GERMAN FOCUS IN SHANGHAI

The Shanghai International Film Festival and German Films have enjoyed many years of working well together. The festival has existed for the past 18 years and German Films has been a partner for the program’s German focus for the last 12 years. This year saw numerous guests presenting eight German films at the festival. The German Focus opened with SANCTUARY by Marc Brummund, which celebrated its inter­national premiere in Shanghai at a packed cinema with 400 cinema-goers. The film’s lead actor Alexander Held answered the questions from the audience in a very lively Q&A and satisfied many requests for auto-graphs and photos. Producer Leopold Hoesch was also delighted with two sold-out screenings in the documentary section for NOWITZKI: THE PERFECT SHOT by director Sebastian Dehnhart. Around 170 guests from the international film industry came together in the garden of the residence of the German consul-general Peter Rothen for a reception to honor the German films at the festival. They included buyers, producers, representatives of international film festivals and the international press as well as members of the delegation of the BRIDGING THE DRAGON initiative aimed at bringing European and Chinese producers together.

Press conference in Shanghai: Dennis Ruh, Alexander Held, Jochen A. Freydank, Tomasz E. Rudzik, Florian Mischa Böder (photo © SIFF)