Despite many autumnal film festivals focusing on debuts, endorsements, and exclusive streaming, the Oldenburg Film Festival remains traditional by emphasizing the unearthing and fostering of raw, untapped talent.
As a devoted admirer, I’d describe the German festival as a tranquil rebel, boasting a 30-year legacy as a springboard for groundbreaking cinematography that dares to cross boundaries. Unlike the industrialized juggernaut that Sundance has evolved into, Oldenburg maintains an authentic charm, free from the throng of distribution executives and Tinseltown celebrities. After three decades, Oldenburg stands as a unique misfit in the festival realm, with no marketplace, no red carpet premieres, and no grand corporate sponsors – its main corporate benefactor being a local bank, OLB.
Festival organizer Torsten Neumann, the festival’s creator since 1994 and its driving influence, has preserved Oldenburg’s rebellious essence by curating films that other festivals find too gritty, bizarre, or authentic. Occasionally, something extraordinary takes place: One of these unconventional movies catches attention.
In 2021, Neumann chose “Leberhaken,” a modest drama by debut director Torsten Ruether, to kick off the festival. This film followed an ambitious female boxer who sought help from a worn-out former champion, and it was filmed with only two actors – Luise Grossmann as the driven boxer and Hardy Krüger Jr. as the coach – over three nights at a gym in Berlin. Entirely self-financed without any presales, subsidies, or studio cash, it was precisely the kind of project that Oldenburg embraces.
Following the debut of the festival, a couple of American producers spoke with Reuther and proposed an English-language remake. “They said: ‘It’s been about 20 years since Million Dollar Baby. We want to re-create this for the United States’,” Reuther remembers.
Rapidly revising his initial scenario, Reuther shifted the setting from Berlin to New York City while preserving Grossmann as the main character. In a brilliant move for casting, he secured Ving Rhames, star of “Mission: Impossible,” to play the coach. Employing the fast-paced shooting style he’s known for in indie films, Reuther filmed the movie, titled “Uppercut,” over a span of nine days.
With less money, you may not be able to participate in as many activities, but you can engage in more creative endeavors, discovering innovative solutions,” Rhames explained to The Hollywood Reporter. “This film rekindled the original reasons for my interest in filmmaking.
Two years following the release of “Leberhaken”, Reuther introduced “Uppercut” to Oldenburg for its first global showing. Shortly after, Lionsgate’s Grindstone Entertainment acquired the rights to distribute it across North America. They screened the film in cinemas throughout February.
As I reflect on how this film was brought to life, it seems almost enchanting, like something straight out of a fairytale, particularly one from Oldenburg.
2012 marked the fairytale success of “A Coffee in Berlin” at the Oldenburg Film Festival. This minimalist, Jim Jarmusch-inspired black-and-white drama, directed by debutant Jan-Ole Gerster, centered around a character seeking not action, but purpose, as described by Gerster to The Hollywood Reporter. It swept the festival’s awards, claiming the top prize from the competition jury, the audience award for best film, and the best actor honor for star Tom Schilling. German critics and audiences alike took notice. Fueled by Oldenburg-generated buzz, “A Coffee in Berlin” became a surprise hit, earning over $2 million at the German box office (well beyond its estimated $400,000 budget), and securing distribution by Music Box Films in the U.S., where it grossed $150,000 in limited release. According to Neumann, the festival significantly contributed to the film’s success, providing the necessary publicity and marketing budget to ensure its triumph.
At the 2013 German Oscars, known as the Lolas, the film “A Coffee in Berlin” triumphed over the high-budget sci-fi movie “Cloud Atlas“, directed by Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis, to secure the best film award. Since then, Gerster has become a frequent nominee at the Lolas. His second feature film, “Lara“, was also nominated for best film, as is his most recent work, “Islands“, featuring Sam Riley.
Last year, Nicolai Schumann, who premiered his first feature film titled “The Lonely Musketeer“, described Oldenburg as a genuine festival for filmmakers. Showcasing his closed-room sci-fi thriller at the event led to our initial international reviews and market recognition, as well as opportunities at renowned festivals like Beijing IFF, Fantaspoa, and Max Ophüls Preis, according to Schumann. Subsequently, a series of festival awards were bestowed upon us, and we even made it onto Sight & Sound’s list of the top films of 2024.
The “Oldenburg effect” has a wide impact, not just limited to Germany. Renowned Spanish director F. Javier Gutiérrez (known for ‘Before the Fall’ and ‘Rings’) picked the Oldenburg Film Festival for the global debut of ‘La Espera’ (translated as ‘The Wait’), his first film in six years. This sun-soaked gothic folk horror, revolving around an Andalusian caretaker grappling with a tragedy, seamlessly combines genres and art-house styles, which makes it perfectly suitable for Oldenburg’s bold selection of films.
According to Gutiérrez, he selected Oldenburg as a symbolic choice. It was the perfect fit for a movie blending horror and existential ideas with an exploration of human behavior. The film’s debut there paved the way for its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest and a U.S. release by Film Movement across all platforms. Gutiérrez further notes that Oldenburg was quite personal and focused on filmmakers. The positive reception ignited early critical acclaim that propelled “The Wait” to a successful international tour.
In 2022, the Audacity Award, recognizing the most daring film of the festival, was presented to “Aberrance“, a Mongolian-language slasher that follows a couple haunted by their unsettling neighbor. Known for its trippy visuals and spine-tingling soundtrack, this debut work by Baatar Batsukh garnered comparisons to “Mandy” and piqued the interest of SXSW organizers. At SXSW, Batsukh secured a global distribution deal with Raven Banner, culminating in a U.S. cinema release through Freestyle Releasing.
2022’s “The Black Guelph,” directed by John Connors, is another example of a former outlaw from Oldenburg turning his life around in an Irish crime thriller. Made independently without studio support, it was financed privately and filmed with a “go with the flow” mentality as described by Connors himself to THR. The film was shot extremely quickly, completing 145 pages in just 21 days, with 156 different setups. This fast-paced production had everyone from the crew to the businesspeople and insurers on edge.
In a narrative style that blends the gritty social realism of Ken Loach’s dramas with the early works of Martin Scorsese, Connors weaves a grim tale about the persistent trauma and mistreatment endured by his community, the Irish Travellers, or Mincéirs, due to the complicity of both the Catholic Church and the Irish government.
The Oldenburg jury was highly impressed by it. The movie titled “The Black Guelph” won the German Independence Award for both the best film category and acting accolades for Graham Earley who portrayed Kanto, a struggling drug dealer taken aback by an unexpected visit from his long-lost father, a survivor of abuse. This recognition paved the way for a deal with Slated.com, a platform for film packaging and financing, which secured global rights, excluding Ireland, to the movie, and collaborated with Entertainment Squad on a U.S. premiere.
“Oldenburg gave The Black Guelph its wings,” says Connors.
These inspiring tales aren’t just about becoming wealthy; they’re about enduring, both creatively and personally. In an industry where IP-based franchises and content favored by algorithms are increasingly dominant, the Oldenburg Film Festival persistently creates a niche for cinema that is intensely personal and structurally bold. This type of film once characterized independent cinema but has largely disappeared from movie theaters and mainstream film festivals.
According to Connors, this festival is the purest in the world, free from ego, focusing solely on cinema. The spectators are exceptionally discerning, the selection of films is daring, and as a filmmaker, one feels an unusual level of respect here. I’ve traveled with films everywhere, but nothing compares to Oldenburg. It’s where authentic cinema thrives.
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2025-05-13 09:26