Faces look at you — everywhere! Visual communication would lack a pivotal element without the representation of human physiognomy. The development of the depiction of facial images in the 20th century would be inconceivable without cinema and the possibilities of close-up. The versatility of the filmic depiction of the face — from the perfectly lit, subjectivizing, and identity-shaping shots of a star's gaze to the de-individualized motif "face" - is the focus of the Magical History Tour in September.

Three Forum films are representing their countries at the race for the 90th Academy Awards in the foreign-language category: NEWTON by Amit Masurkar is India's entry to the awards, TEMPESTAD by Tatiana Huezo is sent by Mexico, and Laura Schroeder's BARRAGE is representing Luxembourg.

The nine final nominees, which are selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as well as the Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, will be announced in January 2018.

CASTING by Nicolas Wackerbarth has received the 2017 Filmkunstpreis at the Festival of German Films in Ludwigshafen. The award which is endowed with 50.000 Euros was given ex aequo to CASTING and "Western" by Valeska Grisebach.

CASTING premiered in this year's Forum programme and was acclaimed both by the audience and (international) film critics.

The 13th edition of "Big Cinema, Small Cinema" moderated by Anna Faroqhi and Haim Peretz on September 24 is drawing on a film by Harun Farocki, whose oeuvre is subject of a retrospective shown at the Arsenal this month.

In his documentary JEAN-MARIE STRAUB UND DANIÈLE HUILLET BEI DER ARBEIT AN EINEM FILM NACH FRANK KAFKAS ROMANFRAGMENT "AMERIKA" (FRG 1983) the filmmaker shows other filmmakers at work. Harun Farocki was a student and admirer of the directors whom he portrays in his film. Straub and Huillet stage-manage rehearsals at the theater very precisely and without paying attention to time. The sound of words is important. There can be no mistakes because the camera will record everything for eternity. What springs to mind is how calm the working environment is. The development of a film is shown as the implementation of an idea. We will watch this film about making films and then afterwards there will be a chance to make a small film scene and to watch with or without a camera.

The Goethe Institute in Brussels is presenting four films from this and last year's Forum programs as part of its "German Film Festivals on Tour" series at BOZAR. On September 18, the program opens with AUS EINEM JAHR DER NICHTEREIGNISSE (FROM A YEAR OF NON-EVENTS) by Ann Carolin Renninger and René Frölke (Germany 2017), followed by a Q&A with René Frölke and Birgit Kohler. The evening is completes with the screening of EL MAR LA MAR by Joshua Bonnetta and J.P. Sniadecki (USA 2017).

On September 19, CASA ROSHELL by Camila José Donoso (Mexico/Chile 2017) and TA’ANG by Wang Bing (China 2016) can be seen.