Australian Film Festival Opens In Germany

The first Australian Film Festival has opened - in East Berlin. It's being run by theatre and cinema owners Frank Zilm and Timothy Grossman, with the co-operation of the Australian Embassy. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Zilm, the owner of the Blow Up Theater, said, "Australia creates uniquely Australian films which are much more interesting than films coming out of the United States." Grossman, who owns and runs the Kino Balazs, told the paper, "Australian films are often about the underdog, and that is the way many East Berliners see themselves. Since the Wall came down, we have not been sure who we are. We have another history, another background, a different experience from people in the West."