German Language Film Festival
April 24 - May 15, 2024
ByTowne Cinema, 325 Rideau Street
Price: Admission Non-Member - $14.00 // Admission Non-Member GLFFO - Bundle (All 4 shows) - $50.00

April 24 - May 15, 2024
ByTowne Cinema, 325 Rideau Street
Price: Admission Non-Member - $14.00 // Admission Non-Member GLFFO - Bundle (All 4 shows) - $50.00
Apr 24, 2024, 6:30 PM
May 1, 2024, 6:30 PM
May 8, 2024, 6:30 PM
May 15, 2024, 6:30 PM
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Many countries produce exceptional films that often miss out on screenings in North America. The Embassies of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland believe that Ottawa audiences deserve the chance to enjoy some of the best German-language films of recent years. Together, they have arranged four screenings to showcase these acclaimed films.
April 24th at 6:30 PM – Breaking the Ice (Austria)
Mira lives for the sport of ice hockey and leads her team as captain with a strong determination. It’s a challenge to reconcile this with her role in the family vineyard: with her mother and her adventurous but increasingly demented grandfather, she runs the farm – with all its responsibilities. The new player Theresa completely unsettles her with her nonchalance and openness. And when Mira’s missing brother Paul also turns up and all three get lost in late-night Vienna, Mira discovers the freedom it means to break rules, to reinvent herself – and that you can only love if you let go.
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May 1st at 6:30 PM – One for the Road (Germany)
Although in self-denial about his drinking problem, Mark seems to have easily mastered life between his demanding job as a construction manager and rambunctious forays into Berlin‘s nightlife. That is, until he is stopped by the police one night, loses his license until he has passed a medical-psychological examination. Mark bets his best friend Nadim that he won‘t drink any alcohol until he gets his driving license back, but he hasn‘t reckoned with meeting “partner in crime“ Helena during the examination. At first Mark is confident of victory, but soon disillusionment follows in the truest sense of the word. Does Mark have to admit to himself that he has a more serious problem than he thought?
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May 8th at 6:30 PM – Bonjour Switzerland (Switzerland)
A crazy referendum throws Switzerland into a state of emergency. By the acceptance of the initiative, “No Bilingue” there should be from now on only one national language: French. Many German-speaking Swiss are therefore having a crisis. Including fifty-six-year-old Walter Egli, who works for the Federal Police and must ensure that the transition to monolingualism is carried out properly. Although he hardly speaks any French himself, he is sent to Ticino with a French-speaking partner to uncover a Ticino resistance group that is fighting the new law by all means necessary.
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May 15th at 6:30 PM – Alma and Oskar (Austria/German/Switzerland)
Vienna, spring 1912: The recently widowed Alma Mahler, Grande Dame of the Viennese Society seduces the “Enfant Terrible” of Vienna’s art scene, the young painter Oskar Kokoschka. What started as an adventure quickly turns into an intensive affaire. Oskar views Alma as his muse, serving rather his male phantasy than reality. A game of power and dependency emerges that leads both Alma and Oskar to the brink of self-destruction.
https://www.bytowne.ca/schedule/#
May 1, 2024, 6:30 PM
May 8, 2024, 6:30 PM
May 15, 2024, 6:30 PM
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Many countries produce exceptional films that often miss out on screenings in North America. The Embassies of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland believe that Ottawa audiences deserve the chance to enjoy some of the best German-language films of recent years. Together, they have arranged four screenings to showcase these acclaimed films.
April 24th at 6:30 PM – Breaking the Ice (Austria)
Mira lives for the sport of ice hockey and leads her team as captain with a strong determination. It’s a challenge to reconcile this with her role in the family vineyard: with her mother and her adventurous but increasingly demented grandfather, she runs the farm – with all its responsibilities. The new player Theresa completely unsettles her with her nonchalance and openness. And when Mira’s missing brother Paul also turns up and all three get lost in late-night Vienna, Mira discovers the freedom it means to break rules, to reinvent herself – and that you can only love if you let go.
---
May 1st at 6:30 PM – One for the Road (Germany)
Although in self-denial about his drinking problem, Mark seems to have easily mastered life between his demanding job as a construction manager and rambunctious forays into Berlin‘s nightlife. That is, until he is stopped by the police one night, loses his license until he has passed a medical-psychological examination. Mark bets his best friend Nadim that he won‘t drink any alcohol until he gets his driving license back, but he hasn‘t reckoned with meeting “partner in crime“ Helena during the examination. At first Mark is confident of victory, but soon disillusionment follows in the truest sense of the word. Does Mark have to admit to himself that he has a more serious problem than he thought?
---
May 8th at 6:30 PM – Bonjour Switzerland (Switzerland)
A crazy referendum throws Switzerland into a state of emergency. By the acceptance of the initiative, “No Bilingue” there should be from now on only one national language: French. Many German-speaking Swiss are therefore having a crisis. Including fifty-six-year-old Walter Egli, who works for the Federal Police and must ensure that the transition to monolingualism is carried out properly. Although he hardly speaks any French himself, he is sent to Ticino with a French-speaking partner to uncover a Ticino resistance group that is fighting the new law by all means necessary.
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May 15th at 6:30 PM – Alma and Oskar (Austria/German/Switzerland)
Vienna, spring 1912: The recently widowed Alma Mahler, Grande Dame of the Viennese Society seduces the “Enfant Terrible” of Vienna’s art scene, the young painter Oskar Kokoschka. What started as an adventure quickly turns into an intensive affaire. Oskar views Alma as his muse, serving rather his male phantasy than reality. A game of power and dependency emerges that leads both Alma and Oskar to the brink of self-destruction.
https://www.bytowne.ca/schedule/#