German Film Awards winner opens Kinofest in Hà Nội

Checker Tobi and the Journey to the Flying Rivers will take audience to scenes in Sơn Đoòng Cave, Hạ Long Bay and Hà Nội of Việt Nam. — Photo coutersry of Hà Nội Goethe Institute

HÀ NỘI - The award-winning film Das Lehrerzimmer (The Teachers' Lounge), a profound and engaging film about truth, justice and how to handle conflicts in school, will open the Kinofest film festival at Hà Nội's National Cinema Centre on October 10.

Kinofest is the Goethe-Institute's annual film festival in Southeast Asia dedicated to contemporary German cinema. It will take place from October 10 to November 30 and will show nine films in Hà Nội, central Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, HCM City and southern Bình Dương Province.

The drama The Teachers' Lounge, directed by İlker Çatak, is about a young teacher who decides to investigate when one of her students is suspected of theft. Caught between her ideals and the school system, attempting to mediate between parents, colleagues and students, the consequences of her actions threaten to break her.

"This exciting film gives us a deeper insight into the everyday work of teachers and conflicts at school in a very catchy way," said Oliver Brandt, director of the Hà Nội Goethe Institute, at a press conference.

The Teachers' Lounge won best feature film, best screenplay, best director, best editing and best actress at the German Film Awards 2023.

It also earned a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the US Academy Awards. The film will be shown with English and Vietnamese subtitles at 7pm on October 10 at the National Cinema Centre.

This year's Kinofest films focus on younger people as a means to experience society through both fictional and documentary characters.

Through these stories, audiences will discover that German society – and the world as a whole – are increasingly diverse and complex, with many voices seeking representation. The films are about the question of justice and the search for identity, according to Brandt.

"I think that each film has an important message for Vietnamese audiences," he said. "The films are diverse, and transport the audience to Germany. Through the films, audiences will be able to get to know more about society, life and young people in Germany."

This year, the festival features more family-friendly films that are suitable for young audiences and their families. Checker Tobi und die Reise zu den fliegenden Flüssen (Checker Tobi and the Journey to the Flying Rivers), for example, will delight Vietnamese audiences.

Checker Tobi is a familiar character for German children, who know him through a series of short educational films. In 2023, Checker Tobi hit the big screen and took viewers to many interesting places including Mongolia, Brazil and especially Việt Nam – the first country on his journey.

The audience will witness beautiful scenes at Sơn Đoòng Cave, Hạ Long Bay and Hà Nội. The film has a great combination of useful knowledge and interesting stories, with an approach suitable for young children, especially those aged 6-12.

The second film for the whole family is Sieger sein (Winners), which won Best Children's Film at the German Film Awards 2024. It tells the story of a little Syrian girl in Berlin who joins a competitive girls’ football team, where she learns the value of teamwork for success.

Kinofest also showcases animation, thrillers, black and white films, mixed genre films, and both feature films and documentaries – including creative documentaries that combine both fact and fiction.

They include Shahid, Life is Not A Competition but I'm Winning and Love & Fear.

Shahid is a personal film about the balancing act of coming to terms with the past, the present, and one's own self. Director Narges Shahid Kalhor will meet and talk with the audience after the screening on October 15.

All of the films will be shown with English and Vietnamese subtitles. Tickets are available for VNĐ20,000 (US$0.81) on the Kinofest website and at the National Cinema Centre ticket booth.

In Huế, Kinofest will take place from October 25 to 27 at the Intercultural Meeting Place at 94-96-98 Bạch Đằng Street in Huế City. Times and locations for film screenings in HCM City will be updated.