2011 German Film Prize

German director Tom Tykwer's drama about relationships, "Drei" ("Three"), is the running favorite for Germany's biggest culture prize this year and has been heralded as the director's best film to date. It follows a straight couple in Berlin who each fall in love with the same man. The unusual take on a love triangle was honored with six nominations for the prize. Hot on its heels with five nominations is another film about a complicated relationship, "Wer wenn nicht wir" ("Who If Not Us") by director Andres Veiel. Veiel tells the story of a relationship between RAF terrorist Gudrun Ensslin and author Bernward Vesper. German State Minister of Culture Bernd Neumann will announce the winners on April 8.

Film lovers have highlights to look forward to this spring. The International Women's Film Festival will also award a major prize totaling 25,000 euros ($35,400) during its run from April 12 - 17. The prize honors a female filmmaker whose work stands out both in terms of content and form. Films from beyond Germany are also in the spotlight, first at the "Nippon Frankfurt" from April 14 - 18 featuring works from Japan, and at the "goEAST"-Festival in Wiesbaden from April 6 - 12 with a focus on central and eastern European film.



Max Liebermann on the roof

Large crowds regularly fill the rooms of the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany for its major exhibitions on cultural and art history. Starting on April 21, though, visitors will have the chance to head to the roof of the museum for a show titled "Max Liebermann: Pioneer of Modern Art." Works by the open-air painter from Berlin will be exhibited outside, just as they were created. Max Liebermann (1847-1935) was a key figure in modern art history. His paintings are a nearly unparalleled documentation of the shifts in German culture and society around the turn of the 20th century. The exhibition will feature around 100 paintings and works on paper by the artist as well as others who influenced Liebermann or whose works were part of his own collection.



45th Art Cologne

There's scarcely an art forum around that has experienced as much of a roller-coaster ride as Art Cologne in the last few years. But the world's oldest art fair is back on its feet despite big competition from Basel, Berlin and London. This year's 45th iteration of the event is as lively as ever, thanks to its director, Daniel Hug. Now at the helm of Art Cologne for the third year, the 41-year-old was born in Switzerland and operates a gallery in Los Angeles. From April 13 - 17, he'll help bring representatives from 190 showrooms in 22 countries to Cologne to show works spanning from classical modernism to the present. A special exhibition on the utopian flight objects of Antwerp-based sculptor Panamarenko will also liven up the festival. The Belgian artist is a dreamer, inventor, tinkerer, engineer and craftsman all at once. For more than 40 years, he's been trying to trick gravity by creating forms that bring humans closer to flight. His career began in Germany under the tutelage of another major post-war artist, Joseph Beuys.



On your mark, get set…

Go! …to Dresden for a special exhibition titled "Auf die Plätze" ("On Your Marks") at the German Hygiene Museum, which examines cultural, scientific and social revolutions at the dawn of the 21st century. The "On Your Marks" exhibition looks at the role of sports in our society from April 16 to February 2012. Since athletes make the press every day - for their performance both on and off the field or court - it's no wonder that sport legends have also long since become a major source of material for artists and directors. The show at the Dresden museum is just in time for another big sporting event: the women's World Cup. The soccer championship takes place throughout Germany in late June and early July.

UNESCO World Book Day

Is the era of the printing press really coming to an end? There's no shortage of books around, but e-books and the Internet are making gains on the printed word every year. Books won't go down without a fight, though. April 23 marks the anniversary of the deaths of William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes both died, and it's also the date of UNESCO's World Book Day. Libraries, publishers, book stores and schools will make a point of putting on readings to bring people back to books, with a particular focus on drawing in young readers. According to a recent study, 47 percent of teens aged 14 to 19 like to read books. In 1995, 60 percent of the same group considered reading books one of their favorite hobbies. That's part of why around 3,500 bookstores in Germany have joined together for an event called "I'll give you a story." Fourth- and fifth-grade teachers from around the country can request gift cards for books for their students. On World Book Day, the students will be invited to pick up their new stories for free from local bookstores.



Author: Sabine Oelze / gsw
Editor: Kate Bowen