Max Ophüls Prize film festival starts
Published: Friday, Jan 19th 2024, 09:10
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The 45th edition of the Max Ophüls Preis film festival opens on Monday in Saarbrücken in western Germany. The MOP is considered the most important festival for young German-language film and stands for the discovery of young talent from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The festival week opens on Monday (January 22) with Adrian Goiginger's feature film "Rickerl - Musik is höchstens a hobby". The Austrian singer-songwriter Voodoo Jürgens can be seen in the leading role in this melancholy and humorous father-son story. Director Adrian Goiginger wants to present his film in person in Saarbrücken with some of the actors.
The 45th Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival is dedicating this year's tribute to director, screenwriter and Grimme Award winner Christian Schwochow ("Bad Banks"). During the festival week from January 22 to 28, the MOP will present three of his films followed by audience discussions. According to the organizers, he will also hold a master class for the talents in attendance and a public workshop discussion for the audience.
During the festival week from January 22 to 28, 131 films will be shown in 226 screenings at seven venues - including four in the state capital. This year's total budget of 1.5 million euros is roughly the same as last year.
The filmmakers can once again look forward to 18 prizes worth a total of 118,500 euros, which will be awarded at a grand closing ceremony on Saturday (January 27, 7 p.m.). 58 films are taking part in the competitions in four categories: feature film, documentary, medium-length film and short film.
"A film year full of emotion, depth and the desire for freedom," said program director Theresa Winkler. The themes: Home, family, capitalism, but also queer love, homelessness and trauma. The areas of "faith and religion" and the topic of identities with their own family histories are also strongly represented.
The 45th Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival will also take place in a dual format. A selection of the films will once again be available to stream via the film festival website. Around 45,500 visitors attended the last in-person event in January 2020.
Festival director Svenja Böttger was "really satisfied" with ticket sales so far, she told dpa. There are already performances that are in high demand. She is particularly pleased about the high demand for the 5 and 10-person passes, which were sold out shortly after the official start of ticket sales. "We share the enthusiasm with the filmmakers, who will soon be setting off to present their works in person in Saarbrücken," says Böttger.
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