The Goethe-Institut co-presents German Films @ Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival
4 KINGS (Germany, 2015, 99 min), directed by Theresa von Eltz, with Paula Beer, Jella Haase, Moritz Leu, Jannis Niewöhner and Clemens Schick
2015 Braunschweig International Film Festival - Best Film & Audience Award
2015 Rome Film Festival - Best Film
2016 German Film Award (bronze) and nominations for Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay
Christmas is coming, and all Alex wants is harmony, beauty, light and hope. But it seems all her parents want to do is fight. She sees only one way out. The next day, she finds herself in the teen psychiatric emergency unit. There she meets Lara, the striking daughter of an academic family who’s having acid flashbacks; shy Fedja, who is being bullied at school; and violent Timo, who has just been moved from the locked ward. Under the care of young psychiatrist Dr. Wolff, the four teens, who could hardly be more different, have to deal with each other at Christmas, whether they want to or not.
A tragicomedy that takes the worries of troubled youths seriously, letting them find new hope, friendship and community, without sentimentality.
There will be a discussion with director Theresa von Eltz following the screening.
Theresa von Eltz grew up near Cologne and studied History at Oxford University and Fiction Directing at the National Film & Television School in Beaconsfield. Her first short film GECKO was nominated for a Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 2007. Since then, her works have concentrated on award-winning documentaries and commercials. 4 KINGS is her feature debut.
Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival is a signature event of Workman Arts, produced annually in Toronto since 1993. As the first festival of its kind in the world, and currently the largest, it investigates the facts and mythologies surrounding mental illness and addiction as presented by both Canadian and international filmmakers.
Also look for the recent German films “Wild” and “The Spiderwebhouse” at Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival!
Part of the Goethe-Institut's focus on German Film
