Patricia Flor, the German Ambassador to China (center) at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Festival of German Cinema Photo: Courtesy of The German Embassy in China

With support of the German Embassy in China, the 2024 Festival of German Cinema opened in Beijing on November 15. At the opening ceremony, Patricia Flor, the German Ambassador to China, expressed her gratitude to German Films and the Goethe-Institut China for hosting the film festival and for selecting all the excellent films. 

According to German Films, the festival will screen 15 films, 12 of which are new films completed between 2023 and 2024, covering a variety of subjects, that have made a mark at different film festivals and have also done well at the German domestic box office. 

Anke Redl, China Representative of Director German Films, told the Global Times that the festival aims to show a diverse range of German films, which will not only impress audiences, but will also lead to discussions and the exploration of topics from different angles.

The festival opened with Empty Nets, which was selected for the competition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2023 and won the Special Jury Prize. 

Behrooz Karamizade, the film's director, told the Global Times that he was happy his film could satisfy the Chinese moviegoers who have high standards. He expects to cooperate with Chinese filmmakers in making a bridge between the two cultures.

Robin Mallick, Director of Goethe-Institut China, also echoed that China and Germany have some potential opportunities for co-filming some projects as he was happy to meet some producers who work on co-productions and travel frequently between Beijing and Berlin.