Sherry Hormann Movies

A woman who achieves stardom against all odds uses her celebrity to make a difference in the land she left behind in this drama based on a true story. Waris Dirie (Liya Kebede) was born in Somalia, where she was one of a dozen children raised by a family of travelers. Waris grew up poor, and at the age of five, like many girls in East Africa, she was the victim of genital mutilation, a practice performed by Muslims in the belief it will insure that the girls will remain "true virgins." At 13, Waris' family sold her to an elderly man, but rather than live under his tyranny, she ran away and eventually settled in London. After a series of odd jobs, Waris was attending school and working at a hamburger stand in her spare time when she was spotted by Terry Donaldson (Timothy Spall), a professional photographer. Terry was convinced that Waris had the looks and poise to be a model, and with the help of Lucinda (Juliet Stevenson), an agent, Waris begins making a name for herself in fashion modeling. But as she becomes an international success in the glamorous world of high fashion, Waris can't escape the cruel irony that while she's known for her sex appeal, the mutilation from her youth prevents her from fully enjoying lovemaking, and she uses her rising fame to speak out against the barbaric practice still forced upon many young girls in the Third World. Desert Flower was an official selection at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival, where it was screened as part of the "Venice Days" program. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A battle for gay rights is fought on a small-time football field in this comedy drama from Germany. Ecki (Maximilian Brückner) is a talented soccer goalie who plays with a semi-pro team in a small German town, but he finds himself on the outs with his teammates when he fails to block a kick that costs the team the league championship. Ecki's relationship with the team goes from bad to worse when they discover he's gay, and they give him his walking papers. Furious, Ecki challenges his former team to a special match in which they'll face off against an all-gay team he'll assemble for the occasion. The homophobic team agrees to the match, but Ecki soon discovers finding ten capable gay footballers is no easy task, and making them into a competitive team is even harder. Making matters a bit easier for Ecki is his sister Susanne (Lisa Maria Potthoff), who introduces him to one of her co-workers, Sven (David Rott), a good-looking male nurse who can play soccer...and happens to find Ecki attractive. Männer Wie Wir (aka Guys and Balls) was written for the screen by Benedikt Gollhardt; it was his first theatrical film after establishing himself in television. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This modern, cross-cultural spin on Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) centers around a German-American housewife (Martina Gedeck) who gradually becomes enamored with her neighbor, David (John Corbett), leaving her two children and husband Bob (Vyto Ruginis) in the lurch. Luckily for her, David's wife Ellen (Margaret Colin) has designs on Bob. Private Lies was directed by Sherry Hormann, whose previous works have also explored the cultural differences between Germany (Hormann's country of residence) and the U.S. (her place of birth). Gedeck has long been a popular TV and film actress in her native Germany. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

The title of this German comedy-drama translates literally as "First Marriage, Then Fun." The Father's Day team of director Sherry Hormann and scripter Kit Hopkins reunited to capture the lives of three women, friends since their school days -- lawyer Elisabeth (Katja Flint), living with the much older Charles (Martin Benrath); Maria (Ornella Muti), now trying to dump her third husband; and mother Molly (Eva Mattes), whose husband Erich (Owe Ochsenknecht) is involved in an affair with actress Sandi (Gruschenka Stevens). When Erich takes off to Cannes with Sandi, Molly gets back by sending his business partners a prank note claiming Erich has died. When Charles goes away, Elisabeth becomes attracted to a younger man, rock musician Vince (Heino Ferch). Shown at the 1998 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi