Los Angeles (dpa) – One year after the sensational Oscar success of the anti-war epic Im Westen nichts Neues, which came away with four awards, there is a chance that German filmmakers could continue to triumph in Hollywood. In the Oscar nominations for the 96th Academy Awards in March, German actress Sandra Hüller was put forward for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” for her role in the legal drama Anatomy of a Fall. Meanwhile the German entry Das Lehrerzimmer by Ilker Catak has a chance to win the award for best international film. In the same category, the Berlin director will be up against Perfect Days by Düsseldorf-born director Wim Wenders, who is competing for Japan.
Hüller is the first German actress to be nominated for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” since the 1930s. “What’s happening now is just about as good as it gets as far as I’m concerned,” said the 45-year-old actress. In Anatomy of a Fall by French director Justine Triet, Hüller puts in a brilliant performance as a successful writer who comes under suspicion of murder after the death of her husband and has to defend herself in court.
German director Wim Wenders has the chance to receive his first Oscar at the age of 78. He has previously been nominated three times for an Oscar in the documentary film category, but has always come away empty-handed to date. In the lyrical film Perfect Days he tells the story of a man who works as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, seems content with his simple life and lives very much in the moment. In the social drama Das Lehrerzimmer, director Catak, who grew up in Berlin and Turkey, explores a conflict at a school that gets out of hand.