Germany sets Oscar hopes on neo-Nazi film with Diane Kruger
August 24, 2017
The story of a neo-Nazi attack on immigrants could snag Germany its first foreign-language Oscar in over a decade. Fatih Akin's "In the Fade," with Diane Kruger in her first major German-speaking role, is in the running.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Warner Bros./Festival de Cannes
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"In the Fade" has been selected to represent Germany at the Oscars, German Films, which markets German-made movies abroad, announced Thursday in Munich.
The film, directed by Fatih Akin, couldn't be more timely. It tells the story of a German woman, played by Diane Kruger, whose Kurdish husband and five-year-old son are killed in a neo-Nazi nail bomb attack.
Kruger, a Hollywood star with both German and American citizenship, won a Palme d'Or in Cannes for her performance.
While the German film industry has chosen "In the Fade," it will have to be nominated by the Academy to remain in the running for a best-language Oscar, presented on March 4, 2018. The shortlist of five nominees will be announced on January 23.
This isn't the first time Germany has set its Oscar hopes on Hamburg-based director Fatih AkinImage: picture alliance/dpa/J. Carstensen
German bids tackle tough social issues
Apart from co-productions, Germany has only claimed three foreign-language Oscars, all of which focused on critical aspects of Germany's history. Another 19 German films have received a nomination from the Academy.
The most recent German winner was the East German Stasi drama "The Lives of Others" in 2007. "The Tin Drum," based on Günter Grass' war-time classic novel, won in 1980, as did "Nowhere in Africa," on the life in Kenya of a German-Jewish family that fled the Nazis, in 2003.
"In the Fade" director Fatih Akin is known for tackling tough social issues, often including integration and discrimination.
His 2007 Turkish-German drama "The Edge of Heaven" is about a Turkish retiree in Germany who gets involved in a complicated relationship with a prostitute. It was also an Oscar contender, though it didn't garner a nomination. However, it did win Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival.
The German actress's name, Heidkrüger, was deemed too complicated for her to succeed in the US. She changed it to Kruger, and found her way to Hollywood's top. She has now won the best actress award in Cannes.
Image: Alamode Film/Just Publicity
Best actress award at Cannes
In the thriller "In the Fade" by Hamburg-born and -based director Fatih Akin, Diane Kruger depicts a German mother called Katja, whose Kurdish husband and five-year-old son are killed by a bomb planted by neo-Nazis. It was actually the German-American actress's first German-language role; she won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Warner Bros./Festival de Cannes
Breakthrough with 'Troy' (2004)
The American epic from 2004 was directed by a German filmmaker and starred the German actress. Kruger was until then still unknown in the US, but director Wolfgang Petersen picked her among 3,000 potential candidates for the role of Helen, described as "the most beautiful woman in the world" in the Greek myths. After this film, her career quickly took off with many international roles.
Image: imago/United Archives
A Danish soprano in 'Merry Christmas' (2005)
The anti-war film "Merry Christmas" is based on actual events that occurred during World War I on the French front, where a Christmas truce in December 1914 allowed enemy soldiers to celebrate together. Diane Kruger starred alongside the German actors Benno Fürmann and Daniel Brühl. The 2005 film was nominated for best foreign language film at the Oscars.
Image: imago/EntertainmentPictures
Spy in 'Inglorious Basterds' (2009)
Quentin Tarantino selected Diane Kruger for the role of Bridget von Hammersmark in his alternate history Nazi-resistance film, "Inglorious Basterds." It was a new challenge for the actress, as it had nothing to do with her previous roles. She embodied a film star from the 1940s who was celebrated as Nazis' icon, while actually cooperating with the Americans.
Image: Universal
Honored in Germany (2010)
In 2010, Diane Kruger was awarded the Golden Camera award in Berlin for best international actress. The accolade recognized not only her outstanding performance alongside Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz in "Inglorious Basterds," but also her exceptional career as a Hollywood star, born in Germany.
Image: imago/S. Simon
Chase scenes in 'Unknown' (2011)
In the thriller "Unknown," Diane Kruger is an action heroine. Filmed in Germany, the movie tells the story of a US scientist visiting Berlin for a congress. Dr. Harris (Liam Neeson) attempts to retrieve his lost briefcase; this turns into a relentless pursuit. Diane Kruger plays a taxi driver called Gina - one of the film's two lead female characters.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Marie Antoinette in 'Farewell, My Queen' (2012)
The French film "Farewell, My Queen" (original title: "Les Adieux à la reine") by Benoit Jacquot was selected for the 2012 Berlinale competition. It is set in Versailles during the French Revolution in 1789. The story is told from the perspective of Sidonie Laborde, a young servant who reads to her beloved Queen, the moody Marie Antoinette, depicted by Diane Kruger.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
On the road in 'Sky' (2015)
While they are on holidays in the US, Romy (Diane Kruger) runs away from her husband and tries to survive by doing different jobs. Her Parisian grandmother's apple pie recipe is a remedy to toxic love relations. "Sky" is a French road movie from 2015. It was Kruger's third film with director Fabienne Berthaud.
