Germany Divided on ‘Europa’ : Movies: German filmmakers protest the German Export Film Union’s decision not to enter ‘Europa Europa’ for best foreign-language film in the Academy Awards.

A group of leading German filmmakers has written an open letter in support of “Europa Europa,” the film that a committee of German producers declined to submit for a best foreign-language film Academy Award.

The letter, addressed to writer-director Agnieszka Holland and scheduled to be published in today’s Daily Variety and Hollywood Reporter, states “We deeply regret the decision” of the German Export Film Union “to not enter ‘Europa Europa’ for Best Foreign Film in the Academy Awards . . . The case of ‘Europa Europa’ can’t fail to raise all kinds of political speculations and interpretations . . . As German filmmakers we are well aware of the special responsibility the past imposes on us.”

“Europa Europa” is based on the actual experiences of Solomon Perel, who as a Polish-Jewish teen-ager survived World War II by becoming a German soldier. The film received strong reviews and was named the best foreign film by the New York Film Critics and the National Board of Review, and received a Golden Globe for best foreign film. It had been widely regarded as a strong contender in the Academy Awards’ best foreign film category.

There has been widespread speculation that the film’s subject matter was embarrassing to modern-day Germany and perhaps why they didn’t nominate it.

“I felt a shock at what happened,” said German director Wolfgang Petersen in a phone interview. “But I remember 10 years ago my film ‘Das Boot’ was not nominated either. We are also sending a letter today to the Academy directly, hoping to get it to reconsider and nominate ‘Europa Europa’ for best foreign film, knowing that probably that that will be very difficult with their rules. But it is a very, very bad thing that has happened.”

In addition to Petersen, others signing the letter were directors Volker Schlondorff (“The Tin Drum,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,”), Percy Adlon (“Bagdad Cafe”), Michael Verhoeven (“The Nasty Girl”), Margarethe von Trotta “Rosa Luxemburg”), Doris Dorrie (“Men . . . “), Uli Edel (“Last Exit to Brooklyn”) and Werner Herzog (“Aguirre: Wrath of God”); cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (“GoodFellas”) and actors Hanna Schygulla and Jurgen Prochnow.

Although Holland is Polish and her story’s hero is Polish, half of the financing for “Europa Europa” was from German sources. “We know that some of them may have had problems with the eligibility but we cannot share their view and we are appalled by some of their public statements,” the letter states.

“I feel sorry,” said Adlon. “I think it’s a big mistake but that it is not at all political. It is not against the Jews. The problem is that the German board members do not like German films--my own folks don’t like their own stuff! The more our films are Americanized the better. I’ve just come back from Munich, and I’ve tried to understand how such a terrible mistake could happen. They were telling me at the screening of the film that it was not even eligible, that it was not officially a German film because there’s 50% French financing, that it had not been released in Germany, a stipulation necessary for it to be admitted for consideration.

(“The Double Life of Veronique,” which is Poland’s official entry has 70% French financing, 30% Polish financing.)

“All this is bureaucratic stuff,” Adlon continued. “If they had loved it they would have found a way. When they heard how successful it had been in America they became very, very stubborn, even more so when ‘Europa Europa’s’ producer Artur Brauner, a very outspoken old gentleman, protested. The whole situation is regrettable.”

Ballhaus, reached on the set of “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” where he is director of photography for director Francis Ford Coppola, said, “We felt terrible about this jury in Germany. I feel a little better because of our letter--because most German filmmakers are behind this film. I hope it helps the movie and gets even better recognition for it. It deserves to be a big success.”

Michael Barker, vice president of sales and marketing for Orion Classics, which is distributing the film in the United States, said, “In the letter there’s a statement that a portion of its financing was provided by German government subsidies. How can the German government have an agency that helped finance the film and deny that the film is a German film at the same time? This letter shows a rare form of solidarity from a national cinema.”