In a film town like Toronto, it’s easy for secrets to be hiding around every cinematic corner.
Our friends and great supporters at the Goethe Institute have screenings series to promote some of the more interesting works coming out of German cinema and this month with screenings at the TIFF Bell Lightbox tomorrow the 3rd the 8th and the 10th we get a really interesting dive into a German subgenre in a series titled Stronger Then Blood.
A thriller sub-genre of gangster films has carved out a popular and critically acclaimed niche in German cinema over the last 20 years. Some films tell hard-hitting street crime stories while some are tender explorations of inner-city life and love. All introduce us to fresh, complex characters that appeal well beyond their own worlds as they navigate conscience, honour and responsibility for their actions.
It all starts tomorrow night with Dealer , written and directed by Thomas Arslan, and winner of the Fipresci Prize, is based on an intimate portrait of a young Turkish man and his rising career in crime, and featuring some of Germany’s top film actors, Tamer Ygit, Idil Üner (Short Sharp Shock), and Birol Ünel (Head-On).
On October 8th we get a screening of Chiko, Özgur Yildirim’s critically acclaimed and award winning debut film, Set in four Arab blocks of Berlin. It tells the story of a man who must choose between a life of crime, or of friendship and loyalty.
Wrapping it up for the month on October 10th it’s Stronger Then Blood is a multi-award winning, and entertaining film about a young man’s journey in the drug trade, and features an all-star cast of Jacob Matschenz (Never Look Away), Burak Yiğit (Victoria), Aylin Tezel (7500), and Liv Lisa Fries (lead in Babylon Berlin).
All screenings start at 6:30PM at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on the 3rd, 8th and 10th respectively and if you’re looking for a change of pace to your cinema…this just might fit the bill. And considering the caliber of voices that have come out of German cinema over the years from the likes of Wim Wenders, Werner Herzog, Fatih Akin and Fritz Lang among many others this maybe your only chance to catch the next big thing on the big screen coming out of Germany.
If you’d like more information of the Goethe Institute and the Goethe Screenings series you can visit their website right here.
