Trailer Archive

"La Jetée Rouge" is a homage to one of the most unknown classics in film history, Chris Marker's “La Jetée”. A 27-minute experimental film from 1962, which tells a dystopian journey through time assembled from individual images. The voice-over narration was provided by Amanda Plummer, whose fragile and expressive art lends the film a melancholy note, as required by the story transferred to Oldenburg. New photos were combined with archive material to tell a modern time travel story about the incapacitation of humans in the age of AI. “Find Your Wild” is not only the motto of the festival…

From August 22, on the trailer will be shown in selected cinemas nationwide to promote the Filmfest Oldenburg.

Oldenburg Now.

The Trailer for the 30th Oldenburg International Filmfest Oldenburg is out - overlong and unsound... OLDENBURG NOW!

An homage to Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now", which brings Marlon Brando's famous "The Horror" monologue to the work and everyday life of prepping a film festival. The question of the definition of freedom and the change of perspective in the assessment of unsound methods are raised. A journey into the heart of darkness - of a Film Festival.

Directed by Torsten Neumann and Deborah Kara Unger, with cinematography and editing once again handled by Matthias Sachal. The trailer received support from Iyuno, TrickWilk, Eightyfour Cinematography, and Bäckerei Janssen, and starting from Thursday, August 17th, it will be showcased nationwide in selected cinemas to promote the festival.

Born Free. In 2022, the Festival collaborated with Award-winning Austrian filmmaker and composer, Andreas Horvath, to create the 2022 Trailer "Born Free", by using  footage from his last film "Zoo Lockdown", which had his world premiere in Karlovy Vary and will celebrate its German premiere in Oldenburg. During lockdown, Horvath had the unique opportunity to film the animals in the Salzburg Zoo. Without visitors, the essence of their situation is purely observed, as is the realization that a life in captivity, a life without freedom, is always the most serious violation of an individual's being. Protection of the species loses much of  its theoretical weight and justification in the face of the images Horvath captures. And for us, after more than two years of the pandemic, looking into eyes of these beings is like looking in the mirror.

The Oltrix. With Hardy Daniel Krüger as the leading actor, a homage to a science fiction classic of the turn of the millennium was implemented. The dystopia Matrix«, directed by the Wachowski siblings, was the model for this year's trailer, which was created with the support of Iyuno Germany and TrickWilk. With camera and editing, Oldenburg-based Matthias Sachal and his 8ightyfour Cinematography gave the trailer wonderful cinematic images and even more local flavor.

The Living Room - Trailer-wise there has never been anything like »The Living Room« – couch-wise, carpet-wise or otherwise-wise. Oldenburg Presents Five Uncaged Days - »The Living Room«, a Neuman-Unger Flick.

Find your wild from Sept 16-20, 2020

The 2019 Trailer - an hommage to the opening scene of Melville's "Le Samouraï". Oldenburg Presents Five Uncaged Days - "Le Canari", a Neuman-Unger Flick.

Fly...from Sept 11-15, 2019

Trailer 2018

From Oldenburg with Love. In accordance with our agreement with MGM, who granted us the rights to use clips from “Dr. No” until September 30, 2018, the 2018 trailer for the Oldenburg International Film Festival, “From Oldenburg with Love”, is no longer available.
For our 25th anniversary we refer to a cinematic genre that bloomed in the 60s when the Cold War and a growing fear of nuclear armament shook the world: A cinema of great and mad arch rogues who strove for world domination. The trailer pays tribute to the first film of the Bond series “Dr. No”. The festival managed to get the rights from MGM to show scenes from this cinematic classic. As in previous years, the festival collaborated with the support of Berliner Synchron, TrickWilk and Kinematograph 24/7. The associate producer is the Oldenburg native Armon Thein and his production company Schwarzseher. It was directed by Torsten Neumann in cooperation with Deborah Kara Unger and camera operator Irina Dragojevic.

The Road Less Traveled. An homage to Russ Meyer’s black-and-white American underground cult classic »Lorna«. This year’s trailer starred Arno Frisch (star of Micheal Haneke’s »Funny Games«). With the support of Berliner Sychron, TrickWilk, Kinematograph 24/7 and Oldenburg’s Amon Thein and his Schwarzseher Filmproduktion, who lent his support as an associate producer. Torsten Neumann and Deborah Kara Unger co-directed, and once again joined forces with cinematographer Irina Dragojevic for the production of the trailer.

The Opening. In 2016 the festival presented a trailer that transported one of the most famous scenes from Stanley Kubrick’s classic »The Shining« to Oldenburg. The lead, played by German actress Leni Wesselman who attended the festival in 2009 with her cinematic debut »Mine«, directed by Detlef Bothe and who had recently won a best actress award at the film festival in Nis for the German/Serbian coproduction »Open Cage«. Cinematography by Irina Dragojevic, editing by Tom Bewilogua and the team of Deborah Kara Unger and Torsten Neumann as directors. The post production was supported by Kinematograph 24/7, Berliner Synchron and trickWILK Niedersachsen, with Berlin-based 25p Cine Support GmbH helping during physical production for the first time.

