2/12/12
Thank you, Tim Griesser, for pointing out the German films that will play at Cinequest 2012 (Feb 28-Mar 11). Here they are:
ABENDLAND
KAMPF DER KÖNIGINNEN / Battle of the Queen
DICKE MÄDCHEN / Heavy Girls
HOW I WAS STOLEN BY THE GERMANS
I saw KAMPF DER KÖNIGINNEN at last year’s Berlinale and yes, go and see it even if you don’t care about cows. I grew up on a farm and love cows, those big, warm, friendly, slow animals – remember the very long opening shot of Bela Tarr’s SATANTANGO with cows trodding through poop and mud forever? That was more like my farm life in the North German flat lands. BATTLE OF THE QUEENS is different. It’s Switzerland where in isolated valleys, surrounded by mighty mountains, cows are treated like majestic queens, pampered and groomed for the annual competition. It is not a bloody bull fight, no, as soon as one combatant turns away, the fight is over. As SF’s own Charlie Cockey puts it in his always elegantly written blurbs : “The contest is won by mere demurral… where even the losers are winners”. The film is preceded by another Swiss story, ICH BIN’S HELMUT, one of my favorite shorts that played at B&B 2010. A great program, check it out. http://www.cinequest.org/
