All Quiet On The Western Front director Edward Berger and producer Malte Grunert on their “humble and beautiful” response to nine Oscar nominations

It looks like a march forward in Oscar season with the critically acclaimed war drama No news from the western front. After an impressive 14 BAFTA nominations in almost every major category, director Edward Berger and producer Malte Grunert now ring the tone with a total of nine Oscar nominations for: Best Picture, International Film, Cinematography, Music (Original Score) , production design and Make-up and hair styling.

The riveting anti-war film, based on Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel of the same name, follows a German battalion of spirited young men as they experience the atrocities of war as they fight on the front lines against the French. During Deadline’s meeting with Berger and Grunert on Tuesday morning to discuss the film’s multiple nominations, Berger had this to say: “It’s an unforgettable moment for me when, and I don’t use that word lightly, because Germany is a “Pride” has a problem with the word because of its history. And that’s why I always find it very difficult to use this word. But in this case, I’m really proud of all the people nominated for the film, the effects, the makeup, the camera, the production design, the whole crew and at the BAFTAs, it just means a lot that really every member of the crew worked so hard and I don’t think I’ve ever made a film where they contributed so much to the end result.

In our conversation below, Berger and Grunert talk about overcoming the fear of adapting such a famous work, the historical connection to old Hollywood, and what awards season means to them.

DEADLINE: Where were you when you found out about the nomination?

Edward Berger: I was on set and the crew was kind enough to take a 10 minute break so we turned on the house lights on the famous Cinecittà stage [Federico] Fellini was filming in Rome and watching the live feed. We cheered a lot and then we started filming again. [Laugh].

MALTE GREENERT: I was in the office in a writers room that we’re getting ready for and they took a break and we all watched the live feed and drank a bottle of champagne. [Laugh].

DEADLINE: This film received incredible awards just this past week. Are you surprised that the film was so well received?

Berger: Well, I don’t know if surprised is the right word because there’s been a lot of love from everyone over the past few months, but I guess in a way I’m overwhelmed and confused by the love that’s been pouring out from fellow members and fellow filmmakers . It’s definitely overwhelming. But the surprise is definitely the number of nominations, a wonderful surprise.

GREENS: I think the same. You know we could feel the film was well received and me and Edward went to a lot of screenings and Q&A and we could see that the film got an audience and the reception was very good but I never thought we would end up with this number of nominations at the Academy Awards. Never.

DEADLINE: Let’s talk about the fact that this is the first German adaptation of this film. It’s been adapted by Americans and Brits, but never by Germany, which is a wild thought considering it’s a German novel. Did you feel like taking a gamble when you decided to go with the German adaptation, which now mostly pays off?

Berger: I thought it felt like a big risk, because with a film like this you can completely fail. Because there’s a very famous American adaptation that, admittedly, is almost a hundred years old, but yet, you know, it’s still very dear to other filmmakers. So you can fail big with a film like this and set your goals too high. And then you never know, are we doing it right? Is the money enough? Because unfortunately, money is important in a genre like this. Do we have enough to make it up to make it look like it’s not a joke? Yes. Because if it’s not, if it looks terrible, then it’s not right and we can’t materially justify it.

The book is so famous that one is afraid not to make it. And I think for me and Malte, or at least I can speak for myself, there was a journey full of doubts and questions about whether it was worth it and whether we made the right decision and whether we had a good film and when you have done it. Getting the first track doesn’t feel like you’re there yet, there’s a lot of work behind it. You think like, ‘Are we ever going to get there? Will it be a film that will resonate with people?’ You don’t really know that during the shooting of at least a year and a half [a film] until you get to, say, the premiere in Toronto.

GREENS: And at the same time, there’s all this doubt about recycling something that’s been turned into a classic film, so it felt very much like an undeniable idea. I mean, when this option came up to do something based on Remarque’s masterpiece in German, the original language, for the very first time, it felt like a blind spot and that it was never done, why? How is this possible? So it was intimidating, but also a very resounding yes.

DEADLINE: Given all the nominations, why do you think people are responding to the film this way?

GREENS: It is something of a literary masterpiece that tells a war story that still feels contemporary. This is a war story, not a hero’s journey. It’s not about completing a mission or being somewhere tomorrow morning at 9am. Or if not, something happens. It is none of that. And it feels like a very contemporary and very German perspective on the war. And I think that’s something that people connect with. Of course, because of the war in Ukraine, it has terrible political relevance. It could have gone either way. Obviously, people don’t care about the movie depicting war when a real war is going on. But it seems like we may have struck a chord with that perspective and the story we’re telling. And thirdly, I think that the entire creative team and departments that were also nominated, and of course our protagonist Felix Kammerer and certainly Edward, just did a fantastic job. And I think it’s a very well made film and I’m proud of it.

DEADLINE: What does it mean to you to be included in the historic ranks of the original Best Picture of the 1930s category?

Berger: It’s an unforgettable moment for me and I don’t use that word lightly because Germany has a problem with the word “pride” because of its history. And so I always find it very difficult to use this word. But in this case, I’m really proud of all the people nominated for the film, the effects, the make-up, the camera, the production design, the whole team and the BAFTAs. It just means a lot, it really was like every member of the team worked so hard and I don’t think I’ve ever made a film where they contributed so much to the end result. Every piece was so important and every piece was so good. And I’m really proud of this contribution being recognized. And it means a lot to be recognized by the biggest film awards in the world, you know? And not missing the novel…for now [Laughs]. It seems connected to the audience and didn’t miss the original film and that’s a sense of relief.

GREENS: And I think there’s another element that is beautiful and humbling to me. This is because the first adaptation was shot in Hollywood in 1929, and because the film could no longer be shot in Germany. In Germany it was banned shortly after its release. Remarque’s book was burned and he had to flee Germany and Hollywood became a refuge for so many artists who had to flee Europe and were even a little far – and I don’t want to compare us to that [dire situation] Not at all – these shoes are way too big for us, but there’s something humbling and beautiful about being even remotely connected.

The 95th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theater on March 12.