The Little Kingdom. Hollywood icon Deborah Kara Unger and festival director Torsten Neumann co-directed the trailer, an adaptation of a monologue from Shakespeare’s „Henry IV“ recited by acting legend Stacey Keach. Filming took place in Los Angeles in association with Culprit Creative Inc. The production was supported by Kinematograph 24/7, Berliner Synchron and trickWILK.

The Wizards of Oldenburg. In 2014, the festival used a concept with local themes for its trailer, for the first time employing a documentary-style narrative. Torsten Neumann and Deborah Kara Unger co-directed, supported by Serbian cinematographer Irina Dragojevic, shot on eight different locations throughout the city in two days. Oldenburg’s Schwarzseher Film was a co-producer.

The Lost Oldenburg Weekend Re:Loaded. Young filmmaker Tom Bewilogua was at the helm directing 2013s 20th Oldenburg International Film Festival trailer, which directly ties into previous year’s homage to Billy Wilder’s »The Lost Weekend«. At Oldenburg’s famous dive bar Marvin’s Jan Plewka and Arno Frisch reprise their parts from the previous year.

The Lost Oldenburg Weekend. »This is a relentless terrifying tale of five lost days and nights torn from a man’s life, baring his heart and soul« announced the trailer for Billy Wilder’s »The Lost Weekend«. It was also the theme for the five days of the Oldenburg International Film Festival in 2012. Starring Jan Plewka and Arno Frisch, directed by Thomas Stiller, the trailer was filmed in Marvin’s - Oldenburg’s legendary dive bar. An homage to Billy Wilder’s film, Plewka reinterpreted Ray Milland’s Oscar-winning role, captured by cinematographer Philipp Sichler in black-and-white photography. The production was supported by Trick Wilk, Berliner Synchron, FGV Schmidle, as well as Audizentrum Oldenburg, the Acara Hotel and – of course – Marvin’s.

REVERTIGO. Star of 2011s trailer is the award winning Hollywood actress Deborah Kara Unger, who was jury president at the Oldenburg Film Festival in 2010. Torsten Neumann wrote, produced and for the first time directed the trailer. It is a dreamlike yet whimsical take on the festival’s point of view of Oldenburg as a place in limbo between the past and the future, all the while taking a subtle jab at Oldenburg’s claim of being the »City of the Day After Tomorrow«. The trailer pays homage to classic films like Hitchcock’s »Rebecca« and »Vertigo«, as well as Victor Fleming’s »Gone with the Wind«.

The Aristofrogs. The three-minute film is a spoof of the successful independent film »The Aristocrats«, which was shown in Oldenburg in 2005: In »Aristofrogs«, a number of actors, among them Bela B, Peter Lohmeyer, Stacy Keach, Ken Russell, Seymour Cassel and Catherine Flemming, find themselves in different locations like the 5thAvenue, a hotel in Montreal, a garden hut in Hamburg or a frog pond in Vancouver and tell the same joke. The directors include: John Gallagher, Douglas Buck, Buddy Giovinazzo and Jan Hinrik Drevs. But the real glory belongs to the joke’s protagonist – a frog that captured the hearts and minds of the festival team and found its way into the program.

The nature of the universe. In 2009, the trailer for the 16th Oldenburg International Film Festival was shot at the Berlin meeting place of soccer-crazy exiles from Hannover, the »Niedersachsenstadion« in Kreuzberg. After the science fiction trailers of the two most recent years, it was about time to return to the present. By now, it had become somewhat of a tradition to make homages to great cinematic paragons. But while in years past the themes were all-encompassing security and oppressed desires for freedom along the lines of »Blade Runner« or »Men in Black«, this time a scene from »Annie Hall« became the template. The result is a physical-philosophical contemplation about the nature of the universe, which also pays homage to Oldenburg as a town of science. Directed by Thomas Stiller, with Axel Prahl, Katy Karrenbauer and Jamie Zoe May in the lead.

MEN IN OLDENBURG. The legendary Funkhaus Berlin in the Nalepastraße was the location for the 15th Oldenburg International Film Festival trailer shoot. Directed by Tilman Zens, it told the second part of a science fiction story that is set in 2029s Oldenburg, showing a world between all-encompassing security and oppressed desires for freedom. As in the previous trailer, the daunting parallels to reality were merged with affectionate movie quotes to a dystopia in which the Oldenburg International Film Festival plays an important part. Udo Schenk and Arno Frisch in the lead, along with actors Lukas Hardt and Jamie Zoe May. Once again a traditionally self-ironic persiflage.

Nr 0108. The historical Moviemento cinema was the location for the 14th Oldenburg International Film Festival trailer. Director Thomas Stiller told a science fiction story inspired by two of the genre’s masterpieces: Ridley Scott’s dark futuristic tale »Blade Runner« and Francois Truffaut’s »Fahrenheit 451«. Starring Jan Plewka and Arno Frisch, the trailer is an homage to two brilliant and stylistically influential cinematic visions.

