EVENT
The Munich International Film Festival is one of the largest summer film festivals in Europe. It showcases contemporary films in the company of their directors in late June and early July (this year, from June 27 to July 5), in the lush, laid-back atmosphere of Bavaria’s enchanting capital. It presents about 200 films on some 20 screens throughout Munich — almost all of them German, European or world premieres, and attracts over 70,000 film lovers.
There is also a festival for kids and different special sections every year. I’m very excited about all the upcoming movies, but I’m also looking forward to our retrospectives. This year, we will pay homage to Willy Bogner, the world-famous Olympic athlete, fashion maven and filmmaker, who introduced point-of-view ski sequences in action movies. His amazing stunts, especially in the James Bond movies, are legendary. For the second year, with the help of our partner SKY, we’re featuring the German premieres of several great new TV series, in recognition of the excellence of modern TV programming — free of charge.
AMIBENCE
Opening day and closing night are the big days, but there are gala premieres, parties and special events every day of the festival. Since the theatres are spread through the city, everybody in Munich feels the festival atmosphere, but the festival headquarters is in the Gasteig cultural centre, next to the city’s famed Philharmonic Orchestra. That’s where we hold the big premieres, red-carpet events, talks, the Kinderfilmfest and free open-air events.
RUB SHOULDERS WITH
About 4,000 film industry professionals attending annually. One of our biggest fans is the mayor of Munich. Local celebrities such as Germany’s most famous renegade filmmaker Klaus Lemke and ski star Willy Bogner will be in attendance. We have another special guest this year: Multiple Oscar-winning producer Arthur Cohn. We’re hosting a gala evening in his honour and I’m really looking forward to hearing stories from his stellar career.
AFTER DARK
There are parties all week. Some are invitation-only, like the Indie Party or the Shocking Shorts Party held by cable channel, 13th Street, but most parties are open to the public. A few years ago, director Tom DiCillo started spontaneously DJing at one of these parties and Hannibal actor Mads Mikkelsen hobnobbed with fans while enjoying Munich’s famous beer. At the closing party, all our partners, guests, fans and team will celebrate the end of Filmfest 2014 at the festival centre with a live band. I’m looking forward to that one in particular.
STAY
I recommend the Hotel Bayerischer Hof. It is not only a world-class luxury hotel (part of Leading Hotels of the World), but also includes five different restaurants and six bars. I don’t doubt you will meet movie stars there during the festival — it is first choice for our guests.
DINE
There are lots of high-end restaurants in Munich. I love the restaurant garden of Bayerischer Hof. From there, you can enjoy an excellent view over Munich. I’d also suggest the Restaurant Königshof because the food is delicious and I really like the atmosphere. Try the monkfish or the Spanferkel (suckling pig) — and don’t forget to order some excellent German wine.
MUST DO
Munich is a wonderful city, especially in summer. The capital has an excellent museum quarter of international reputation including the Pinakotheken art museum.
