PREVIEW: British filmmker Terry Gilliam to open Munich filmfest

By Jack Kindred Jun 25, 2009, 2:08 GMT

Munich - British director Terry Gilliam,'s latest film 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' starring Heath Ledger and Christoph Plummer opens the 27th Filmfest Munich on Friday, setting an international tone for the some 2,000 pictures to be screened.

Gillian gained fame as a member of the Monty Python comedy group. His latest film was overshadowed by the death of Ledger during the

shooting, but the British director was able to fill the gap after actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell filled in for scenes not yet filmed.

'We are very pleased that Gillian will be in Munich for the opening ceremony,' festival director Andreas Stroehl said. 'We have the best new films from the whole world.'

Movies from more than 30 countries and all continents will unspool in the International Section, featuring films starring Johnny Depp, Justin Timberlake, Jeff Bridges, Joaquin Phoenix, Emmanelle Beart, and Penelope Cruz, besides many others.

The section will be highlighted by a showing of 'Moon,' the debut film of young British director Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie.

In the section Focus Far East, Stroehl and his team have lined up current films from China, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The popular American Independents section presents so-called 'indie' pictures, including among others, Steven Soderbergh's 'The Girlfriend Experience' and the Damani Baker-Alex Vlack directed film, 'Still Bill,' a portrait of the world renowned musician Bill Withers.

In the series Nouveau Cinema Francais, a little-known French film starring Romy Schneider will interest film buffs and fans of the late actress. The 1964 movie 'Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno' was never finished.

Meanwhile the section Visiones Latinas will offer the latest from one of the world's most innovative film regions, featuring films from 16 young Latin American directors, including exciting productions from Chile shot in 2009.

The latest movies in the important German section boasts the imposing title New German Cinema Films: Rebellion and Comedies Against the Crisis.

In a series of interesting and thrilling discoveries of the new German Cinema 2009, films depict the rebellion of young people against the establishment as well as events dating back to the 1968 generation of rebels.

Section scout Uli Maass reviewed some 100 movies and selected ten feature films and seven documentaries for the section.

'The Day Will Come' toplines Iris Berben, who plays a terrorist gone underground. The section is highlighted by Andreas Dresen's melancholic comedy 'Whisky With Vodka.'

The Cinemerit Award goes to Munich-born filmmaker Michael Haneke, recent winner at the Cannes film festival for his 2009 'Das Weisse Band' (The White Ribbon).

Haneke's best-known movies, 'Funny Games U.S.,' 'Cache,' 'Code Inconnu,' 'Wolfzeit,' and 'The Klavierspielerin' (The Piano Teacher) will also be screened and the director will meet the public and press in the 'Filmmakers Live' section of the filmfest.

In the Retrospective, 16 films from British director Stephen Frears will be shown, as well as his latest opus 'Cheri' toplining Michelle Pfeiffer, in advance of its official release in Germany. Frears will also be present at the festival.

Filmfest Munich will close on July 4 with Belgian director Felix van Groeningen's 2009 social comedy, 'The Misfortunates.'