“International Star Award”
presented to Bruno Ganz
at MEDIA Salles’ Focus on Europe at Cinema Expo International
2005
Amsterdam, 30 June 2005
Speech by Mette Schramm,
President of the Danish exhibitors’ association
and member of the MEDIA Salles’ Executive Committee
Dear Mr Ganz,
I’m here on behalf of
Cinema Expo and MEDIA Salles to present you this year’s “International
Star Award”.
The main reason for which you have been chosen is probably your latest
performance in the German film Der Untergang (Downfall),
about Hitler’s last days in Berlin. But there have been many
other good reasons over the years. You played a poetic role in Der
Himmel über Berlin (The Sky Above Berlin), a romantic lover
in Bread and Tulips and last but not least now Adolf Hitler.
In a masterly performance, you brought to life one of the figures
that has most influenced the course of history and taught us all a
little more about it.
It is films like Der Untergang
that makes European films so important internationally.
In my country, which is Denmark, the film was of an enormous success.
It has been at the top of the box office list for sixteen weeks. It’s
still number seven.
It sold 380 thousand tickets. To compare this, Star Wars
has up to now sold 415 thousand tickets, and is the only other non-domestic
film in the top 10 together with Der Untergang in 2005.
The success of Der Untergang was not foreseen.
When I saw the film at the
Toronto Film Festival last year, I wrote in my diary: “The best
film of the Festival, great acting, but probably not commercial”.
What makes people in Denmark
and all over Europe go to see this film?
One of the answers is a great and breathtaking performance from the
leading actor.
This goes to show that in films about people, of all the figures involved
in making them what they are – producers, actors, distributors
and exhibitors – the most important are the audience.
With this Award, we at Cinema
Expo and the European exhibition industry would like to thank you
for every great performances during the years and hopefully for many
more to come.
Congratulations!