Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's Oscar-nominated The Lives Of Others and the 2006 Berlinale competition films The Free Will by Matthias Glasner and Requiem by Hans-Christian Schmid are part of focus of German cinema at this year's Sofia International Film Festival (March 1-11).

The International Competition has invited Chris Kraus' Bavarian Film Prize-winning prison drama Four Minutes and the co-productions La Fine Del Mare by Nora Hoppe and The Trap (Klopka) by Srdan Golubovic. The Trap had its world premiere at the Berlin's Forum section last week and will also be the opening film in Belgrade this Friday evening (Feb 23) at the 35th Belgrade International Film Festival FEST 07.

In addition, there will be screenings of such films as Buelent Akinci's Running On Empty, Stefan Kroehmer's Summer 04, Dusan Milic's Gucha! - Distant Trumpet, and the documentaries Last To Know by Marc Bauder and Doerte Franke, Bulgarian Stories by Elwira Niewiera and Kornel Miglus, and Havana - The New Art Of Making Ruins by Florian Borchmeyer and Matthias Hentschlers, which was dropped from last year's Havana International Film Festival after pressure from Cuba's film institute ICAIC.

In addition, Germany's cinematic living legend Wim Wenders will be honoured with a retrospective of 21 films.