North American Premiere
After his family is deported, Cioma Schönhaus, a young Jewish man living in 1942 Germany, ekes out a living at a munitions factory and enjoys Berlin’s nightlife under a fake naval officer ID. He puts his skills as a graphic artist to use for a former Nazi bureaucrat, forging passports and IDs to help Jewish people escape the country. Adapting the story from Schönhaus’ memoir, director Maggie Peren gives her film the same immaculate attention to detail as Cioma does his forgeries, contrasting the dimly lit Berlin of Jewish people struggling with food rations with the decadence of the Nazis.
Cioma (played with winsome charm by Louis Hofmann) waltzes through the city with reckless abandon, impersonating military personnel to dance with women at bars, and endeavouring to live life to its fullest instead of hiding. The film balances the playful atmosphere of his ingenuity and aplomb against the sombre backdrop of Nazi Germany and the looming danger Cioma faces with each forgery and elegant lie.
Media Partner
Louis Hofmann, Jonathan Berlin, Luna Wedler, Nina Gummich, Marc Limpach, André Jung
Germany/Luxembourg
2022
In German with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Exhibition on Screen: Dawn of Impressionism
The latest Exhibition on Screen film contextualizes the landmark show which launched Impressionism with correspondence and journal entries from Manet, Monet, Cezanne, Degas, Morisot et al, and looks also at the turbulent history of the period.
Toy Story 2
When Woody is kidnapped, it's Buzz who leads the troops to the rescue. Expertly balancing action, humour and emotion, this deepens our relationship with the first film's characters and introduces a stellar newcomer, cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack). Rated: G
Image: © Disney Pixar 1999
Toy Story 3
Andy is 17 now and moving on to college. His mom wants his room cleared, and a misunderstanding consigns the toys to Sunnyside Daycare. Initially the idea of all-day play seems too good to be true, but Sunnyside has a dark side. Rated: G
Image: © Disney Pixar 2010
Credits
Producer
Alexander Fritzemeyer, Martin Kosok
Screenwriter
Maggie Peren
Cinematography
Christian Stangassinger
Editor
Robert Sterna
Production Design
Eva-Maria Stiebler
Original Music
Mario Grigorov
Director
Maggie Peren
Maggie Peren is an award-winning writer and director born in Heidelberg, Germany. After studying literature and psychology in Munich, she wrote her first screenplay Forget America (2000). In 2003, she received the German Film Award for Before the Fall (2004), followed by numerous screenplays for which she won national and international awards. In 2011, she presented her second directorial work, The Color of the Ocean. The refugee drama premiered in Toronto and was awarded several prizes worldwide. Her thriller short film Nocebo (2014) won the Student Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
Filmography: Stellungswechsel (2007); The Color of the Ocean (2011); Hello Again – A Wedding a Day (2020)