GERMAN FILMS AT 20th CHENNAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2022

Ever since the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF) first organized the Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF) in 2003, the event has seen a gradual growth in its popularity over the years. This year the  20th edition of the CIFF, the festival will be held from 15th to 22nd December in Chennai. The aim of this festival is dual in nature- it focuses on presenting the best of International and Indian films in Chennai while also taking the opportunity to showcase the best of Tamil films to the world. CIFF is dedicated towards creating a platform through the medium of cinema that enables people from different backgrounds, such as nationalities, cultures and ethnicities, to come together and appreciate the film cultures of different countries in the context of social and cultural ethos.

Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Chennai, has been participating in the film festival every year. The film selections for the same include current award-winning productions that can enable Chennaiites to experience contemporary German Films and expose them to German culture, thereby bridging the cultural barrier between the two countries.


German Contemporary Film

A E I O U – Das schnelle Alphabet der Liebe
Dir.: von Nicolette Krebitz with Sophie Rois, Udo Kier, Milan Herms, Nicolas Bridet
2022, World Premiere,104 min.,  
German/French, Color  

Anna is 60 and her acting heyday is now behind her. She lives on her own but has a friend and confidant in her downstairs neighbour Michel, who is also single. Reluctantly, Anna accepts a job as a language coach for 17-year-old Adrian who has a speech impediment and is something of a misfit. She recognises him as the boy who recently snatched her handbag in the street ...
"Irresistible" is the term that springs to mind when describing this light-footed and humorous story of an impossible love affair between a thief and a lady. Director Nicolette Krebitz handles the fragile balance between the dictates of society and the heart with great care. The fresh breath of freedom blows through a narrative that makes room for a nod to old West Berlin, some gentle teasing of Germany’s French neighbours, and even a ghost that is chased away to make way for new possibilities. But most of all, "A E I O U" is a passionate love letter to Sophie Rois and, perhaps through her, all the brilliant actors neglected by an industry all too fond of young blood. Well, it turns out that these young players, embodied here by newcomer Milan Herms, not only look up to their more experienced peers, they truly love them.

The Film A E I O U – Das schnelle Alphabet der Liebe has two screenings and one is exclusively for "Women" scheduled in the festival on 17th December,4.30 pm at Six Degrees Cinema Hall, PVR Complex, Royapettah. 

The Glass Room (Das Glaszimmer)
Dir.:  Christian Lerch |  93 min. | 2019-20

Germany, spring 1945: Anna, a woman from Munich, flees the bombed city to the countryside with her eleven-year-old son Felix. They find a new home on the estate of a deceased aunt. There Felix discovers a wonderful place directly underneath the attic: a magically sparkling, mysterious "glass room" in which he can play and escape the dreary reality of war. At the same time he finds a new friend, Karri, the son of the local group leader Feik. Like his father, Karri is a convinced Nazi who firmly believes in the "ultimate victory" - quite different from Felix and his mother, who above all feel disgust for the Nazi ideology. Nevertheless, Felix gets more and more caught up in the Nazi propaganda, also because he is proud of his father fighting at the front. One night, when the latter turns up completely unexpectedly, Felix starts having second thoughts - because apparently his father has deserted.  
  20th CIFF Film Schedule (PDF, 20 MB)