Director of German comedy Toni Erdmann, a 2016 festival sensation, on how hard it is for women to get films made
Marin Ade talks about her Oscar-nominated film, its realistic portrayal of a prickly father-daughter relationship, her initial worries it was too long, and the idea of quotas for women filmmakers
“Make sure they know to play it loud,” the filmmaker Maren Ade advises ahead of a screening of her film, Toni Erdmann.
Since its rollicking debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Toni Erdmann has been the unlikely rock star of the international film festival scene. It’s a German comedy that runs 162 minutes and prominently features fake teeth, Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love of All and a furry Bulgarian kukeri costume.
“I knew I had something that I liked,” says Ade . “I knew that it was long. I was afraid people might think it was too long. But I knew it wasn’t better shorter.”
Toni Erdmann, which opened in limited release in the United States on Sunday, has already swept the European Film Awards, winning five honours, including best picture. In her speech, Ade noted it was the first film made by a woman to win the top prize. As Germany’s Oscar submission, Toni Erdmann is also among the nine shortlisted films for best foreign language film, and it’s the favourite to win.