Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann” is the film to beat at the Lolas, Germany’s equivalent to the Academy Awards. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the daughter-father comedy garnered six nominations: best film, best director, best screenplay, best editing, and best acting nods for stars Sandra Hüller and Peter Simonischek.
And we’re pleased to say that Ade isn’t the only woman director who has been recognized. As THR points out, “the Lolas have often been dominated by male directors, but this year, three of the four best director nominees were women.” Alongside Ade, Anne Zohra Berrached and Nicolette Krebitz received directing nods for “24 Weeks” and “Wild,” respectively.
“24 Weeks” focuses on a young couple considering an abortion, while “Wild” is a drama about a young woman and a wild wolf she takes captive in her apartment. Both will compete with “Toni Erdmann” for best film.
Monika Schindler, known for her editing work on “Free Fall,” “Night Shapes,” and “The Policewomen,” will receive this year’s lifetime achievement award.
THR reports that German culture minister Monika Grutters “has pushed to have more women on film subsidy boards, the groups that decide which German films to finance.” Grutters commented that women being part of the decision-making process is “a good first step forward.”
In an interview with Women and Hollywood, Ade discussed how quota systems for women directors might be the best step forward in regards to gender parity. “We want it to be fair,” she said. “We don’t want more — it’s just that we want it to be fair, especially when it comes to public money. It really needs to be made secured that it’s equal, depending on how many films were handed in by women. I mean you can’t, if only [20 percent of submissions are from women], you can’t support 50 percent of their films, I think.”
“Toni Erdmann” tells the story of a practical joking father (Simonischek) who tries to bond with his career-driven daughter (Hüller) by unconvincingly posing as her CEO’s life coach, Toni Erdmann.
Ade’s film was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2017 Oscars and swept the major categories at the European Film Awards in December. “Toni Erdmann” topped Sight & Sound’s prestigious annual critics’ poll and made history by being the first woman-directed film to do so. The comedy was named Best Picture by the International Cinephile Society, and won the European Lux Film Prize as well as the Fipresci Grand Prix. An American remake is currently in the works with Kristen Wiig and Jack Nicholson in Hüller and Simonischek’s roles.
The Lola winners will be announced April 28 in Berlin.
