The film festival in summer 2024 will be special. It is the first festival under the direction of the new director Christoph Gröner. Some innovations are planned, a lot of things will remain the same, now the first guest of honor for the 41st edition has been chosen: the American actress Jessica Lange will be presented with the Cine Merit Award in Munich for her achievements in film art.
The two-time Oscar winner (“Tootsie”, “Operation Blue Sky”), who recently turned 75, does not have a new film with her, but will show a selection from her oeuvre in Munich that is particularly close to her heart. In addition, photographic works that Lange took during the lockdown in New York City will be presented for the first time. The works will be on display in the German Theater Museum for more than two months.
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Lange, born in Minnesota in 1949, has enjoyed great success since the late 1970s and has received many awards, including Golden Globes, Emmy and Tony Awards. She became known through films such as “King Kong” and “When the Postman Rings Twice”. She was most recently seen alongside Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger in the film “Marlowe” and in the Broadway play “Mother Play”.
“Jessica Lange is a wonderful fit for us. She has been reinventing herself as an actress again and again for many decades. And with the planned photo exhibition we can show another facet of her artistic work for the first time in Germany,” say Christoph Gröner, festival director, and Julia Weigl, artistic director Co-leader.
The opening film, a few festival innovations and the other guests of honor will be announced in the coming weeks. There should be at least one more Acting Hollywood star.
The Munich Film Festival takes place from June 28th to July 7th. “We really want to inspire the city,” said Gröner in an interview with SZ at the beginning of his role as boss. Together with the new artistic co-director Julia Weigl, he would like to further increase the attractiveness of the most important film festival in Germany after the Berlinale. Gröner will initially be responsible for two editions, 2024 and 2025, before a “discovery process” is to be started regarding the future. His predecessor Diana Iljine announced her resignation shortly before the 40th edition in May 2023 – at her own request, as she emphasized, after twelve years as director.