Interviews

Video Interview: Christian Petzold (Phoenix)

Published on July 23, 2015

[Editor’s note: This interview took place at the 2014 edition of TIFF. Sundance Selects releases the film in limited theaters and On Demand on July 24th.]

I sat down with Christian Petzold after the premiere of his new film Phoenix at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. We discussed his relationship with the Berlin Film School movement and whether his rising international success still allows him to adhere to the tenets of that movement. His continued collaboration with muse Nina Hoss is discussed, as well as his tendency to base his features on previously produced material, including his latest feature which is based on a novel adapted into a film in 1965 as Return From the Ashes (which Petzold confesses he has not seen).

Related Topics:2014 Toronto Int. Film Festival, Christian Petzold, Nina Hoss, Phoenix, top-stories

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.