The Oldenburg International Film Festival, often referred to as the German Sundance, will this year pay tribute to one of the country’s most esteemed directors, Dominik Graf, with a special retrospective.
The 31st edition of the festival, which will take place from September 11 to 15, will highlight the prolific career of Graf, one of the few German masters of genre cinema.
Graf, 71, began his career in the 1970s, drawing inspiration from American independent filmmakers such as Sam Fuller and Robert Aldrich and French auteurs such as Jean-Pierre Melville, using auteur techniques and narratives for detective stories, comedies and other genres.
The festival's retrospective will feature six of Graf's most influential films, including thrillers The cat (1988) and The Sieger (director's cut from 1995/2018), both of which have become iconic in German cinema and exemplify Graf's distinctive, tense and essential approach to plot and character.
In addition to his work on feature films, Graf is credited with setting new standards for films and TV series in Germany, with innovative procedures The Fahnder (1993) and the 2010 limited series Iin the face of crime.
In addition to the screenings, Graf will be present throughout the festival and will hold a masterclass on September 14, moderated by director and journalist Rüdiger Suchsland, in which she will discuss her approach to directing and storytelling.
The Oldenburg International Film Festival has long been known for its eclectic programming and support for innovative filmmakers, especially those who combine traditional genres with independent and auteur styles, making Dominik Graf the ideal director to celebrate.
The Oldenburg Film Festival 2024 opens on September 11 with the world premiere of TraumnovelFlorian Frerichs' adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's story that inspired Stanley Kubrick Eyes tightly closed.