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FILM

German director defends ultra-violent film from #metoo attacks

One of Germany's most acclaimed directors, Fatih Akin, hit back Saturday at criticism of his new film about a real-life serial killer, "The Golden Glove", charging that it exploits the female victims.

German director defends ultra-violent film from #metoo attacks
Fatih Akin at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday. Photo: John Macdougall / AFP
Akin, who won a Golden Globe award last year for his terrorism drama “In the Fade” starring Diane Kruger, insisted the ultra-violent new picture aimed to grant “dignity” to both the killer and the slain women.
   
“We are living in a time in which the discussion about sexual violence is everywhere and that is justified,” Akin told reporters at the Berlin film festival, where the picture premiered. 
   
“But when you make a film about sexual violence, you have to show it,” he said after facing several pointed questions.
   
Akin said he had no desire to “glorify” violence against women with the film's scenes graphically depicting sexual torture, murder and dismemberment which many viewers said left them feeling queasy.
   
He said he had shown the film to pimps he knew from his hometown Hamburg's red-light district, where the movie is set.
   
“You can talk to them until you're blue in the face about how wrong violence against women is and #MeToo and it goes in one ear and out the other,” Akin said. “But if people who have committed violence against women say '(this movie's) too brutal for me', then maybe it's naive but I'm hopeful that the film will have an impact on them.”
   
Akin said for all the heightened sensitivity around sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry, it should not be used to stifle artistic freedom. 
   
“Of course you think about #MeToo stuff and I support it,” he said. “But it should not… create censorship.”
   
Akin, who has billed the film a “horror movie”, based it on author Heinz Strunk's novel of the same title, named for the seedy pub where the real killer Fritz Honka met his victims.
   
Most were alcoholics who went home with men in exchange for liquor. Honka killed at least four women between 1970 and 1975 until their mutilated rotting corpses were discovered in his flat.
 
'Not everyone's cup of tea'
 
Akin employed female psychologists on set to help the cast and crew deal with any intense feelings that arose. Actress Margarethe Tiesel said she had received “very dignified” treatment during difficult scenes.
   
“I did not feel used or helpless — I felt protected and we simply told the truth” in the film, she said. 
   
Akin admitted that the marketing of the picture could be tricky.
 
“I shouldn't even say it because I'm trying to get people into cinemas to watch this but the movie will not be everyone's cup of tea and that's OK,” he said. “If I started making movies everyone would enjoy then I wouldn't make anything truthful, dammit.” 
   
“The Golden Glove” is one of 17 films vying for the Berlin festival's Golden Bear prize for best picture, to be awarded by jury president Juliette Binoche on February 16.
   
Akin, whose family's roots are in Turkey, clinched top honours in 2004 for the gritty drama “Head-On”, set in Hamburg and Istanbul, which launched his international career. 
   
This year's festival has turned the spotlight on women with a record 41 percent of the award contenders made by female directors and a strong focus on female protagonists.

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FILM

French films with English subtitles to watch in November

As days get shorter and temperatures drop, November is a great month to enjoy a warm and comforting moment at the cinema. Here’s a round up of the French movies with English subtitles to see in Paris this month.

Cinema in France
Photo: Loic Venance/AFP

The cinema group Lost in Frenchlation runs regular screenings of French films in the capital, with English subtitles to help non-native speakers follow the action. The club kicks off every screening with drinks at the cinema’s bar one hour before the movie, so it’s also a fun way to meet people if you’re new to Paris.

These are the events they have coming up in November.

Friday, November 5th

Boîte Noire – What happened on board the Dubai-Paris flight before it crashed in the Alps? In this thriller Matthieu, a young and talented black box analyst played by Pierre Niney (star of Yves Saint-Laurent among other movies) is determined to solve the reason behind this deadly crash, no matter the costs. 

The screening will take place at the Club de l’étoile cinema at 8pm. But you can arrive early for drinks at the bar from 7pm. 

Tickets are €10 full price, €8 for students and all other concessions, and can be reserved here.

Sunday, November 14th

Tralala – In the mood for music? This new delightful French musical brings you into the life of Tralala (played by Mathieu Amalric), a 48 years old, homeless and worn-out street singer, who one day gets mistaken for someone else. Tralala sees an opportunity to get a better life by taking on a new personality. He now has a brother, nephews, ex-girlfriends, and maybe even a daughter. But where is the lie? Where is the truth? And who is he, deep down?

The night will start with drinks from 6pm followed by the screening at 7pm at the Luminor Hôtel de Ville cinema. There is also a two-hour cinema-themed walk where you’ll be taken on a “musicals movie tour” in the heart of Paris, which begins at 4pm.

Tickets cost €10, or €8 for students and concessions, and can be found here. Tickets for the walking tour cost €20 and must be reserved online here.

Thursday, November 18th

Illusions Perdues – Based on the great novel series by Honoré de Balzac between 1837 and 1843, this historical drama captures the writer Lucien’s life and dilemmas who dreams about a great career of writing and moves to the city to get a job at a newspaper. As a young poet entering the field of journalism, he is constantly challenged by his desire to write dramatic and eye-catching stories for the press. But are they all true?

The evening will kick off with drinks at L’Entrepôt cinema bar at 7pm, followed by the movie screening at 8pm. Tickets are available online here, and cost €8.50 full price; €7 for students and all other concessions.

Sunday, November 21st

Eiffel – Having just finished working on the Statue of Liberty, Gustave Eiffel (played by Romain Duris) is tasked with creating a spectacular monument for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris. It’s ultimately his love story with Adrienne Bourgès (Emma Mackey) that will inspire him to come up with the idea for the Eiffel Tower.

After a first screening last month, Lost in Frenchlation is organising a new one at the Luminor Hôtel de Ville cinema, with pre-screening drinks at the cinema bar. 

Tickets cost €10, or €8 for students and concessions, and can be found here

Thursday, November 25th

Les Héroïques – Michel is a former junkie and overgrown child who only dreams of motorbikes and of hanging out with his 17-year-old son Léo and his friends. But at 50 years old, he now has to handle the baby he just had with his ex, and try not to make the same mistakes he has done in the past. 

The film will be followed by a Q&A with the director Maxime Roy who will discuss his very first feature. 

Tickets cost €10, or €8 for students and concessions, and can be found here.

Full details of Lost in Frenchlation’s events can be found on their website or Facebook page. In France, a health pass is required in order to go to the cinema.

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