By Travis Johnson

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the first German Film Festival Australia, the premiere showcase of German-language cinema in this country. Once again, the festival returns to Palace cinemas this November, thanks to the tireless efforts of the good folks at the Goethe-Institut.

This year’s opening night film is Fatih Akin’s coming-of-age road trip movie, Goodbye Berlin. Adapted from Wolfgang Herrnsdorf’s cult novel, Tschick (Why We Took the Car in English), the film sees two Berlin teens, poor Tschick and well-off Maik, touring through the provinces of Germany after stealing a car and fleeing the capital.

The closing night film is the 1925 silent classic, Varieté, recently restored to pristine condition and now with a new soundtrack by The Tiger Lillies.  EA Dupont’s circus-set melodrama charts the heartbreak and betrayals that occur after a trapeze artist leaves his wife for a young dancer.

The German Film Festival Australia runs at Sydney’s Chauvel Cinema and Palace Norton Street from November 15 – 29; Melbourne’s Palace Cinema Como, Kino Cinemas and Palace Westgarth from November 17 – 30; Brisbane’s Palace Barracks and Centro from November 25 – 30; and Canberra’s Palace Electric from November 24 – 27. For further information, go to the official site.

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