In the midst of Sundance Deals and mainstream news, here are some indie bites:

• While it won't be competing, Jam! reports that Guy Maddin's wonderful film My Winnipeg will screen on the opening night of Berlinale's International Forum of New Cinema program. (Check out my TIFF review here.) Personally, I wish it could compete and then take over the world, but I realize that Maddin hasn't gotten enough recognition yet. (He's seriously one of the most accessible filmmakers of strange fare out there. Go check him out if you haven't already.) While Winnipeg isn't competing, another production with Canadian roots is -- Amos Kollek's Restless.
• Meanwhile, Til Schweiger continues to face problems. After ticking people off with his risque all-ages comedy, now Variety reports that he's quit the German Film Academy in protest. Why? Because Keinohrhasen, the movie that's been making waves, wasn't considered for a German film award. The Academy claims they didn't register in time, and that should it get registered, it could be eligible in 2009. I guess that wasn't good enough for Schweiger.
• Remember that movie ban in China? Well, now Variety reports that The Water Horse will be the first foreign film to screen to bust through the ban, over the previously announced Atonement. The latter is screening on February 22, but Horse nabbed itself a February 16 screen date. Will this "blackout" continue? Is it all just a farce? Stay tuned!

Til Schweiger has been the hottie of the German film scene for a while now, but along with heartthrob, he can add in the title of parent and media provoker. Variety reports that the actor, who recently wrote, produced, directed, and starred in Keinohrhasen has angered many in Germany for the sexual content contained in the comedy. The film is about a womanizer, played by Schweiger, who has to do community service at a kindergarten, and clashes with the teacher.

The flick got a general admissions rating, which allows children of 6 and older to see the film. Since little tykes can see it and it's set in a kindergarten, many people have been taking their families to the pic and getting quite a surprise. Intermingled with the kids and community service is a lot of adult content which is making many German youths ask a lot of questions about sexual terms (like b-jobs). I guess Schweiger didn't go to Grease to see how to thinly veil sex in a way that kids can enjoy without having any idea what the film is really about.

The ratings board is trying to defend their position, while Schweiger not only says that he thought it would get a 12 and up rating, but also dismisses the complaints: "I can understand that some parents might not want to watch this film with their younger children. But, on the other hand, a lot of children under 12 know a lot more about the facts of life than their parents would ever believe." Now, I'm far from some stodgy anti-sex ranter, but I can see why parents wouldn't want their 6-year-olds asking about sexual techniques. Have any of you seen the comedy? Thoughts?

While we all know that the notorious director Uwe Boll likes to act a little nutty now and then, I don't think anyone could have seen this coming. Boll is attempting to auction off a role in his new film Far Cry on eBay. This is just the latest in a series of console-based entertainment that Boll just can't seem to stay away from. Up for grabs is an undisclosed role for the low price of a little over $3000, but you will have to cover your own travel and accommodations. The film is based on UBI Soft's first-person shooter game about an ex-special forces agent for hire stranded on a mysterious island out to rescue his client; the plucky female photojournalist Valerie Constantine. So far, the only casting we have from the film was the rumored addition of Til Schweiger, but that has yet to be confirmed.

Whether the auction is a desperate attempt for publicity or a genuine casting crisis, when it comes to Boll nothing should surprise us. One of his latest films (and there does seem to be an awful lot of them), Postal, managed to offend just about everyone with a gag about 9/11. So in the history of Boll's publicity stunts, auctioning off a movie role might not seem so bad, right? But here's where it gets a little embarrassing: so far Boll has pulled in zero bids. It almost makes you feel sorry for the guy, but then I remember that Bloodrayne 2 teaser and the feeling passes.

[via Kotaku]

Little bits for you:

• I'm happy to report that Hal Hartley's Fay Grim is finally getting released this May. The film, which premiered at TIFF, was reviewed by Kim Voynar last September. I was able to see it as well, and the movie was so very worth it. Film Ick and a number of other sites had rumblings of a trailer online, but it is locked. However, assistant editor Kyle Gilman's film reel isn't, and the first 2 minutes are Parker Posey in all her Grim trailer glory. I almost forgot how much I liked the movie until I saw the trailer. It's fun, quirky and has Posey at her strange best. There's even an explosion in there, if you need something less wordy and more flashy.
• The above title is not a typo. This bit is about Noearsbunnies (direct translation of Keinohrhasen), the latest German film from actor/director Til Schweiger. You might remember him from Keira Knightly's King Arthur, when he played Cynric, or perhaps you've seen his last written/produced/direct/star feature, Barfuss. Schweiger will also star in movie, which is a romantic comedy about a womanizer who has to do community service in a kindergarten. His female co-star will be Nora Tschirner, who plays a teacher at the school. While the plot sounds run-of-the-mill, I'm interested in what inspired this title...
• I've got one more trailer to wrap this up -- Girls Rock, a documentary that is headed to Hot Docs this Spring. Forget Hanson and all their bubbly pop annoyingness, this film is about The Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls that lets young girls rock out and gain self-esteem in the process. The girls are cute, real and varied. On one level, it looks fun and terribly cute to see young girls composing and performing hard music, on another, it's great to just see real girls doing more than mainstream media would lead us to believe. You can rock out with them in the trailer here, or on their MySpace.