Filmstiftung-backed "Toni Erdmann" on Oscar short list

The Filmstiftung-backed hit comedy "Toni Erdmann" by Maren Ade is still in the running for Germany to nab an Oscar nomination. The film is one of nine titles which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science have now published in a short list. The exceptional production of "Toni Erdmann", which has just won five European Film Awards (Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenwriter, Best Actress and Best Actor) and is nominated for the Golden Globe awards, is on the short list for the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Feature Film category.

"After the fantastic success at the European Film Awards and the nomination for the Golden Globes, ,Toni Erdmann' has now climbed another important rung on the international ladder of success. It has come a major step nearer to receiving an award at the Oscar ceremony in February," says Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. "We are delighted for Maren Ade and the whole crew, congratulate them on garnering a place on the short list for Best Foreign Language Feature Film, and will be keeping our fingers crossed for the nominations on 24 January!"

Around 750,000 cinema-goers in Germany alone have now seen the hit comedy with Sandra Hüller and Peter Simonischek. Following its world premiere in Cannes, „Toni Erdmann“ was, among other things, the opening film of Filmfest München, screened at the Sarajevo Film Festival, as a Special Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival as well as at the New York Film Festival. On 10 Dezember, the film received five European Film Awards in the categories for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenwriter, Best Actress and Best Actor. At the Film Festival Cologne in October, „Toni Erdmann“ was presented with the first NRW Film Prize as Best Feature Film and also received the 2016 LUX Film Prize. It was awarded the Guild Film Prize at the Filmkunstmesse in Leipzig. During the San Sebastian Film Festival, „Toni Erdmann“ was presented with the FIPRESCI Grand Prix 2016 after having already received the film critics' FIPRESCI Award at the festival in Cannes. The comedy also has the chance of a prize in the category of Best International Film at the International Spirit Awards on the eve of the Oscar ceremony. „Toni Erdmann“ will be representing Germany on 24 January in the nominations race for the 89th Oscars.

„Toni Erdmann“ is a production of Komplizen Film in co-production with coop99Filmproduktion and Missing Link Films. SWR, WDR and ARTE participated in the production as broadcasters. Part of the film was shot in Aachen, and Bucharest was another location. The Film- und Medienstiftung is the main funder with a total of 785,000 Euros, with additional backing coming from MBB, FFHSH, FFF, DFFF, FFA, BKM, ÖFI, Filmstandort Austria, MEDIA and Eurimages.

The following films are on the Oscar short list along with ¨Toni Erdmann¨: ¨Tanna¨ by Bentley Dean, Martin Butler (Australia), ¨It’s Only the End of the World¨ by Xavier Dolan (Canada), ¨Land of Mine¨ by Martin Zandvliet (Denmark), ¨The Salesman¨ by Asghar Farhadi (Iran), ¨The King’s Choice¨ by Erik Poppe (Norway), ¨Paradise¨ by Andrei Konchalovsky (Russia), ¨A Man Called Ove¨ by Hannes Holm (Sweden), and ¨My Life as a Zucchini¨ by Claude Barras (Switzerland). The nominations for the Oscar awards ceremony on 26 February will be announced on 24 January.