| Brand New Films From Germany November 26 – December 6, 2020 Organized by Istanbul Modern Cinema in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Istanbul, and with the contributions of Türk Tuborg A.Ş., Brand New Films from Germany celebrates its 12th year this winter. Comprising seven films that will be screened in the online program for the first time in Turkey, the title of this year’s program is Stray Tales. The selection includes a variety of films that bring fantastic stories to present day as well as urban legends. While some films have a fairy-tale like atmosphere, some question history and facts through their stories that are based on real life events. Among the highlights of the Stray Tales program are films such as Curveball, a dark comedy agent film adapting real events taking place during the Iraq war to follow the role of the German government and secret service, directed by Johannes Naber whose film Age of Cannibals (Zeit der Kannibalen)was shown in the program in 2014, the documentary Schlingensief: A Voice That Shook the Silence (Schlingensief - In das Schweigen Hineinschreien) portraying the forty-year-long artistic career of film director Christoph Schlingensief, one of the leading names of contemporary German theatre using archival footage, and Schlingensief’s 1986 production, Egomania - Island Without Hope (Egomania - Insel ohne Hoffnung) with its striking photographs, taking place on an island after dooms day, and where artists such as Tilda Swinton and Udo Kier improvise. Also included in the program is a fun family film: Erik Schmitt’s first feature length film Cleo, which premiered at the Berlinale last year as the opening film of the Generation Kplus section. The film portrays the fantastic adventure of the film’s protagonist Cleo as it takes the viewers on a colorful journey across the 800-year-long history of the city of Berlin. 
CURVEBALL – A TRUE STORY. UNFORTUNATELY (CURVEBALL – WIR MACHEN DIE WAHRHEIT), 2020
Germany | HDD, Color, 108’ | German, English
Director: Johannes Naber
Cast: Sebastian Blomberg, Dar Salim, Virginia Kull One can’t say that the German Federal Intelligence Service BND has a very good reputation. One day, the opportunity to prove the opposite arises. One of the residents of a dormitory where asylum seekers are staying claims that he has seen Saddam Hussein's secret weapons with his very own eyes. The time has come to prove the whole world what a great organization BND is. Unfortunately though, it soon becomes clear that the allegations are untrue. They quickly attempt to cover everything up, but meanwhile, developments that will change world history have already taken place: 9/11 attacks happen, and the Americans embark on a quest to find the rogue state who is responsible. And they think of looking for BND’s source for the Iraqis… In Curveball, Johannes Naber uses elements of situation comedies to depict how facts can be ignored for the sake of government and power. COUP, 2019
Germany | HDD, Color, 82’ | German
Director: Sven O. Hill
Cast: Daniel Michel, Tomasz Robak, Paula Kalenberg The film centers on a young man. He has a pretty good life; he works as a banker by day and a rock musician by night. He has a family, and a child. But one day, he has an idea: Why shouldn’t he rob a bank? Not using weapons or force, but taking advantage of the security flaws. He materializes this idea of his, and is successful too. He runs away to Australia together with the millions he steals. But things don’t pan out as he imagines. He invites his girlfriend along, and tells her to bring their kids. He has stolen all this money to enjoy life together with them, but the response he gets is: no. In Coup, Sven O. Hill incorporates elements of documentary and animation to portray an incredible narrative. CLEO, 2019
Germany | HDD, Color, 96' | German
Director: Erik Schmitt
Cast: Marleen Lohse, Jeremy Mockridge, Max Mauff The ginger-haired Cleo, after whom the film is named, loves Berlin and the city's history that keeps growing in different directions. But since the loss of her parents, she has been living in isolation from the world. Adventurous Paul comes to Cleo's rescue, and together they embark on a journey in pursuit of the great clock that can run time backwards. During their journey they encounter various famous people from history: movie star Marlene Dietrich, scientist Max Planck, the infamous burglars, Sass Brothers who ravaged Berlin in the 1920s. But the most important encounter is Cleo's encounter with herself. Erik Schmitt uses bizarre effects and digital tricks to narrate a surprising and engrossing tale that you can enjoy with your children. WE WANTED MORE – THE MIRACLE OF TAIPEI (DAS WUNDER VON TAIPEH), 2019
