KFF Announces German Lsanguage Screening

THE COUNTERFEITERS


Kerry Film Festival (KFF), which is this year celebrating eleven years of bringing films to the people of Kerry, is delighted to announce a screening of the 2008 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, DIE FALSCHER (THE COUNTERFEITERS) as part of its Education Screenings for 2010. Working in close collaboration with the Irish Film Institute (IFI), Kerry County Council and various schools throughout the county the film will screen in Tralee Omniplex on Monday 26 April at 10:30 am.

"We're thrilled to be in a position to screen a film for German students and it's an amazing film," said Kerry Film Festival Director, Jason O' Mahony. "The education screenings that take place during the Kerry Film Festival are always a success and we're delighted to be able to extend those screenings throughout the year. We're also indebted to the support we receive from the IFI and Kerry County Council, which makes the screening possible."

The winner of the 2008 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Stefan Ruzowitzky's THE COUNTERFEITERS is the first film from Austria to ever receive that prestigious honor. Based on the memoir by Adolf Burger, the film tells the inspiring story of a pre-World War II criminal whose cunning and fiery spirit enable him to overcome deadly odds and survive life in Germany's Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

Before the war, Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) was one of the world's most ingenious counterfeiters, until he was finally caught and arrested by Friedrich Herzog (Devid Striesow). Years later, as the Nazi movement is in full swing, the nefariously charming Herzog, now a Nazi leader, recruits Sorowitsch to lead an enormous counterfeiting project called Operation Bernhard. Placed in a horrific position of moral corruption, Sorowitsch is forced to decide whether or not to save his own life or prevent the Nazis from causing further damage on an even grander scale. His fellow prisoner Adolf Burger (August Diehl) is determined to sabotage the operation, but Sorowitsch understands how dangerous a proposition this is.

While THE COUNTERFEITERS is based on real-life tragedy, it never loses its primary objective as a work of dramatic entertainment. This deft balancing act is what keeps Ruzowitzky's moving tale from becoming too bleak and depressing. The result is a deeply impressive work that addresses a topic not often explored in Holocaust cinema, the dilemma of victims who were forced to act immorally and illegally for the betterment of their captors. Powerfully acted by Markovics, THE COUNTERFEITERS is the type of film that the Oscars were made for.

Interested teachers are encouraged to contact Kerry Film Festival on 066 712 9934 to book places for students. Tickets are available at 5 euro per student or for 4 euro if paid in advance.

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Granparents & Grandchildren Active Retired Screening

Kerry Film Festival (KFF) screens classic films on the first Wednesday of every month in Siamsa Tire for active retired groups and individuals but the April screening is a little different. Because most children have Easter holidays for the week the organisers thought it would be a nice idea to encourage all audience members to bring their grandchildren with them.

"We have active retired screenings in Siamsa every month," said Jason O' Mahony, KFF Director, "and we thought it would be a wonderful idea to do something a little different for our April screening. Because most kids are on Easter holidays for the week, we're encouraging our audience to bring younger people with them for the screening of John Huston's ANNIE."

The screening will take place in Siamsa Tire at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, 7 April. "Siamsa Tire is a wonderful venue, the screen and sound system are top class, and the members of staff are always so accommodating," added Jason.

ANNIE is the final film in a series of John Huston films, which began with the screening of his debut, THE MALTESE FALCON, on Wednesday, 3 February. That film was one of the most assured debuts of all time and the undoubted Hamlet of Film Noir. Starring Humphrey Bogart as a detective who takes on a case that involves him with eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and a quest for a priceless statuette, the film also stared Mary Astor and Peter Lorre. It was nominated for three Oscars and is consistently included in lists as one of the best movies of all time. It was followed by Huston's THE MISFITS, with Clark Gable and Marylyn Monroe, a little seen film nowadays but one with megawatt star power and a brilliant script by Arthur Miller.

"Huston is such a versatile director and we wanted to show a selection of films from his oeuvre as part of the active retired programme and the third and final film in the series, is crowd-pleasing musical, ANNIE," added Jason. "It was nominated for a couple of Oscars and stars Albert Finney and Aileen Quinn as Annie, but more than that, it is a perfect film for grandparents to share with their grandchildren"

The film is an all singing look at the life of orphan Annie in 1930's America and proves the breadth of Huston's directorial talents which saw him succeed in every genre of film imaginable from Noir to Musicals.

"All films cost just 2euro to anyone over the age of 65 and Kerry Film Festival serves teas and coffees before the films to all attendees," added Jason. "And this month we're going to let all grandchildren come for free - provided they come with their grandparents! The active retired screenings are always nice, social occasions, and give attendees the opportunity to see some fantastic films on the big screen. We're hoping that by encouraging our regular audience to share the film with their grandchildren that the April screening will be even more special for everyone involved!"

The film will screen in Siamsa Tire at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, 7 April. For more information please contact Kerry Film Festival on 066 712 9934