Cao Zhen caozhen0806@126.com PRESENTED by German Films and the Goethe-Institut China, nine German movies are playing at the Fourth Festival of German Cinema at the Broadway Cinema and B-Park in Shenzhen from Nov. 17 to 24. All of the movies will be in their original languages with Chinese and English subtitles. This year’s lineup includes international successes like “Colonia” by Academy Award-winning director Florian Gallenberger, renowned auteur Doris Dorrie’s Berlinale entry “Fukushima, Mon Amour,” Lars Kraume’s “The People vs. Fritz Bauer,” which won the audience award at the Locarno Film Festival, “The Nightmare” by Akiz, which captivated festivalgoers in Locarno, Toronto and Zurich, and Andreas Gruber’s “Hanna’s Sleeping Dogs,” which won the award for best screenplay at this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival. Women filmmakers are also making their mark, such as Aline Fischer (“Meteor Street”), Theresa von Eltz (“4 Kings”) and Cordula Kablitz-Post (“In Love With Lou”). Meanwhile, a forum on “Perspectives on German Cinema” will be held on the evening of Nov. 18 at B-Park in OCT-LOFT along with the screening of “After Spring Comes Fall.” “If you want to know German life, watch German films,” said Dirk Lechelt, deputy consul-general at the German Consulate General in Guangzhou, at the festival opening Nov. 17 in Shenzhen. According to Konstanze Welz, regional coordinator of German Films, and Clemens Treter, director of Goethe-Institut China, they selected standout festival hits as well as movies with successful box-office performances. Among the movies, “Meteor Street” and “After Spring Comes Fall” give insights into Middle Eastern refugee problems in Germany, which attracted the attention of Chinese audience members. “The refugee has been the most important topic in Germany for the past one and a half years, so many filmmakers emphasize the topic in their films,” said Welz. In “After Spring Comes Fall,” Minna, a young Kurdish woman, flees from Syria and comes to Germany as an illegal immigrant. Syrian security finds her and forces her to spy on Syrian resistance fighters in Berlin. The movie is TV journalist-turned-director Daniel Carsenty’s feature debut. Carsenty said that his experience as a photographer in the Middle East made him feel deeply connected to the region, its people and their stories. He found inspiration in three or four stories from reality and combined them to create “After Spring Comes Fall.” The director makes no judgement in the movie, only showing a complicated situation and how individuals behave in an “irrational world.” “Refugee news videos on TV are very short, but movies can go into depth, so I want to let the audience feel the life of people in this difficult situation and I want to use the movie as a strong tool to touch people,” said Carsenty. Another immigration-subject movie to be shown at the festival is “Meteor Street.” For her first narrative feature, director Fischer focuses on a pair of Palestinian brothers trying to make ends meet in Berlin after their parents were deported to Lebanon. “My movie is not only about Middle East immigrants in Berlin, but also the same situations of many Germany-born people who don’t have German citizenship and struggle to make a living. When I was in school, I noticed these second-generation immigrants in Europe who try to get in touch with society to fulfil their dreams,” said Fischer. In its fourth year, the Festival of German Cinema has established itself and is now an integral part of German cultural activities in China. A full schedule of the festival can be found at http://www.festivalofgermancinema.com/agenda/shenzhen. Cao Zhen | 