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East-west horror film rides German cinema boom
2007-02-15
An existential horror film set across Germany's east-west divide, "Yella," entered the running at the 57th Berlin Film Festival, riding a wave of homegrown hits. The picture, directed by rising star Christian Petzold, tells the story of an accountant (Nina Hoss) from the former communist east who, like many of her generation, flees to find work in the wealthy west. Yella flees her depressed, deserted hometown of Wittenberge and finds work with a mysterious man (Devid Striesow) in the western city of Hanover. But a violent car crash sends the story into a netherworld where reality is deceptive and the audience feels as out of its element as Yella. Petzold said although the film was true to its setting in contemporary east Germany, he saw the themes as universal. "This is not only about the area around Wittenberge... and all the other places that don't have any jobs anymore," he told reporters. "The flexible movement of capital and at the same time the dreams of home and heritage that are much older -- they don't just apply to Germany but also Shanghai, Africa and Argentina, for example." Striesow, who is from the east, plays a westerner and Hoss, who is from the west, slips into the role of an easterner. He said the actors had talked for hours about their background to ensure authenticity in the portrayals. "This character Philipp was pretty foreign to me, even the way he spoke," he said. "The more we talked, the more I understood this person, this mentality and this way of making money. We wanted to get it right." "Yella" is one of two German competition entries at the festival, representing a domestic film industry flush with international successes. Petzold, who has had a series of critical hits with films such as "Gespenster" and "Wolfsburg," said he was proud to be working in an industry that has seen a surge in commercial and critical hits. "In the last few years, there is a German film out every month or two that you are just thrilled to see. You didn't have that 10 years ago," he said. Based on just one key indicator -- Oscar nominations -- German films have made a strong showing in recent years with Nazi-era dramas "Downfall" and "Sophie Scholl -- The Final Days" in the running for the best foreign film nod in 2005 and 2006 and the Stasi secret police tragedy "The Lives of Others" up for the prize this year. And in 2003, Germany brought home the gold in the category with the wartime drama "Nowhere In Africa." German films are also holding their own against Hollywood in the domestic market, now capturing about a quarter of box office revenues. "Yella" is one of 22 films vying for the Golden Bear top prize at the Berlinale, which wraps up Sunday after a gala awards ceremony Saturday night. The other German entry at the festival, "The Counterfeiters," also starring Striesow, has been mentioned by many critics as a likely winner and captured international buyers' attention.
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