We spoke to German director/writer Anna Roller about the importance of 70 years of German films and about her films including her debut feature Dead Girls Dancing (2023) and her new project Allegro Pastell (TBA).
Anna Roller was born in Munich in 1993 and grew up in a family immersed in music and stories. Her desire to blend these two passions prompted her to venture into parallel worlds through self-made films at a young age. In 2014, Anna started studying directing at the University of Television and Film Munich. During her studies, she created several short films focusing on imperfect, unconventional, and bold female characters. Her shorts have been showcased in over 60 festivals, winning awards such as the German Short Film Award, the Bronze Tadpole at EnergaCAMERIMAGE, and two Starter Film Awards. In 2019, Anna was part of the Future Frames programme at the Karlovy Vary International Festival and participated in the Talent Village 
at the Les Arcs Festival, along with the Cutting Edge Talent Camp at the International Film Festival Mannheim.
Anna made her feature film debut with her graduation film Dead Girls Dancing (2023). This road film about three high school graduates stranded in an abandoned Italian mountain village premiered simultaneously at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and Filmfest München in June 2023. The German theatrical release followed in November of the same year.
FNE will be following this podcast with more in our series that will focus on German films in CEE countries plus Cyprus and Malta, and our partner countries’ films screening in Germany, as well as news about coproductions and other special events.
In 2024, German Films celebrates its 70 years anniversary. The Export Union der Deutschen Filmindustrie was founded in Wiesbaden in 1954, then was renamed German Films Service + Marketing GmbH in 2004 and has successfully been promoting German feature films and filmmakers around the world.
To put a special focus on 70 years of German cinema abroad, a film programme entitled “70 Years of German Cinema – A Success Story“ has been compiled as a retrospective, curated by Alfred Holighaus, development executive and producer at REAL FILM in Berlin and NORDFILM in Kiel, who selected a mixture of 14 feature films and documentaries. The aim of this film programme is to give German cinema abroad the special attention it so rightly deserves.
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