The movie Toubab will open Kinofest 2023 in Việt Nam. Photos courtesy of Goethe Institut Hanoi

HÀ NỘI — Seven current movies will be shown at the annual German film festival held in Hà Nội, HCM City and Bình Dương Province from November 1.

Initiated by the Goethe-Institute Southeast Asia, with the participation of Việt Nam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and New Zealand, German film festival - KinoFest 2023 includes recent award-winning films from German cinema and recognised at the Berlinale Film Festival.

This year, KinoFest features a diverse selection of German films, including dramas, documentaries, comedies, fiction and thrillers. These films touch on important themes such as connections, immigration and cultural interference in contemporary life of Germany.

Toubab will open the festival at BHD Star Vincom Phạm Ngọc Thạch, Hà Nội on November 1 at 7.30pm.

The movie is said to be an attempt to strike a precarious balance between the serious and the funny. The comedy tells the story of Babtou, who has just been released from prison. After his release from prison, Babtou is looking forward to a fresh start, enjoying his freedom and never dealing with German authorities again.

However, he finds himself facing deportation when a spontaneous welcome home party goes awry. The work raises issues of migration with cultural clashes, identity conflicts, and how people face identity crises in the new era.

Toubab has received nominations and awards at German and international film festivals, and won Audience Award - Feature Film at Warsaw International Film Festival 2021.

Till the End of the Night won Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance at Berlin International Film Festival 2023. It will be shown on November 6.

Highlight of the festival is Till the End of the Night. It is a smart, subtle blend of genre and auteur cinema by Christoph Hochhäusler featuring an intricate exploration of love and identity, a nostalgic soundtrack, dark romantic atmosphere and an excellent ensemble cast.

It won Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance at Berlin International Film Festival 2023. It will be shown on November 6.

Other films include We Might As Well Be Dead (2022), Sisi and I (2023), Love, Deutsche Mark and Death (2022), Elaha (2023), and The Ordinaries (2022).

We Might As Well Be Dead won best cinematography at the 2022 Tribeca Festival and Sisi And I took the Audience Award at the German Film Fest Madrid.

Love, Deutsche Mark and Death, the title of Cem Kaya's documentary, is inspired by a song by the Berlin band Ideal. A German director with Turkish roots, he shows in his latest work how the waves of migration of Turkish citizens to Germany contribute to the development of Turkish pop music industry, quite remarkably, in both countries.

At the beginning of the 60s, people from Turkey brought not only their manpower to Germany but also their language, culture and music.

A lively music scene emerged which had its roots in Anatolia, but its heyday was in Germany. It’s still present today. Director Kaya’s gripping documentary was awarded the Panorama Audience Award at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival.

The documentary will be screened on November 4. All the shows begin at 7.30pm with English and Vietnamese subtitles. Tickets can be purchased at the cinema.

Following its screenings in Hà Nội between November 1-7, the festival begins in HCM City at Cinestar Hai Bà Trưng, at 135 Hai Bà Trưng Street, District 1 from November 8-14 and at Cinestar Sinh Viên, Dĩ An City, Bình Dương Province from November 9-11. — VNS