Ulrich Felsberg Movies

In the midst of the danger and destruction of Sarajevo during the Bosnian conflict, a brave, dedicated group of war correspondents from all over the world gathered to bring the terrifying war into the lives of others. In the name of ratings and personal glory, these newshounds regularly risk their lives to get their stories. This war drama centers on three such reporters. Spanish newswoman Laura is more accustomed to doing "puff pieces" than hard news. This is her first time in Sarajevo and the experience is nearly overwhelming. At first the sophisticated veteran newscaster Mikel scoffs at her inexperience, but eventually the two connect and become lovers. Meanwhile, Mikel's fearless cameraman José anxiously awaits the destruction of the city's last remaining bridge. As Laura travels about the ruined town chronicling events and interviewing residents, she begins to lose her innocence and in so doing, gains painful insight into herself. At one point she finds herself entering the marketplace, a particularly dangerous sniper-inhabited location that has been dubbed by the others as "Comanche Territory." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

An IRA volunteer tries to leave his life of violence behind -- only to discover it's waiting for him in America -- in this drama based on a story by leading man Stephen Rea. Dowd (Rea) is a convicted terrorist with the Irish Republican Army who is serving a sentence in a prison in Northern Ireland. While his girlfriend Roisin (Maria Doyle Kennedy) patiently waits for his release, Dowd feels that he has no real future to offer her; the path he's chosen in life is not an easy one to move away from. After a visit from Roisin, Dowd is returning to his cell when he finds himself in the middle of a group of prisoners attempting an escape; Dowd impulsively joins them and turns out to be one of only two convicts to make it out alive. With forged papers, Dowd sneaks into the United States, where he takes a job as a dishwasher and lives in a dingy welfare hotel in Manhattan. While trying to mediate a domestic dispute among his neighbors, Dowd is stabbed in the back; a group of Guatemalan exiles who share an apartment in the building, led by Tulio (Alfred Molina), come to Dowd's rescue and treat his wounds. Dowd becomes friends with Tulio, his friend Paco (Jorge Sanz), and his daughter Monica (Rosana Pastor), and in time, he learns why they've come to the United States. The CIA operative who tortured and killed Tulio's father now lives in New York City, and they have come to assassinate him. However, Tulio and Paco have no experience in political violence, and no talent for it; Dowd soon finds himself drawn into their plan as he helps them organize a serious attempt on the CIA man's life, a situation that becomes all the more complicated when he finds himself falling in love with the beautiful Monica. The supporting cast includes Pruitt Taylor Vince, Paul Giamatti, Brendan Gleeson, and Coati Mundi, a former member of the adventurous R&B group Kid Creole & the Coconuts. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

British filmmaker Ken Loach blended a love story with strong political commentary in this powerful drama. George (Robert Carlyle) is a bus driver working in Glasgow who has a strong independent streak and has developed a serious crush on one of his regular passengers, a woman from Nicaragua named Carla (Oyanka Cabezas). Carla occasionally is short of money for her fare, so George lets he ride for free; when his boss finds out about this, it's added to a list of small insubordinations, and George is fired. However, he stays in touch with Carla and learns she's a good bit more troubled than he imagined. She's given to dramatic mood swings and has attempted suicide, and in time he learns that her emotional problems stem from the disappearance and probable death of her boyfriend Antonio (Richard Loza), a Sandinista who is believed to have been kidnapped by the U.S.-backed Contra rebels. The largely apolitical George travels with Carla to Nicaragua to help her look for Antonio. In their travels, they meet Bradley (Scott Glenn), an American who was once a CIA "advisor" to the Contra who has turned his back on their policies and now works alongside the Sandinistas. Carla's Song was a gold medal winner at the 1997 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A reflective look at an idealistic young man's involvement in the Spanish Civil War, Land and Freedom combines wartime drama with impassioned political debate. Director Ken Loach, better known for his intimate portraits of working-class British life, begins on familiar turf in the present day, with a teenage girl sorting through the belongings of her recently deceased grandfather. She soon discovers her grandfather's involvement in the Spanish Civil War, and the film then flashes back to the 1930s to tell the story of young Dave Carr, intensely portrayed by Ian Hart. A dedicated young communist, Carr joins an international group of freedom fighters in order to wage the good war against fascism. The experience proves far less heroic than expected, however, as the fighters struggle with poor supplies, a lack of training, and internal discord. The traditional battles and romances of war drama follow, as Carr becomes involved in a tumultuous affair with a fellow fighter, but Loach and screenwriter Jim Allen give equal weight to more philosophical discussions about the nature and fate of socialism. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

This drama is set in 19th century Prussia and looks at the life and dreams of a teenage girl. The year is 1813 and 16-year old Marie is not leading a happy life. She is regularly beaten by her governess and ignored by her mother. Her mother's friend, a merchant, comes to call with his shy nephew whom his uncle frequently beats. Marie is interested in the nephew until she sees a handsome traveller who seems to be a soldier. The stranger and his friends rape Marie and kill her mother. Marie get revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Wim Wenders revisits his masterpiece Der Himmel Uber Berlin in this film which picks up several years after the original left off. Cassiel (Otto Sander) is an angel who watches over the lives of the people of recently reunified Berlin with Raphaella (Nastassja Kinski). Damiel (Bruno Ganz), Cassiel's former partner who opted to return to the land of the living in the first film, now lives happily as a pizza chef with the woman he loved and married, circus performer Marion (Solveig Dommartin). While angels are forbidden to directly intervene in the lives of humans, Cassiel impulsively breaks this rule when a little girl falls from the balcony of an apartment block, and he swoops down to catch her. Suddenly made flesh and blood, Cassiel has earned the enmity of Emit Flesti (Willem Dafoe), a sort of overseer of the angels on the physical plane. Emit makes it his business to make things difficult for Cassiel now that he's living among the humans, and after a period of alcoholism and imprisonment, Cassiel finds himself working for gangster Tony Baker (Horst Buchholz), who distributes weapons and pornography on the black market. However, Cassiel has a change of heart and decides to destroy Tony's stockpile in a bid to make the world a better place. Peter Falk, who played himself in Der Himmel Uber Berlin, makes a return appearance when a gallery shows the sketches that he was making in the first film; rock singer Lou Reed and former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev also appear as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide