Juan at FilmFest Hamburg

FESTIVAL. Five Danish films are selected for this year's FilmFest Hamburg, Germany's second largest festival, kicking off 30 September. The festival celebrates the European premiere of Kasper Holten's opera film 'Juan' with a special event and will host the seminar 'The Secret Ingredient of Danish films'.

The Danish films participating in 18th edition of Filmfest Hamburg (30 Sep-9 Oct) are:

Armadillo by Janus Metz
Cities on Speed: Shanghai by Nanna Frank Møller
Cities on Speed: Cairo by Mikala Krogh
Juan by Kasper Holten
Oldboys by Nikolaj Steen

Factbox

Moreover the Icelandic-Danish coproduction 'The Good Heart' by Dagur Kári will participate in the same section as 'Armadillo' and 'Juan', namely Agenda.

Opera lovers—special event 

Kasper Holten's first feature 'Juan', opening in Hamburg only hours after the film's world premiere in Pusan, is the focus of a discussion mediated by NDR journalist Melanie von Bismarck. This informal discussion with director Kasper Holten, producer Michel Schønnemann and the opera stars Christopher Maltmann and Maria Bengtsson will take place in the Elbphilharmonie Kulturcafé on 8 October at 18:00.

Kasper Holten has a track record of more than 50 stage productions all over the world. His film 'Juan'—an adaptation of W.A. Mozart's opera 'Don Giovanni'—is set in a big city in the present. The protagonist is a modern, manipulative man, who constantly seeks fulfillment of his desires.

In October 'Juan' will be screening for an Asian audience. See news brief Mozart in Pusan.

The secret ingredient of Danish films

Scriptwriting in Denmark is the focus of the Hamburg Filmfest seminar The Secret Ingredient of Danish Films, organized by the EU MEDIADesks of Germany and Denmark. A discussion will take place with producer Vinca Wiedemann of Zentropa and writer-director Tobias Lindholm (co-director of 'R' and writer on 'Submarino') and mediated by writer Arne Sommer. Time: Friday 1 October 2010, 15:30 at Orientsaal des Restaurants Mazza, Moorkamp 5. To attend contact info@mediadesk.de.