Month: September 2020

CHICHINETTE – THE ACCIDENTAL SPY, the documentary and graduation film by Nicola Alice Hens, will be released in cinemas nationwide on September 17, 2020. To accompany its theatrical release, the director will personally present the film in selected cities. The film tells the hitherto little-known story of the French Jew Marthe Cohn alias Chichinette. During the chaos of war, Cohn decided to risk her life to work as an allied spy in Nazi Germany. Today, at the age of 100, she travels the world sharing her story with the younger generations.

The film’s release was planned for March 19, 2020, but a nationwide lockdown in Germany occurred only days before its scheduled start. Now the time has come and CHICHINETTE – THE ACCIDENTAL SPY is finally coming to cinemas.

CHICHINETTE – THE ACCIDENTAL SPY celebrated its German premiere at the Hofer Filmtage 2019.

Film Discussions

FILM DISCUSSION on 12.09.2020 BERLIN KLICK Kino (within the Jewish Film Festival Berlin & Brandenburg) – 6 pm – Guests: director Nicola A. Hens and producer Amos Geva

FILM DISCUSSION on 17.09.2020 WEIMAR Lichthaus cinema – 7 pm – Guest: director Nicola A. Hens

FILM DISCUSSION on 18.09.2020 LEIPZIG Cinémathèque Leipzig – 7 pm – Guest: director Nicola A. Hens

FILM DISCUSSION on 19.09.2020 BERLIN Central – time TBA – Guests: director Nicola A. Hens and producer Amos Geva

FILM DISCUSSION on 19.09.2020 BERLIN Moviemento – time TBA – Guests: director Nicola A. Hens and producer Amos Geva

Venues

Berlin, Bremen, Dortmund, Dresden, Essen, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Halberstadt, Hamburg, Hanover, Karlsruhe, Leipzig, Munich, Münster, Nuremberg, Potsdam, Salzgitter, Stuttgart, Tübingen, Ulm, Wiesbaden, Würzburg, and more.

An updated list of film discussions and venues can be found on the website of missingFILMs.

About the film

At the age of 100, Marthe Cohn tours the world like a rock star. The demunitive white-haired woman possesses humour, flair, and lots of energy. We quickly understand why she was once nicknamed “Chichinette” (little pain in the neck). Her speeches are entertaining and peppered with punch lines. With wit and charm Marthe captivates her audience with her incredible life story: Marthe Hoffnung, a French Jew from Metz, who lost her fiancé and her sister in the war, decided in 1945 to risk her life to spy for the Allies in Nazi Germany and to fight for the war to come to an end. Her mission was successful, but for sixty years after the war she remained silent about her heroic deeds.

An Amos Geva film production in co-production with Merovee Films, the DFFB, and the RBB.

CHICHINETTE – THE ACCIDENTAL SPY tells the impressive story of Cohn’s life in atmospheric, partly animated images.

Source: missingFILMs

After the pandemic thwarted the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in April, we are delighted that the 16th edition of achtung Berlin – new berlin film award film will soon be upon us.

Taking place from 16–20 September, this edition will feature fewer films than usual, but they will all be screened in the best cultural meeting place for filmmakers and film lovers—the cinema!

The DFFB will be present at the festival, which is the most important event for showcasing filmmaking from Berlin and Brandenburg. This year’s programme includes the following contributions from the DFFB:

1986 (R/B: Lothar Herzog, K: Philipp Baben der Erde, P: Romana Janik)

DAS WARTEN (R/B: Lasse Holdhus, K: Alexander Brack, P: Lisa Roling)

DER TAG X (R: Katharina Rivilis, B: Katharina Rivilis, Samuel Chalela Puccini, K: Giulia Schelhas, P: Cecilia Trautvetter)

FREISCHWIMMER (R: Gaya von Schwarze, B: Mirko Rachor, Gaya von Schwarze, Josephine Oleak, K: Raban Jakob Friedrich, P: Ibrahim-Utku Erdogan, Leonie Schäfer)

IN DEN BINSEN (R: Clara Zoe My-Linh von Arnim, B: Andreas Kouba, K: Raban Jakob Friedrich, P: Elisabeth Köller)

JIYAN (R/B: Süheyla Schwenk, K: Florian Wurzer, P: Sara Fazilat, Roxana Richters)

LAND OF GLORY (R: Borbála Nagy, B: Borbála Nagy, Judit Anna Bánházi, K: Moritz Friese, P: Margarita Amineva)

REVOLVO (R/B: Francy Fabritz, K: Antonia Lange, P: Sara Fazilat)

SEBASTIAN SPRINGT ÜBER GELÄNDER (R/B: Ceylan Ataman-Checa, K: Albrecht von Grünhagen, P: Jörg Daniel, Övünc Güvenisik, Simona Kostova, Ceylan Ataman-Checa) und

TRÄUME VON RÄUMEN (R/B: Matthias Lintner, K: Francisco Medina, Matthias Lintner, Matilda Mester, Carlos Andres Lopez, Christopher Aoun; P: Matthias Lintner, Ewelina Rosińska).

In addition, the film FRITSCH´S PFUSCH will screen in the documentary competition section. The film features cinematography by Paul Rohlfs and was produced by Victor Buzalka (Director: Lisa Wagner/KHM).

Two debut films of our gradutes can also be seen at the festival:

GLITTER&DUST by Anna Koch and Julia Lemke and GIRAFFE by Anna Sofie Hartmann.

 

For the full schedule, take a look at the programme booklet.

The 3rd Filmnetzwerk Pitch takes place at the festival on 18 September.

The Pitch is a showcase for filmmakers from Berlin. During the Branchentag of the achtung berlin film festival, a selection of screenwriters, directors, and producers will present their long, short, and serial fiction, non-fiction, and animation projects to a professional audience. The participants will receive feedback from production, TV, and distribution experts.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pitch this year will occur under necessary hygiene measures. The pitch offers the participants the following possibilities: to receive feedback on the projects’ content and form, to examine relevant production and evaluation strategies, and to gain partners for their project.

We wish everyone a successful festival!