Petra Von-Kant: Last News

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFollowing its world premiere as the Berlin Film Festival opener, Francois Ozon’s “Peter von Kant” has been acquired by Strand Releasing for U.S. distribution.Represented in international markets by Playtime, the critically acclaimed movie is inspired by Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s cult film “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant,” with Denis Menochet playing the tormented filmmaker, opposite Isabelle Adjani, who stars as his muse.Ozon previously told Variety that the movie was a “universal tale of passion, timely as ever” and “explores the relationships of domination, control and submission in the creative world.”“Peter von Kant” marks Ozon’s sixth movie that played in competition at the Berlin Film Festival.

EXCLUSIVE: Organizers of the Berlin Film Festival have told us that the world premiere screening of opening film Peter Von Kant was disrupted last night due to “a server problem”.

It’s a neat conceit, making the directing colossus of 1970s German cinema into the star of his own show. Peter Von Kant, the opening film of the Berlin Film Festival, is “freely adapted” by French director François Ozon from The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von Kant, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s highly stylized 1972 story of three women locked in a toxic triangle of love, jealousy, domination and submission. The storyline and much of the dialogue, is the same; where Ozon shakes it up is by making the trio all men. 

Jessica Kiang How do you make something real out of something that was artificial to begin with? Should you even try? François Ozon has, with “Peter von Kant”: a deconstructed, gender-swapped and then fastidiously reconstructed overhaul of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant.” 50 years on, Fassbinder’s film remains as close to un-remake-able as any ever made, mainly because it remakes itself every second as it goes along. If this makes Ozon’s version, which opens this year’s Berlin Film Festival, an oddly self-invalidating proposition from the get-go, that impression only deepens as the minutes tick amusingly but inconsequentially by.For the uninitiated (who are very obviously not the audience for this inside-baseball bauble), Fassbinder’s film is the story of a sadomasochistic lesbian love triangle between a successful fashion designer, her model protégée and her mute assistant.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFrançois Ozon, the prolific and provocative French director who won the Berlinale’s 2018 Golden Bear Award with “By the Grace of God,” is returning to the festival with “Peter von Kant” which will world premiere on opening night. A twist on Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s cult film “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant,” Ozon’s movie has Denis Menochet playing the tormented filmmaker, opposite Isabelle Adjani, who stars as his muse. Like the original film, “Peter von Kant” is about a film about love, jealousy and domination.

Good afternoon. Christmas feels like a lifetime ago (just asks Boris Johnson) and 2022 is certainly in full swing. Here’s your weekly dose of the biggest news and deep-dives of the week. Read on.

EXCLUSIVE: The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 drama, is being reimagined for the second time in as many years, this time by a team of Iranian filmmakers.

Peter von Kant by François Ozon Opens the 2022 BerlinaleThe 72th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival will be inaugurated by Peter von Kant  by writer/director François Ozon. The film which stars Denis Menochet, Isabelle Adjani and Hanna Schygulla is part of the international Competition and will celebrate its world premiere on February 10, 2022, at the Berlinale Palast.Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian: “We are beyond thrilled to welcome back François Ozon to the festival and are happy to launch our next edition with his new film.