Munich Fest Opening film: TONI ERDMANN

Cannes hit to screen in Munich

On June 23rd, the 34th INTERNATIONAL FILMFEST MÜNCHEN will open with Maren Ade’s Cannes favorite TONI ERDMANN, which took home the international film critics’ prize FIPRESCI. “We’re very proud to be able to open the festival with such an extraordinary German film, which made waves internationally and shows how entertaining and remarkable German films can be,” says festival director Diana Iljine. “The third feature film by Munich film school HFF grad Maren Ade is full of wistful humor and finely-observed human touches.”

TONI ERDMANN is the story of Winfried (Peter Simonischek), a 60ish music teacher who’s never met a practical joke he didn’t like, and his daughter Ines (Sandra Hüller), a career-oriented corporate consultant. Father and daughter are like night and day: He’s a passionate idealist, she’s a non-nonsense businesswoman trying to leave her mark on a big outsourcing project in Romania and make her way in a man’s world. When Winfried’s dog dies, he goes to visit her in Bucharest, but they wind up having a fight. Instead of returning home, however, Winfried disguises himself as Toni Erdmann, his madcap alter ego, with crooked teeth, cheap suit, bad wig – and outrageous sense of humor. After the gala opening, TONI ERDMANN will be shown as part of the New German Cinemasidebar as a Special Screening for the general public on Friday, June 24 at 9 pm in the Carl Orff Saal of the Gasteig festival center.