Presented by the Goethe-Institut & German Consulate General Toronto
GOOD BYE, LENIN! (Germany, 2003, 121 min), directed by Wolfgang Becker, with Daniel Brühl, Katrin Saß and Maria Simon
Berlinale Blue Angel Award for Best European Film 2003
8 German Film Awards 2003
6 European Film Awards 2003
Contemporary World Cinema Festival Toronto 2003
Sundance Film Festival 2004
Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations
October 1989. In East Berlin, Alex’ mother, a staunch socialist, falls into a coma only to wake up after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Will her weak heart withstand the triumph of capitalism in her beloved country? To save his mother, Alex transforms the family apartment into an island of the past, a kind of socialist museum where his mother is lovingly duped into believing that nothing has changed. What begins as a little white lie gets out of hand as mum wants to watch TV and even leaves her bed one day…
In a wonderful, touching and comic manner, the multi-award-winning GOOD BYE, LENIN! tells the story of how a loving son tries to move mountains to restore his mother to health - and keep her in the belief that Lenin really did win after all.
--
Wolfgang Becker, born in 1954, studied German, History and American Studies at the Free University Berlin, then worked at a sound studio and studied at the German Film & Television Academy (dffb). His graduation film BUTTERFLIES (Schmetterlinge) won the Student Academy Award in 1988, the Golden Leopard at Locarno and the Ophuels Festival Saarbruecken. Already his comedy LIFE IS ALL YOU GET (Das Leben ist eine Baustelle, 1997) was in competition at the Berlinale before GOOD BYE LENIN! won the Berlinale Blue Angel Award for Best European Film 2003. GOOD BYE LENIN! launched actor Daniel Brühl’s international career, he also plays in Wolfgang Becker’s most recent cinema film ICH UND KAMINSKI (2015).
Part of Germany @ Canada 2017 : Partners from Immigration to Innovation
More
Less
