The Latest at Goethe

German film down under: The Goethe-Institut is presently holding the Audi Festival of German Films in five Australian cities. This year, Sönke Wortmann will be there, as well. In an interview, the director talks about messages, tantrums in need of filming and – of course – football.

You’ve been making films for more than twenty years. Which of your films do you still like best and why?

Wortmann: The film closest to my heart and mind is The Miracle of Bern, which I directed and produced and for which I also wrote the script. The film tells the story of the unexpected turn of events of the Football World Cup in 1954, when West Germany not only made it to the final, but won against all odds! Almost everyone was initially against the project and warned us that the risks were far too high – as “sports wouldn’t look good on screen”. The film turned out to be a major success, here in Germany and internationally.

What kind of message do you want to transfer to your audience through your films?

Let me quote the Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucci on this: “I don’t film messages; I let the post office take care of those”. But I couldn’t be a passionate filmmaker, if I didn’t believe I could help just a little bit to improve the world as we know it.

Last year, your film Pope Joan began its run in Germany. What do you think about the critics’ reactions and audience attendance?

Like so many of my colleagues I stopped reading reviews a long time ago. You risk losing your style and maybe your confidence if you listen to all those seemingly expert opinions out there. But I appreciate the reaction of the audience – and not only with Pope Joan, the box office and the audience make me very happy with the result.

What was your biggest challenge on a film-set so far?

I try to control challenges as much as possible in advance by being well prepared. Some of my films have been in the planning and preparation stages for years prior to the first day on the set. But what can you do when Burt Reynolds unexpectedly throws a tantrum, as he did on the set of my US movie Hollywood Sign in 2000?

Who is your role model as a director?

Clearly, utterly and passionately: Billy Wilder! This genius covered all genres from comedy to thriller to psychological drama. Some like it Hot is easily one of the best comedies ever made, Witness of the Prosecution, starring Marlene Dietrich, shows how he managed to both develop characters and suspense. In The Apartment he demonstrates how well he observed the comic and tragic elements of everyday life. My all time favourite film, though, is The Godfather, both part I and II, by Francis Ford Coppola.

German film was not considered very significant for a long time. How would you assess it today?

Thankfully, German film making today is much more diverse than it has been for a long time and has the courage to cover all genres from political thriller to comedies. When I began my career in the late eighties and early nineties, the domestic market share of German films hovered around 5 or 6%, nowadays it stands at 25%. It is the audience appreciation, which make a film industry thrive; the additional fact that German filmmakers pick up international awards from Cannes to Los Angeles helps and forms the basis of growing international success.

You will now be in Australia for the German Film Festival. What are your other plans for 2010?

I am very much looking forward to Australia! David Wenham, who also played a role in Pope Joan, promised me to show me around Sydney, his hometown. But David and I have another common goal in 2010: We are at this stage making moves to see the opening match of the Football World Cup in South Africa. Germany and Australia will play this match on 13 June in Durban, and we just have to be there! We will also be there when both sides face each other again in the Grand Final!

The interview was held by Krischok, director of the Goethe-Institut in Sydney