Film Festival Cologne: Treasure Hunt on the Rhine

Laching always helps, that’s probably the unofficial Cologne city motto, and the opening of the 32nd edition of the “Film Festival Cologne” managed by Martina Richter (director) and Johannes Hensen (head of programming) was able to confirm this once again. The responsible North Rhine-Westphalian minister with a very long title, in which “and media” appears somewhere, Nathanael Liminski, had, being prevented himself, sent a self-recorded video message presented with ministerial impetus, the first with its insane office setting and countless clumsy perspective jumps cheerfulness, soon tears of laughter and at some point frenetic cheers among the moving image professionals present in the packed Cologne Filmpalast.

The minister is funnier than the movie

Even the guests of honor of the evening, the French director Jean-Paul Salomé and producer Bertrand Faivre, had to admit: “Unfortunately, our film is not as funny as your minister.” German cinema co-production, which celebrated its early German premiere in Cologne, to see Isabelle Huppert. Strong as usual, she embodies the tough trade unionist Maureen Kearney in the classically photographed and somewhat awkwardly told film adaptation of a real political and judicial scandal, who a decade ago took on the leadership of the nuclear company Areva – and thus also the country’s political elite , by making a dirty China deal public. In 2012, the frequently threatened Kearney was mugged at her home, but police and the judiciary were quick to believe the traumatized victim fabricated the sex crime. The trade unionist who was actually convicted was only acquitted of all allegations years later.

Salomé has turned it into a, at times, blatant lesson on systematic sexism in the executive floors of the French Republic. We see, with no great surprise, how incompetent men fight strong women, including the former Areva boss, by any means necessary. There are many clear names. Thanks to Isabelle Huppert, the film still gets under your skin. She created her character as a “bad victim” because Kearney remains individual and unruly even in the midst of suffering. The judiciary apparently only knew how to react to this with a stupid perpetrator-victim reversal. The disparaging accusations made by a judge, which seem almost unbelievable, are, as Salomé said, taken verbatim from the court records.

Big names lined up

For a week, premieres and highlights from current film and television production can be seen in Cologne, including big names such as David Cronenberg (“Crimes of the Future”), Lars von Trier (“The Kingdom Exodus”), Hirokazu Koreeda (” Broker”) or Park Chan-wook (“Decision to Leave”). Sympathetically, newer talents such as Lola Quivoron with her debut Rodeo or Lukas Dhont with Close, a film about two boys’ sexual identity quest that won the Cannes Jury Grand Prix, are heralded with the same enthusiasm. Fatih Akin celebrates the premiere of “Rheingold” in Cologne on Monday, his true crime fable about the creative criminal Giwar Hajabi, who made a career as the gangster rapper Xatar.

Prizes will also be awarded again. For example, the Cologne Film Prize goes to the French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius (known especially for “The Artist”, 2011; new is “Final Cut”), the International Actors Award to the actress Nina Hoss and the Hollywood Reporter Award to Mia Hansen-Løve for her impressionistic relationship film “On a Beautiful Morning”. There was probably no way around the anniversary of the Cologne “crime scene” (25 years, see the article on the right) with a large parade of actors and WDR.