The Oscar-nominated German director Edward Berger (53) wants to travel to Hollywood with a special talisman for the big gala. “I will wear my father’s cufflinks and broken watch, who passed away at the end of last year,” says Berger. “Because then he is with me.”
His anti-war epic “Nothing New in the West” has a chance of winning the gold statue in nine categories, including best film, best foreign language film and best adapted screenplay for Berger himself.
The filmmaker told the German Press Agency at a meeting in Rome that he was preparing two acceptance speeches to be on the safe side. He also had a new tuxedo made – the Oscars are a suitable occasion for this and his current tuxedo from his own wedding is 20 years old.
Berger’s film has good Oscar chances
After “Nothing New in the West” recently won seven Baftas at the British Film Awards, the Netflix film could also be the big winner at the Oscars. A German contribution has never been represented in the most important category as best film. Only seven films have so far been nominated as best films and best foreign-language films – all of these films, by the way, also won the foreign Oscar. “Oh God!” Berger said about the statistics. “But that’s a lot of pressure. Let’s hope that’s a good omen.”
In light of the Ukraine conflict, the director admitted that if shooting had started at the same time as the Russian invasion, he might have postponed the film. “Maybe I would have waited a little bit to do it. That could be the case, but I don’t know. So maybe they would have said: Let’s postpone it for a few years and maybe do it in five years. That can be good.” Berger heard from moviegoers and Ukrainian soldiers that the film – which shows parallels to the fighting in Ukraine – was released during the war.
