Watch Event & Goethe Film Talk

Presented by the Goethe-Institut Toronto

The Goethe-Institut Toronto is celebrating Christian Schwochow’s star-studded adaptation of Robert Harris’ acclaimed World War II novel Munich with a Netflix watch event and free online conversation with Piers Handling, former CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival and Eric Veillette. Handling is a trained historian and spent time in Germany, where his father was stationed with the Canadian army. Veillette is a Toronto-based programmer, arts journalist and broadcaster originally from Northern Ontario.

Munich: The Edge of War is available to watch as of 21 January 2022 through Netflix. On 28 January, start streaming the film through your Netflix subscription from the comfort of your home at 6pm EST and join us right after at 8:15pm EST for a live online conversation and Q&A with Piers Handling. You can ask your questions during the Q&A or, if you watched the film beforehand, you can email your questions to victoria.rebelo@goethe.de.

Munich: The Edge of War (UK 2021, 123 min), historical drama directed by Christian Schwochow (Je Suis Karl; The Crown; West), starring Jessica Brown Findlay, Jeremy Irons, George MacKay, Jannis Niewöhner, August Diehl, Sandra Hüller, Ulrich Matthes and others. Original music by Isobel Waller-Bridge (Emma; Fleabag).

Based on the international bestseller by Robert Harris. It is Autumn 1938 and Europe stands on the brink of war. Hitler is preparing to invade Czechoslovakia and Neville Chamberlain's government desperately seeks a peaceful solution. With the pressure building, Hugh Legat, British civil servant, and Paul von Hartmann, German diplomat, travel to Munich for the emergency conference. As negotiations begin, the two old friends find themselves at the center of a web of political subterfuge and very real danger.

An international star cast tells the story of the grave emergency meeting which should have prevented the Second World War. Munich – The Edge of War paints the picture of the seemingly unstoppable developments unfolding in Europe from the perspective of two young, idealistic diplomats, frantically trying to change the course of history.

“Schwochow’s film is a gripping watch.” -- Deadline

Piers Handling is the former CEO of TIFF. He held this position since 1994, responsible for leading both the operational and artistic growth of the organization. Handling has curated numerous retrospectives and presented programs of Canadian cinema at The Sundance Film Festival, the British Film Institute, and the Havana Film Festival. In 2014, Handling was invested into the Order of Ontario. He is currently working on a book about the international film festival circuit. Piers Handling is an Officer of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario as well as an Officier des arts et des lettres.

In conversation with Eric Veillette.

Part of the Goethe-Institut’s focus on German Film