Battleground Oldenburg. Several friends of the festival were taking part in the filming of its annual trailer. Director Catharina Deus, who won the German Independence Awards the previous year for her cinematic debut, »The Boxer« brought Sam Fuller’s legendary appearance in Godard‘s »Pierrot Le Fout« back to life. After the successfull 2004s homage to Claude Lelouch trailer, in 2006 a master of the Nouvelle Vague was being celebrated. The actors supporting the festival were American Lisanne Falk (»Night on Earth«, »Heathers«), Arno Frisch (»Funny Games«, »Blackout Journey«), Pia Röver (»Wetlands«) as well as Thomas Heinze (»Ich bin ein Berliner«, »Alone Among Women«)

The Festival Trailer. After 2004, the trailer was once again shot in different locations around Oldenburg, like in the César Club. Aside from director Thomas Stiller (»Stille Nacht - Heilige Nacht«, »Der gestohlene Mond«), who had previously worked on 2003s festival trailer, musician Bela B. Felsenheimer (drummer of »Die Ärzte«) supported the festival as an actor. For the first time, actors from Oldenburg joined the cast: Imke Barnstedt, formerly from the ensemble of the Oldenburg State Theatre, and Klaus Köhler from the current ensemble and also an actor in the new 99euro-films production »Mädchen am Sonntag«, which was also screened at the festival.

VROOW. After the elaborately produced short films of recent years, 2004s trailer seemed nearly minimalistic. Only 2½ minutes long and filmed in one take, it is a speedy ride through the streets of Oldenburg, ending in front of the Wall Cinema, the location of the festival’s opening. It starred Laura Tonke (»Baader«) and RP Kahl (»Angel Express«), who also directed it. Behind the camera was Patrick Waldmann, who had also shot the previous year’s anniversary trailer. Apart from being a tongue-in-cheek declaration of love to the city of Oldenburg, the trailer is also a cinematic reminiscence: in 1976, French filmmaker Claude Lelouch got into a Ferrari and raced through Paris at the break of dawn to get to a rendezvous – documenting this with a camera mounted on the hood of the car. The resulting short-film »C'etait un rendezvous« was barely nine minutes long and became a popular, but rapid homage to Paris.

10 Years Oldenburg. In 2003 Martin Walz (»Killer Condom«) and Thomas Stiller (»Stille Nacht - Heilige Nacht«) co-directed the new Oldenburg trailer, with musician Bela B. Felsenheimer (»Die Ärzte«), Susann Uplegger (TV‘s »Wilde Engel«), Ole Puppe (TV‘s »Abschnitt 40«) and director Walz making up the cast. Both directors tell swiftly and ironically about making of a festival trailer: a director tries to convince a skeptical festival director of his ideas, with a film within the film showing the results.

2002. The trailer for the Oldenburg International Film Festival is highly anticipated every year and had reached a cult status in 2002. In previous years directors like RP Kahl and Martin Walz had significantly contributed to its success, »Schimanski«-director Mark Schlichter took the helm for this edition. The filming, which took place at Studio Babelsberg’s opulent 1940s backdrop, was supported by actors like Oliver Korittke (»Die Musterknaben«) and Wotan Wilke-Möhring (»The Experiment«). But the cast was also joined by actresses who had been closely connected with the festival, like Caroline Peters and Mareike Fell.

2001. The annual trailer, which was by now the public face of the festival as well as a cult-object, highlighted the special connection between the Oldenburg International Film Festival and the city of Berlin. In 2001 filming took place in the Hollywood Media Hotel on Kurfürstendamm. At this time, the trailer had been directed for some years by filmmakers with a special connection to the festival. This year it was the Berlin-based director, producer and author Martin Walz (»Killer Condom«) taking over the task. Amongst those cast were Marek Harloff (»Forget America«), Bela B. Felsenheimer (drummer of the band »Die Ärzte«), Mareike Fell (»Over the Rainbow«) and Caroline Peters.

2000. The year is 2000 and the show »Big Brother« is on everyone’s television and mind. »Inmate« Zladdi hosts the talk shows, Andrea goes up the Charts and into the nomination-room where the Oldenburg trailer takes place. In it, one of the container-dwellers finds out that there is actually a world outside its walls. And when the Oldenburg International Film Festival calls, it really becomes negligible who has drunk the milk, who will leave on Sunday and even the career as an actress suddenly fades into the background. It‘s a multimedia spectacle in the trailer of the cinematic event of the year. Authentic, trendy and quickly paced – and directed by the unabashed Big-Brother and Oldenburg fan RP Kahl. The actor/director had already worked on the 1997 trailer, but only in front of the camera. Another big fan of the festival is also cast in 2000: Peter Lohmeyer, who in the role »Big Brother« is presented with a number of challenges by the festival.