CHRISTOPH SILBER

ONE FOR THE GIRLS -- MAY 2012

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:38:00 +0000

May has Chris traveling to Germany, where Enid Blyton-based family entertainment pic HANNI & NANNI 2 opens in wide release May 17th. Co-written by Chris, the film boasts an all-star cast and took home three Golden Sparrow Awards including Best Picture at Europe's number one festival for young viewers. A third installment is already in development, written by...you guessed who.

On a stopover in New York, Chris will attend a screening and Q&A of MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU, which kicks off the Vilcek Foundation's New American Filmmaker Tour. See the film and several cast and crew members on May 18 at the Visual Arts Theater in Manhattan. The film is now available on DVD in Europe at Amazon. Stateside TV and DVD deals will be announced shortly.

BREAKING NEWS

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:25:00 +0000

Chris has won Best Screenplay at Austria's Romy Awards for A DAY FOR A MIRACLE alongside co-writer Thorsten Wettcke. Pic's producers Sam Davis and Klaus Graf took home Best Producer.

Chris with producers Klaus Graf, Sam Davis and co-writer Thorsten Wettcke in Vienna, April 21. (Photo: People Pictures/W.Schneider)

APRIL'S CHARMS -- APR 2012

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:56:00 +0000

While MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU continues its great festival run with screenings in Atlanta (see pic with leading lady Nicole Beharie) and Seattle, Chris is in Los Angeles to meet with creative brother Stefan Schaefer. The duo's latest German language script LETTING GO is currently in production in Switzerland and Germany.

Towards the end of April, Chris will head to Vienna, where two of his films are nominated in several major categories for the ROMY, Austria's foremost film and TV award. Honored in GIRL ON THE OCEAN FLOOR, real life hero and Oscar winner Hans Hass and his wife Lotte (see above with Chris last year) receive a lifetime award. Adding to the excitement after rhapsodic reviews and record ratings, A DAY FOR A MIRACLE has won Chris and co-writer Thorsten Wettcke a Best Screenplay nomination.

ON REELS -- FEB/MAR 2012

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:59:00 +0000

MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU has won the 2012 Black Reel Award for Best Independent Film. Chris and writing/producing partner, pic's director Stefan Schaefer, will be at Berlinale in February to prepare German DVD release and set up new projects.
Also, the film has been selected for the Atlanta Film Festival and will screen there March 25.

On March 5, Chris' Austrian/German film A DAY FOR A MIRACLE will air on German TV. Its Austrian premiere earlier this year scored a record market share of 33 percent, with reviews calling it "a masterpiece" and "a nail-biter from start to finish".

AT LAST... -- JAN 2012

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:47:00 +0000

...our title track MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU is now available for download on iTunes.

A Black Reels nominee for "Best Song" opposite the likes of Mary J. Blige and Jamie Foxx, the song performed by leading lady Nicole Beharie was co-written by Chris alongside Scott Jacoby and Stefan Schaefer.

Check out the music video on youtube.

MEANWHILE, TOP REVIEWS IN EUROPE...

...for A DAY FOR MIRACLE. An official selection at last year's Hamburg Film Festival, Chris wrote the truth-based thriller with Berlin collaborator Thorsten Wettcke for Austrian helmer Andreas Prochaska (DEAD IN 3 DAYS). Austria's leading newspaper KURIER gave it 5 stars out of 5, praising the screenplay as "terrific".

ORF January 18, 8:15 pm / ARD March 5, 8:15 pm

TWO FOR THE ROAD -- DEC 2011

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:06:00 +0000

The year ends with two European premieres of films written by Chris:
GIRL ON THE OCEAN FLOOR, a period film about how diving pioneer and Oscar winning filmmaker Hans Hass met his wife and diving companion Lotte, airs on December 8 on ZDF (Germany) and ORF (Austria), followed by a documentary on their life and work.

Under its German title NIE MEHR OHNE DICH, the New York one-day lovestory MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU, which Chris also produced with Diane Crespo and co-writer Stefan Schaefer, will open in select theaters there December 15.
Stateside release will soon be announced. In the meantime, check out our stellar leading lady Nicole Beharie in SHAME opposite Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, in select US theaters December 2.

