From Malaga to Berlin via the cinema: German film week kicks off

With the promise they made five years ago, the organisers of the German film week in Malaga province created a bridge between the German community and the Costa del Sol. More than two hundred people filled Cine Albéniz in the heart of Malaga at the opening of this year's programme on 25 November. As editor of SUR Deutsche Ausgabe, SUR in English's sister paper in German, Uwe Scheele said, the German film week "has become an essential cultural event in Malaga".

The link woven in 2020 has gained solid ground with screenings in Malaga, Mijas and Torrox thanks to the team behind every year's programme: SUR Deutsche Ausgabe, the Goethe-Institut in Madrid and the German consulate in Malaga.

The essence of the event revolves around this bond. "German history is rich, complex and relevant to understanding the European and global context," deputy president of the Amigos association of Goethe-Institut Stefan Meyer said in his speech. He highlighted a German cinema that, from expressionism to films such as The Lives of Others, has developed diverse storytelling styles while staying true to its political and aesthetic roots. Meyer said that films offer "means to foster mutual exchange", as reflected by the audience comprising Spaniards, Germans and people of other nationalities. They shared a common interest: discover what German cinema has to say today.

Coordinator of the Goethe-Institut in Madrid Ana Pérez presented the programme that brings together award-winning works: "from literary adaptations, biographies, thrillers, comedies, dramas and crime films". She said that some works have such a sharp realism that "you forget you're watching a film and not life itself". According to Pérez, the Goethe's aim is to "celebrate this sixth festival with a versatile and interesting programme", marked by the coexistence of young and established directors.

In his speech, consul Franko Stritt said that the German film week is "the most important and largest cultural event" of the consulate in Malaga.

The German consulate emphasised another key feature of the programme: the presence of three films dedicated to East and West Germany - "a theme that is, unfortunately, still relevant in Germany today". This fractured memory influences Mit der Faust in die Welt schlagen (Punching the World), Rote Sterne überm Feld (Red Stars Upon the Field) and Frisch (Fresh).

The opening film - Zwei zu eins (Two to One) - is a comedy based on real events that satirises a GDR family's race against the clock to turn a stash of devalued banknotes into useful money before reunification. Scheele described the film as "a comedy that makes you think" and highlighted the presence of "first-class" actors, including last year's Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller. Actor Anselm Haderer, who was unable to attend in person, sent a video in which he thanked the organisers for the invitation and said that the project holds a personal value. "When I received the opportunity to participate in Two to One, the pull was very strong," he said.

Once again this year, there will be complementary screenings in Mijas and Torrox. The representative of Mijas town hall highlighted the "pride" of a town where "more than 40% of the 1,053 registered Germans" actively participate in cultural life. "The Germans have everything ready six months in advance; the Spaniards, six minutes before," he joked, before promising that next year he "will say more words in German".

Torrox, on the other hand, is home to "the highest number of German residents in mainland Spain", so the commitment of the municipality to this project is clear. Mayor Óscar Medina was unable to be present at the event due to the tragic death of four people in a gas leak in the town on Tuesday.

The German film week ends on Saturday. All nine feature films, recognised on the German scene, have never been screened in Malaga before.