AYR Film Society are preparing for their involvement in a major nationwide German festival early next month.
The busy group, who have no film screening this week due to the Town Hall being otherwise occupied, are working towards taking part in Fokus, which runs from November 20 until December 14.
The event, a collaboration between the Goethe-Institut Glasgow and Filmhouse Edinburgh is a Scotland-wide event showcasing innovative, inspiring and challenging films from Germany
Its inaugural edition takes place at venues and cinemas from Inverness to Hawick and across the Central Belt, with a programme boasting Scottish premieres, fascinating documentaries and rarely-seen classics.
Programme highlights include Victoria, Run Lola Run actor turned director Sebastian Schipper’s audacious two hour single mobile shot tale of a night out in Berlin gone very wrong that wowed critics at the 2015 Berlinale and the Scottish Premiere of B Movie: Lust & Sound In West Berlin, a wild musical journey into the party city’s post-punk narrated by cult hero Mark Reeder and featuring appearances from Tilda Swinton and Muriel Gray amongst others.
Alongside new treats, Fokus pays homage to one of the outstanding proponents of the New Cinema Movement, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, whose 70th birthday would have been this year. 
Screenings of his groundbreaking and often controversial work include his highly political account of post WW2 Germany Die Ehe Der Maria Braun (The Marriage Of Maria Braun) and the first ever Scottish screening of Baal. The ultimate hedonist, Baal roams through forests and along motorways, greedy for schnapps, cigarettes, women and men. After the film’s initial broadcast, Brecht’s widow prohibited any further screenings, and it was only in 2011 that Brecht’s granddaughter reversed the decision, leading to the glorious 2014 restoration shown here.
Added Konrad Siller, Project Director of Fokus “It’s our ambition with “Fokus” to present a programme of films from Germany chosen for Scotland, rather than showcasing “the best of German Cinema” – whatever that might be. This ambition has been present in the conversations with our partners, in particular co-organiser Filmhouse Edinburgh and participating venues all over Scotland, and is guiding our approach to this exciting project”.
Ken Hay, CEO of Filmhouse, said “With public screenings, special events and school screenings, there will be something for everyone with an interest in German culture, language or cinema.”
Ayr’s part in this exciting project will be on Thursday December 3, when they will showcase PHOENIX, from 2014.
The remarkable collaboration between Christian Petzold and Nina Hoss continues with a superbly crafted post-war melodrama that carries strong flavours of Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock and Reiner Werner Fassbinder. 
Disfigured concentration camp survivor Nelly (Nina Hoss) has undergone reconstructive facial surgery. 
She returns to Berlin desperately seeking Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld), the husband who may have betrayed her to the Nazis. 
Will love prove more powerful than the desire for justice? 
A seductive tale of intrigue and paranoia reflecting a country coming to terms with the raw guilt of the recent past.