Beyond Geiselgasteig, a local independent scene is flourishing in the film city of Munich, which is now getting its first small festival at district level with the “Isarfestspiele”. On three days, from May 17th to 19th, twelve productions by four directors and authors from the city center can be seen in the film theater at Sendlinger Tor as well as the arena and workshop cinema – from Lehel to the Glockenbachviertel.
Behind the cinematic local show is Moses Wolff, actor, author, musician, illustrator and filmmaker from the Gärtnerplatzviertel. In addition to novels and stage plays, the 53-year-old has also written screenplays (including the comedy “Highway to Hellas” starring Christoph Maria Herbst). He is now opening the festival with his first self-directed feature film, the 90-minute “Rasputin”. Contrary to what the title might suggest, Wolff’s play of the same name was not a historical drama and certainly not a song of praise to Tsarist Russia. Rather, Wolff delivers here, fresh for the festival, an erotic comedy about a misunderstood free spirit and proto-hippie, filmed on the Isar and in the studio of the Pathos Theater, without any subsidy and in the style of the expressionist silent film (albeit with sound).
All-rounder Moses Wolff is an actor, writer, draftsman and playwright. And director. And film festival director.
(Photo: Michael Tinnefeld/AGENCY PEOPLE IMAGE)
Apart from the premiere, the festival mostly shows newer films. The exception is “Something That Sticks,” a showbiz farce about two hapless music producers that Monaco-Canadian, comedian and “Kooks” bartender Matt Devereux shot back in 2005 with his twin brother James. Festival boss Wolff promises: she’s still hilarious.
The other two festival participants, on the other hand, are more serious: Mirjam Orthen, born in 1984 and thus the youngest filmmaker in the program, shows two condensed short film dramas “Taxim” and “A Fine Line” and her 57-minute film “Ada”. , an amour fou story shot in Turkish. The film will be shown in the original with German subtitles. Ludo Vici, actually Florian Ludowici, moves in the thriller and horror genre. At the festival he is showing his award-winning short films “No Goodbye”, “Number 85”, “Maren” and “The Inherent Bloom”. Information about the program below www.isarfestspiele.de.