The dates: January 10 - 16th, 2008. His daughter will be present to accept an award.

In diesem Jahr gibt es drei Filme zu Ehren von Ulrich Mühe: HÄLFTE DES LEBENS (Herrmann Zschoche), Michael Hanekes FUNNY GAMES und Florian Henckel von Donnersmarcks OSCAR-prämierter Film DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN. Mühes Tochter Anna Maria (SCHWESTERHERZ) wird den Preis entgegen nehmen.

This remains the best film I saw in 2007, but I am assuming it can't contend for the upcoming Best Pic Oscar after winning last year's Best Foreign? Or can it? AO Scott does mention it today in his top 10 list for 2007.

Learning of Muhe's death this summer was a kick in the gut...

I couldn't believe it when I heard Muehe died. I thought this movie was incredible and his performance was just....no words.

"I am assuming it can't contend for the upcoming Best Pic Oscar after winning last year's Best Foreign?"

You are assuming correctly. It was a 2006 entry and can't compete for anything this year. That includes, sadly, Best Actor.

I think back in the 70s something got nominations two years running-- maybe Scenes from a Marriage, I forget. They changed the rules then.

As for Muhe-- hear, hear, Jeff. And a great, poignant photo that shows he was truly enjoying his too brief moment in the sun.

I don't know about rules being changed. For the 2002 Oscars, City of God was submitted by Brazil as their nominee for Best Foreign Language, but the Academy didn't go for it. However, it opened in the USA in early '03, and in the next year's Oscars it got four nominations. So theoretically the same thing could happen to The Lives of Others, but this was such a strong year that it's hard to imagine it taking place, even though it would be totally deserving.

Then again, City of God didn't even get nominated, let alone win, so I don't know about a film winning and then returning the following year. It did happen in the 70s though, with Truffaut's Day for Night.

Odd coincidence, I just watched Michael Haneke's original Funny Games last night which also starred Muhe...such a great actor, such a terrible loss.

Oh, and I don't think Lives of Others is eligible for anything Oscar related having been nominated and won the foreign language category. I think City of God only became eligible when it was spurned by the Academy in the foreign language category which meant that Miramax could start a new campaign the following year. Hero was another case where the movie was ineligible in the year it finally was released because it was a Foreign Language nominee two years prior.

Yes, "The Lives of Others" is the best film of 2007 anywhere, except in Germany where it was released in 2006.

Thanks, Jeff, for reminding us of this great artist's work and the great loss of his talents.

Genius film by first time director and veteran actor. I counted it as the best film from last year and since it is showing up again this year because of the release date, I'll be happy to put it in the top spot again. Nothing else I've seen this year matches its achievements.

One bit of solace: "It's for me" will stand as one of the great moments in cinema.

For anyone still checking this thread, I finally read the official rules and this film is NOT eligible this year, per the following:

"3. Films nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Award shall not be eligible for Academy Awards consideration in any category in any subsequent Awards year. Submitted films not selected as nominees are eligible for Academy Award consideration in other categories in the subsequent year, provided the film has its Los Angeles opening in that calendar year."

Stupid Academy rules...