Editor's blog

Oldenburg Film Festival is proud to announce the first films of this year’s program. The great outsiders of Hollywood are joined by the most talked about talents of the independent scene
  
The festival offers German premieres of two true American cinema icons for the 2011 edition. John Carpenter makes a remarkable comeback with his latest horror-thriller “The Ward” and cult-director Monte Hellman will present his neo-noir thriller “Road to Nowhere”. Carpenter was a master of the genre cinema in the 1980s, with classics like “Escape from New York” or “Halloween” to his name, while Monte Hellman raised the bar for New Hollywood cinema in the 1970s with films like “Two Lane Blacktop”.
Swedish first-time director Filip Tegstedt marries a tender family-drama to chilling horror in his touching “Marianne”. His splendid cast is led by none other than Peter Stormare (“Fargo” and “The Big Lebowski”). Brothers Mark and Michael Polish, who won the German Independence Award in 2003 with “Norfolk”, return to their roots with the dreamlike lovestory “For Lovers Only”, great camerawork and emotional storytelling make this a masterpiece of American cinema. Their talent for visual narratives and daring stories is utterly fascinating. In their previous works they collaborated with the likes of Bruce Willis, Nick Nolte, Daryl Hannah, James Woods or Billy Bob Thornton.
Oldenburg will also present great European cinema. Catherine Deneuve, the Grande Dame of French film, gives a brilliant performance in Thierry Klifas’ “His Mother’s Eyes” next to the muse of Pedro Almodóvar, Marisa Paredes, and Jean-Marc Barr. Atmospherically dense cinema from Hungary is presented by actor-director Endre Hules. “The Maiden Danced to Death” is the first Canadian-Hungarian co-production and Hules doesn’t only use this clash of cultures for his inspiring story but also managed to cast Canada’s premiere Hollywood star Deborah Kara Unger for the lead role, who adds her on-screen presence to an already remarkable feature.
More than 900 film entries mean yet another record year for the Oldenburg Film Festival. The steadily increasing number is proof for the international renown and importance the festival has garnered over the years. Small wonder that it is named among the Top Five Independent Film Festivals Worldwide by the Ultimate Film Festival Guide.
Press relations for the 18th Oldenburg International Film Festival are handled by Berlin based PR agency kainz+hamm filmcontact. If you have any inquiries or want to get accreditation or need to schedule interviews, please contact kainz+hamm filmcontact using one of the methods detailed below.
The 18th Oldenburg International Film Festival takes place from September 14th to September 18th 2011.
We would appreciate it if you would consider this press release for inclusion in your reporting. If you have further questions or are in need of additional material please do not hesitate to contact either our Berlin office or the Oldenburg office.