who introduced his experimental film KALEIDOSCOPE as a world premiere. Jochen Alexander Freydank presented KAFKA’S THE BURROW in two sold-out screenings. There were packed screenings also for Oliver Hirschbiegel with his drama 13 MINUTES, which was followed by long and intensive discussions with the audience. The film was released by StudioCanal in the United Kingdom mid-July. THE CHAMBERMAID LYNN by Ingo Haeb received a warm welcome and young German short filmmaker Julia Stiebert introduced her debut A MOTHER’S LOVE. Burhan Qurbani (WE ARE YOUNG. WE ARE STRONG.) and Cem Kaya (REMAKE, REMIX, RIP-OFF) were also very well received. The festival offered daily networking events for the German guests in order to meet other international directors and filmmakers attending the festival. One highlight was the famous Scottish dancing experience Ceilidh.