THAT EXTRA BOW -- NOV 2011

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0000

With lead actress Nicole Beharie and director Stefan Schaefer at HIFF, Honolulu Oct. 2011

After much Aloha from audiences at Hawaii and Heartland Film Festivals, MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU is ready for some cowboy love at Lone Star Film Festival in Texas Nov 13. Right before that, Chris will be in LA with Stefan Schaefer to finalize multiple sales deals for the film and discuss future projects during the AFM.
If you can't make it to Texas, don't despair. We'll soon announce the US release for the film. Also, don't miss our stellar lead actress Nicole Beharie in her new recurring role on CBS' THE GOOD WIFE.

"YOUNG GOETHE IN LOVE" NOW IN THEATERS

After the award-winning international hits GOOD BYE LENIN and NORTH FACE, another German language film Chris collaborated on is making its way to US audiences.

A surprise box-office success in Germany and Austria, this gorgeous period drama by NORTH FACE director Philipp Stoelzl is coming to arthouse screens across the United States on Nov 4.

SURF'S UP -- OCT 2011

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:13:00 +0000

The Hawaii Int'l Film Festival will screen MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU Oct. 14 and 16 as an Official Selection with director Stefan Schaefer, star Nicole Beharie and Chris attending. A special program hosted by the Vilcek Foundation will honor Chris as "an immigrant filmmaker...whose creative spirit enlivens and inspires American cinema."

Also in October, DAS WUNDER VON KAERNTEN (The Carinthia Miracle), a truth-based thriller written by Chris and Thorsten Wettcke and again starring Ken Duken, will premiere at Germany's Hamburg Film Festival.

IT'S SHOWTIME -- AUG/SEP 2011

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:04:00 +0000

At the NYC premiere with Reg E Cathey, Laith Nakli, Francis Benhamou, Diane Crespo, Ken Duken, Dan Hersey, Stefan Schaefer, Lance Cain, Scott Jacoby.

NEWS ON MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU:

After winning the Best Producer award at its Brooklyn Film Festival premiere, the film has been selected for the Oldenburg International Film Festival. Held in September, Oldenburg has been dubbed the "German Sundance" by Variety. Watch out for the film's release under its German title NIE MEHR OHNE DICH in Germany, Austria and Switzerland soon.

ON SCREENS NOW IN GERMANY:DER ALBANER, Ophuls festival winner, co-written by Chris.

ON TV IN GERMANY:
TATORT MUENSTER - ZWISCHEN DEN OHREN, 90 min TV special written by Chris and Thorsten Wettcke, ARD Sep 18, 8:15 pm.

FIRST DAY FOR 'LAST DAY' -- MAY/JUN 2011

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:16:00 +0000

MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU will have its official US premiere at the Brooklyn International Film Festival on June 11. Our stars Nicole Beharie and Ken Duken will be attending.

In addition LA-based Mission Pictures International, who are handling international sales, will hold a market screening for potential buyers at Cannes on May 14.

SPRING IN MY STEP -- MAR/APR 2011

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:05:00 +0000

MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU -- Sales and distribution negotiations underway, festival premiere will soon be announced.
GOETHE -- Period film I consulted on is nominated for 4 Lolas (German Academy Awards), including Best Film and Best Actor.
THE ALBANIAN -- Debut film I co-wrote won the Max Ophuls, one of Europe's top newcomer awards, for Best Film.
IN PRODUCTION: Two TV movies in Germany and Austria, helmed by Franziska Meletzky and Andreas Prochaska.
IN DEVELOPMENT: Silver Shepherd & Cicala have been able to win a heavy-hitting European partner for our new project based on a book by Shira Nayman. More on that soon.

BERLIN BOUND -- FEB 2011

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:58:00 +0000

It's that time of the year again... meetings, screenings, more meetings. See you at Berlinale!
Also this month, NACHTANGELN is going into production. Helmed by the wonderful Franziska Meletzky, the new TATORT film written by Silber-Wettcke stars two of my favorite German actors, J.J. Liefers and Axel Prahl.

