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QPIX STUDENTS ARE TROPFEST FINALISTS
Graduates of QPIX’s 2011 Diploma of Production course have won their way into the finals of TROPFEST, the world’s largest short film festival, with their student production PHOTOBOOTH. Set in the Afghanistan conflict, PHOTOBOOTH is one of a sequence of...
'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu' Out February 10
(Nationwide)
Over The Fence Comedy Film Deadline
(Nationwide)
Rottofest 2012: Call For Entries Now Open!
(Nationwide)
latest news
Geoffrey Rush Joins Tropfest
The acclaimed actor and newly-crowned Australian of the Year, Geoffrey Rush, will be a key player in 2012’s Tropfest activities.
Naomi Watts To Play Princess Diana
The Aussie actress is set to play the people’s princess in an upcoming film that chronicles the final two years of Diana’s life.
Sullivan Stapleton Signs On To ‘300’ Prequel
The Aussie actor has beat out the competition to land a role in the upcoming blockbuster.
James Cameron Loses Long Time Australian Collaborators
Producer Andrew Wight and cinematographer Mike deGruy lose their lives in a helicopter crash.
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Audi Festival of German Films: The German Oskar Schindler
A German flick reveals an inspiring untold story from World War 2
Of all the films playing at this year's Festival of German Films, John Rabe has one of the biggest profiles. It's a German-Chinese co-production, backed by 20th Century Fox with a sizable budget, featuring an international cast and an epic storyline based on real recorded history. It's almost a given it will be touring many festivals and vying for awards and recognition throughout the year.
John Rabe's story is one of the many tales from the World War II period which very few people are aware of. A businessman stationed in Nanking in 1937, during the early years of the Nazi Party, he bears witness to the occupation of the city by Imperial Japanese forces, and the atrocities committed against the Chinese. Rabe, aided by many like-minded colleagues, ended up establishing a safe zone for the locals, in the process saving thousands of lives from extermination at the hands of the Japanese.
Rabe is a different type of hero: he's just a middle-aged businessman. There is no grandstanding, or unbelievable acts of heroism, or glorified speeches, just a man who initially wants his workers to keep their jobs but ends up committing himself to saving lives. This is what makes him relatable, and German actor Ulrich Tukur plays him as he should: low-key and subtle. He is well supported by Daniel Bruhl and Steve Buscemi, who, in the part of a sarcastic doctor, abandons his usual "funny little guy" persona and plays the role completely straight.
It is hard to say how true this film is to reality. Not only because the story isn't well known, but because movies usually take licenses when it comes to biography. Certain concessions are made in the sake of storytelling - a barely-there love subplot between Bruhl and a local female student is obviously manufactured - but director Florian Gallenberger mostly keeps the focus on where it should be.
Even though Rabe's efforts were commendable, he was sadly unable to stop what World War II had in store for the world; the Japanese occupation of Nanking was a mirror of what the Nazi Party would do a few years later, and the efforts of a small group of people remained largely forgotten. Give the movie credit for shedding light on this story.
John Rabe is a well-made and well-told story that actually deserves to be told, and proves that there is a wealth of tales surrounding the war period that are still waiting to be discovered. It's a real treat for history buffs.
The Audi Festival of German Films is held at Melbourne's Kino Cinemas and Palace Cinema Como, from 22 April to 02 May, with additional dates in Adelaide (07-09 May), Brisbane (28 April - 04 May), Perth (22-26 April) and Sydney (21 April - 02 May).