Never Be Boring: Billy Wilder
A funny walk through the life story of Billy Wilder (1906-2002), a cinematic genius; a portrait of a filmmaker who never was a boring man, a superb mind who had ten commandments, of which the first nine were: “Thou shalt not bore.”
Casts & Crew
Mario Adorf
Paul Diamond
Dick Guttman
Rudolf John
Marthe Keller
Charles Matthau
Todd Purdum
George Schlatter
Volker Schlöndorff
Armgard Seegers-Karasek
Claudius Seidl
Billy Wilder
Also Directed by André Schäfer
Rock Hudson was a virile screen idol who was the epitome of clean-cut masculinity. He was one of the first Hollywood celebrities to die of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, providing the killer virus with a famous face amidst the American AIDS paranoia of 1985. 2010 is not only the 25th anniversary of his death but would also have been his 85 birthday. The film investigates the many film roles Rock Hudson played, against the more intimate and private world of Roy Fitzgerald.
The story of the Bugattis of Milan and Molsheim, the eccentric family behind the brand. Carlo, the patriarch and furniture designer. Rembrandt, the troubled sculptor. Ettore, the gifted engineer. Jean, the unfortunate heir. Art and design. Beauty and luxury. The fastest cars. Races. The need for speed.
Agatha Christie (1890-1976) is the world’s most translated writer. Her heroes Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are known worldwide. But who is the woman behind the sales records? A biographical search for clues, the unraveling of an iridescent personality whose existence and works were shaped by the tragic history of the 20th century. The eventful life of the Queen of Crime.
On June 28th, 1969, the New York Police Department conducted a raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village. To the surprise of the policemen, the partying bar patrons decided to defend themselves and fought back. Today, this incident is celebrated in a series of colourful and flamboyant parties in cities all over the world. Everywhere, people are remembering the pioneers of the gay and lesbian movement 45 years ago. Five Days in New York takes viewers back to the origins of the gay pride movement in New York City.
Yekaterinburg, Russia, July 17th, 1917. Czar Nicholas II Romanov and his entire family are brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks. This tragic event puts an end to the long dynasty that had ruled the country with an iron hand since the coronation of Michael I Romanov in 1613.
The story of the last offspring of a powerful German family, whose cannons killed countless people in two world wars: Arndt von Bohlen und Halbach, the last Krupp. Unwilling to fulfill the expectations of both his family and their company, this homosexual son of an industrialist waived his inheritance of around three and a half billion marks. Or, to see it differently, was pushed into relinquishing a world dynasty because he was unable to lead it.
Stonewall veterans, comrades from the earliest days, as well as activists and allies of the LGBT community talk about their personal experiences. They describe the social climate of the late 1960s, both in New York and the rest of the US, and they proudly talk about how far the equal rights movement of the LGBT community has come today.
Also Directed by Jascha Hannover
For the USA, World War 2 was an all-out war - to mobilize the masses, the US government launched a huge propaganda campaign and cinema, the medium of the masses, was quite simply their most important weapon. Government authorities monitored the production of feature films and the military itself produced documentaries aimed at rallying the American people to support the troops. This film tells the story of four Hollywood directors of European origin, who returned to the "Old World" during the Second World War to make propaganda documentaries for the US Army at the front: William Wyler from Alsace, Frank Capra from Italy, Anatole Litvak from Ukraine and - in post-war Germany - Billy Wilder from Austria.
Several high-budget epic films became Omar Sharif (1932-2015) a film star. He was an actor, but also a bridge player, a womanizer, a bon vivant; he was a man full of contradictions, who enjoyed card games more than movies; he was an eternal nomad who spent half his life in a hotel…