AS NEW AS IT GETS -- JAN 2011

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 04:31:00 +0000

What better way to start the New Year than with the first trailer for MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU - online now. Enjoy!

LA CALLING -- NOV/DEC 2010

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Silver Shepherd's annual November trip to Los Angeles brought plenty of good news. Our film MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU got great feedback from several key players in sales and distribution at AFM. Watch out for the trailer on the website.
On other fronts, there were several development offers for Silver Shepherd and for me individually, thanks to the enthusiastic response to the screenplay for my upcoming directing debut DEVIL'S BANE. I've been able to get some top-notch creative collaborators on board, plus land a pitch for a new high-level writing deal. More on that soon.
The AFM also saw great deals for Warner Bros German release GOETHE, which I collaborated on as a script and editing consultant. The period piece by helmer Philipp Stölzl, who's currently preparing his first English language film, will see a theatrical release in the US and Canada next year.

ALL OVER THE PLACE -- OCT 2010

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:14:00 +0000

Heading to Orlando, then New York and Los Angeles to finalize sales deals for MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU, plus discuss several projects on both sides of the Atlantic. One of those is Finnish-German co-pro RUE DE LY, a development of mine that recently won a coveted FFA funding award.
Speaking of Germany, October will see two premieres of films I collaborated on there. One is Warner Bro's release GOETHE! (see picture), helmed by my good friend Philipp Stölzl (NORTH FACE), in theaters Oct 14. The other, a TATORT film co-starring two-time Lola winner Sibel Kekilli, airs on Oct 24.

NEW HORIZONS -- SEP 2010

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:42:00 +0000

Back in the Tennessee Valley, co-writing a Euro actioner for Christian Alvart (PANDORUM), whose Renee Zellweger/Bradley Cooper thriller CASE 39 opens nationwide in October.
Also, my 2006 short film ICEWIND, which was selected at the LA Shorts and other international festivals, is now available for online viewing at Vimeo.
Meanwhile at the Cicala & Silver Shepherd headquarters in New York, our romance MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU is making great progress in the editing room. Festival submissions and sales deals are under way.

Finally, my script GIRL ON THE OCEAN FLOOR is in production overseas with Benjamin Sadler (LUTHER) and pop star Yvonne Catterfeld starring as Austrian diving pioneers Hans and Lotte Hass. (see picture)

SAME PLAY, DIFFERENT STAGES -- AUG 2010

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:48:00 +0000

Two films written by myself and Stef wrapping on opposite sides of the Atlantic this month: New York love story MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU, shot in Brooklyn and Manhattan, produced by Cicala and Silver Shepherd. And German comedy FIRST LADY, produced by teamworx and directed by Thomas Nennstiel, in Goerlitz and Berlin.
Later this month, another Silber script is going into production. GIRL ON THE OCEAN FLOOR, a German Austrian co-pro about 1950's diving pioneer and Oscar winner Hans Hass and his wife Lotte will be filming in Vienna, Cologne, Egypt and Morocco, helmed by Dutch master Ben Verbong.

SUMMER IN THE CITY -- JUN/JUL 2010

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:38:00 +0000

Pre-production for MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU is in full swing. Alongside with our stars Nicole Beharie (AMERICAN VIOLET, see picture) and Ken Duken (INGLORIOUS BASTERDS), our cast includes Reg E. Cathey (THE WIRE) and Marlene Forte (STAR TREK). Pic will be directed by my Silver Shepherd twin Stefan Schaefer.
On the German front, another Silver Shepherd collaboration, TV movie FIRST LADY, will shoot this summer. Also slated for production later this year is BANKLADY, the story of Europe's first female bank robber, with me co-writing and old pal Christian Alvart (PANDORUM) at the helm.
If you're on the European festival circuit, look out for THE ALBANIAN, a German-Albanian feature film I co-wrote. It will open in competition at Moscow Int' Film Festival end of June, then head on to Munich and Karlovy Vary.

MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU -- APR/MAY 2010

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:23:00 +0000

The main focus of spring will be on the pre-production of MY LAST DAY WITHOUT YOU, Silver Shepherd's first feature film production. Directed by partner in crime Stefan Schaefer, who also wrote the screenplay with me, the indie film about an unlikely romance is set to start shooting in New York this summer. Indie film experts Cicala Filmworks are handling the production. More details on cast and crew coming soon.

TWO PREMIERES -- MAR 2010

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:10:00 +0000

In German theaters March 11: TEUFELSKICKER, a soccer themed family entertainment film I wrote with director Granz Henman. Popular mag Cinema calls it "a thrill ride with heart and soul". Starring Benno Fürmann (NORTH FACE) and Reiner Schoene (MORTAL KOMBAT).

Airing on ZDF March 17 at 8:15 pm: LIEBE IST NUR EIN WORT, an adaptation of J.M. Simmel's highly popular novel. Starring Nadeshda Brennicke (TATTOO) and Vinzenz Kiefer (SPEED RACER).

BERLINALE -- FEB 2010

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:21:00 +0000

On my way to Berlin. With several projects moving toward production this year in Europe and the US, it will be a busy festival. On Feb 17 German news correspondent Markus Spieker will interview me at Filmhaus Potsdamer Platz. See you at Berlinale!

NORTH FACE HEADS EAST & WEST -- DEC/JAN 2009/10

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:48:00 +0000

As the year ends with one more quick trip to Europe and lots of writing, NORTH FACE is still going strong, heading for screens in the United States, Japan and other territories in January. A cozy winter break, happy holidays and a blessed 2010 to all.

FALL AND NO BREAK -- OCT/NOV 2009

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:56:00 +0000

In Florida working on my Volker Schlöndorff project NICHT ZUSTÄNDIG (UNACCOUNTABLE) and scripts for top German producers Nico Hofmann and Oliver Berben.
In November I will be in Los Angeles with partner in crime Stefan Schaefer to continue talks over our XYZ films/AJ Annila project HUNTER'S SONG and keep the Silver Shepherd ball rolling.
Also in November, I will be headlining two events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. One is at Merrimack Hall Performing Arts Center in Alabama on Nov 9, the other at the Hay Adams Hotel in Washington DC Nov 12, hosted by Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Both will feature screenings of GOOD BYE LENIN, a multiple award winner I co-wrote.
German TV air date: TATORT: SCHWEINEGELD, written by Silber&Wettcke, Nov 1, ARD 8:15 pm. The film will also be screened in the "New German Film" showcase at Babylon Berlin Mitte Oct 15.

...THEN WE TAKE BERLIN -- SEP 2009

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Heading back to Germany for several meetings and events.
The Tatort film SCHWEINEGELD written by Silber & Wettcke will premiere at Oldenburg Int'l Filmfest on September 18.
AUF DER SONNENSEITE, the Tatort that won us the Grimme Award earlier this year, is nominated for Best Cinematography at the German TV Awards.
Wih production wrapped on TEUFELSKICKER, I have been approached about writing a sequel. Universal is going to release a teaser-trailer in theaters across Germany this month. Family entertainment pic will open next spring.
GERMAN TV AIR DATES: Two new hour-long episodes of DER KRIMINALIST starring Christian Berkel (VALKYRIE, INGLORIOUS BASTERDS) will air on ZDF Sep 25 and Oct 2 at 8:15 pm.

NEW YORK MINUTE -- JUL/AUG 2009

noreply@blogger.com (CHRIS SILBER) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:38:00 +0000

With various projects in development, I'll hardly leave my desk this summer, except for some meetings at the New York office with partner in crime Stefan Schaefer (see picture). Starting up our writing label SILVER SHEPHERD INC. we have optioned our horror script THE HUNTERS SONG to Hollywood-based XYZ films and sold FIRST LADY, a comedy, to German producer Nico Hofmann.
In Production: DIE TEUFELSKICKER (DEVIL'S KICKERS), German family entertainment film starring Benno Fürmann (THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR) and Diana Amft (GIRLS ON TOP).
LIEBE IST NUR EIN WORT (LOVE IS BUT A WORD), German TV drama starring Vinzenz Kiefer (SPEED RACER) and Nadeshda Brennicke (TATTOO).