Germany | HDD, Color, 83’ | German
Director: John David Seidler In 1981, the managers of the German Football Association receive an official letter: Taiwan is organizing a Women's World Cup in Taipei and Germany's participation is expected. But the Germans don’t have a women's national team, as there has never been a need to establish one. They don't want to admit this at the risk of embarrassment. They decide that the SSG 09 Bergisch Gladbach women's soccer team should act as the national team. Although no one knows about Bergisch Gladbach, the city's women's soccer team is the best in the country. The team gets ready and goes to Taiwan, covering all the costs themselves. And something amazing happens: they become world champions without losing a single game. Now the Football Association has no other choice but to establish a national team for women. The Miracle of Taipei is an entertaining documentary with references to men's ignorance and women's vision. SCHLINGENSIEF: A VOICE THAT SHOOK THE SILENCE (SCHLINGENSIEF - IN DAS SCHWEIGEN HINEINSCHREIEN), 2020
Germany | HDD, Color, 124’ | German
Director: Bettina Böhler Christoph Schlingensief was the biggest provocateur of the German culture and art scene. Among the director’s provocations are his film, Blackest Heart (Das deutsche Kettensägen Massaker), the film that staged the fall of the Berlin Wall as a horror movie, or the projectfor which he invited Germany's six million unemployedto take a bath in Lake Wolfgang and flood the then German chancellor Helmut Kohl's summer residence. If he had been alive, Schlingensief would have turned 60 this year, but he died of lung cancer in 2010. The editor of many films by Schlingensief, Bettina Böhler made a documentary on this unique artist. The Voice that Shook the Silence is a great work of art, which portrays Schlingensief's works in different disciplines, his character, his restlessness, his unlimited dedication to a cause and the joy of life he has preserved even after learning that he has a terminal illness. Also featured in the selection along with this documentary is Egomania, one of Schlingensief's early films. EGOMANIA - ISLAND WITHOUT HOPE (EGOMANIA - INSEL OHNE HOFFNUNG), 1986
Germany | HDD, Color, 82’ | German, English
Director: Christoph Schlingensief
Cast: Udo Kier, Tilda Swinton, Uwe Fellensiek "If a thought gnaws at you, think it away..." these words are followed by: "... or suffer" in Egomania. Christoph Schlingensief, the enfant terrible of German cinema and art world who died at a very young age, was only 26 years old when he made this film. Accompanying him was the uncanny Udo Kier and otherworldly beauty Tilda Swinton. Egomania is a drama that deals with grand issues such as love, jealousy, greed and murder. The events take place during winter on a little island in the North Sea. The synopsis included in the press release distributed at the premiere of the film contains several references: "Dr. Faust in the ice ... or ... a German story about the collapse of civilization, following in the footsteps of the NibelungenliedEpic." Egomania accompanies the documentary titled The Voice that Shook the Silence, which portrays Schlingensief, the indefatigable anarchist of the culture and art scene , through invaluable original material. HAPPY LAMENTO, 2018
Germany | HDD, Color, 90’ |German
Director: Alexander Kluge
Cast:Helge Schneider, Heiner Müller, Galina Antoschewskaja, Peter Berling Nearing his 90th birthday, Alexander Kluge has been an iconic figure of world cinema with his distinctive experimental films. Happy Lamento, which premiered at the 75th Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days (Giornate degli Autori) section, focuses on a revolutionary discovery: electric light… Without it there wouldn’t be cinema! But, what we will watch in Happy Lamento is not limited to this; circus, the famous song, Blue Moon or the fights between the street gangs of north Manila also play prominent roles in the film, loosely but consistently tying up the storyline. Indeed, we can say that this is Kluge’s signature style. The city of Manila is also significant for the film because Kluge takes Filipino director Khavn De La Cruz on board as well. In fact, he incorporates various sequences from Khavn's 2016 film Alipato: The Very Brief Life of an Ember into his film. Deemed as the "Che Guevara of the digital revolution” Khavn addresses the traumatic alliance of poverty, desperation and brutality in his works. This theme impressively accompanies the philosophical reflections of Kluge, the grand master of auteur cinema. | CINEMA SPONSOR
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