The Munich Festival lived up to its reputation as a summer festival: over ten days, the program featured 130 films from 56 countries. Around 95,000 visitors attended – 4,000 more than the previous year, according to a preliminary tally.
The highlight was the appearance of David Duchovny, known from “The X-Files” and “Californication.” The 65-year-old received the non-endowed Award. In his acceptance speech, he took aim at US Donald Trump and his motto “win, win, win.” “It’s pain and loss that unite us – not success or great highs,” Duchovny said. “Let’s lose for once. Let’s lose, embrace each other and say: We are all losers.”
The highest-endowed prize, the Award, went to the German co-production team of the coming-of-age film “Strange River” by Catalan director Jaume Claret Muxart. The film opens in theaters on August 27. The best international debut film was the family drama “A Girl Unknown” by Chinese filmmaker Jing Zou. The audience favorite was Helena Hufnagel’s “Lieblingsmenschen – The Extraordinary Friendship of Agnes & Amir.”
Besides Duchovny, Pedro Almodóvar, Toni Servillo, Sandra Hüller, and Elyas M’Barek also made appearances. Former Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) attended the opening with a fan – an accessory frequently seen given the extreme heat.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
