"Bangalore to host German Film Week
- with a spectacular selection of must-watch movies

Bangalore, July 26, 2008: The long-awaited German Film Week is all set to wow film fans in the City in an action-packed week, starting August 8th 2008 at Lavanya Theatre on St. John's Road.

This year the German Film Week from August 8th to 14th 2008, is being organised by the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan in collaboration with German Films, the German national information and advisory centre for the promotion of German films worldwide and Suchitra Film Society, Bangalore.

The Festival would not have been possible without the enthusiasm of the main sponsor, Siemens Information Systems Ltd. and the support of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India.

Talking about the Festival, Dr. Evelin Hust, Director of the Festival and of the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan says: "The Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan has established a tradition of bringing first-rate German films in all genres to Bangalore - features, documentaries, shorts, packages and children's films. This engagement
over the years culminated in the three highly successful and popular Indo-German Film Festivals that took place in 2003, 2004 and 2006. The German Film Week is the logical successor to the Indo-German Festivals,  now that the Bengalooru International Film Festival (BIFFES) has taken its place on the City's annual cultural map. This year's palette of award-winning films is an exciting blend of thought-provoking themes and pure entertainment, with something appropriate for every age group. A word to the thousands of film fans in Bangalore: This Festival has been specially designed for you - enjoy it!"

The German Film Week opens with the award-winning Requiem - a haunting story of the power that religion wields over young minds and continues through the week with more drama, tragedy, comedy, history, family and fantasy... all from acclaimed film makers, featuring superb cast and  crew.

Two award-winning films of celebrated director Fatih Akin - The Edge of Heaven and Head On - offer a back-to-back insight into German-Turkish immigrant cinema and the line that is drawn between what is home and what is foreign.

The search for orientation and direction in relationships is evident in several films, including the powerful portrayal in Four Minutes, as also A Friend of Mine, Ghosts and Warchild, covering love, loneliness, loss and longing - in a spectrum ranging from comic to tragic. Star-crossed love and rootlessness come to the fore in Nothing but Ghosts.

Films that deal with the youthful phase of life - reflecting scenes, zeitgeist, sensitivity and attitudes - form an integral part of the Festival. The cult film Status Yo! and Grave Decisions are must-watch features - and not just for youth. And at the other end of the scale
films like Cherry Blossoms, dealing with the travails of age and illness.

Since the nineties, children's film in Germany has been experiencing a boom with more productions, more variety. The children's section of the Festival includes timeless and enchanting entertainers (Emil and the Detectives and The Flying Classroom), as well as stirring stories such as Children of the Moon and The Blind Flyers.

Entry to the Festival is on the basis of Delegate Passes. Registration forms are available at the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Suchitra Film Society, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and online at www.goethe.de/film-week. Passes will be issued from Monday August 4, 2008 onwards and are valid for the entire Festival.

The screening schedule, synopses of the films and other details are available at the Bhavan (2520 5305/6/7/8) and on the website: www.goethe.de/film-week "