1938. One family's story of a homeland lost and a new one found...

A presentation of the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival, NOWHERE IN AFRICA is a superbly photographed, finely crafted and highly intelligent drama that deals with the effects of displacement on a German-Jewish family taking refuge in Kenya at the outbreak of World War II. Emotionally complex and broad in scope, the film showcases expert direction from Oscar nominee Caroline Link (BEYOND SILENCE) and the vast, breathtaking scenery of the African savannah. In 1938 Germany, Jettel Rendlich (Juliane Köhler), accompanied by her young daughter, Regina (Lea Kurka), abandons her well-to-do Jewish family to join her ailing lawyer husband, Walter (Merab Ninidze), on his farm in Kenya. At first, the Rendlich clan struggle with their new landscape, but as news of anti-Semitism at home continues and the local way of life becomes more familiar, they begin to fiercely identify with Africa as their new home. Based on the widely popular autobiographical novel by Stefanie Zweig, NOWHERE IN AFRICA features terrific performances from a veteran cast, as well as dazzling work from the young Kurka, who avoids the usual traps of child acting to contribute a moving and complex characterization.

• Academy Award Winner, Best Foreign Film

"Superbly acted and brilliantly lensed, Nowhere In Africa is that hard-to-achieve movie where the small picture counts for more than the bigger one." - Peter Howell, Toronto Star