DIRECTED BY: Pia Frankenberg. WRITTEN BY: Pia Frankenberg, Klaus Bueb. WITH: Klaus Bueb, Pia Frankenberg, Adeline Almeida-Sedas, Thomas Struck. 1985. 91 min. Federal Republic of Germany. B&W. German. Not rated. DCP.
The Germans and their Men ( Die Deutschen und ihre Männer - Bericht aus Bonn ) Wed, Dec 18 | 8pm | TMT United States Restoration Premiere In person: Annika Haupts, program coordinator, Deutsche Kinemathek Austrian actress Renée Felden is a stand-in for the contemporary European woman in filmmaker Helke Sander’s documentary-hybrid feature. As the ficticious Lieschen Müller, Felden vies for the attention of men in the West German capital, Bonn, engaging them in conversations about tie preferences or asking her taxi driver about the best bordellos in the area. In her cinematic tour of gender dynamics and politics, Sander puts government officials and media representatives, as well as everyday men on the street, in a real pickle as she eventually confronts them with the realities of historical and future male violence. Note by K.J. Relth-Miller, adapted from a note by Deutsche Kinemathek. DIRECTED/WRITTEN BY: Helke Sander. WITH: Renée Felden, Luise F. Pusch, Claudia von Alemann, Helke Sander. 1989. 98 min. Federal Republic of Germany. Color. German. Not rated. DCP.
JESUS – THE FILM (JESUS – DER FILM) © Deutsche Kinemathek / Brynntrup
Jesus – The Film ( Jesus – Der Film ) Sun, Dec 15 | 8pm | TMT West Coast Restoration Premiere In person: Michael Brynntrup and Annika Haupts, program coordinator, Deutsche Kinemathek This black-and-white biopic takes a chronological approach to the “greatest story ever told” while utilizing expressionist devices. The cinematic burlesque comprises 35 stories from the New Testament in retellings or entirely new interpretations by 22 filmmakers, whether individuals or collectives, from East and West Germany. The uniting element is the title character embodied by the film’s director, Michael Brynntrup, who moved to West Berlin in 1982 and was an active member of the city’s queer, punk, and avant-garde subculture. Adapted from a note by Deutsche Kinemathek. DIRECTED BY: Michael Brynntrup. WITH: Michael Brynntrup, Panterah Countess, Michael Wehmeyer, Birgit Hein. 1986. 128 min. Federal Republic of Germany. B&W, Color. German. Not rated. DCP.
Preservation Conversation: Ain’t Nothing Without You ( Nicht nichts ohne Dich ) and
Saving German Independents Mon, Dec 16 | 7:30pm | TMT West Coast Restoration Premiere
In person: Pia Frankenberg and Annika Haupts, program coordinator, Deutsche Kinemathek Martha (played by writer-director Pia Frankenberg) is a filmmaker. Alfred (Klaus Bueb) has been studying architecture forever. When they stumble across each other on the frozen Alster lake in the middle of Hamburg, it is evidence of the compelling force of opposites attracting. “The most important thing in my films is the atmosphere, and capturing the atmosphere is the most difficult,” Martha tells an interviewer. Frankenberg achieves this astoundingly well in her screwball comedy that uses subtle irony to expose the emotional and ideological ensnarements of big-city yuppies in topical debates about sisterhood, integration, and commercial television. Adapted from a note by Deutsche Kinemathek. A post-screening conversation between filmmaker Pia Frankenberg and Deutsche Kinemathek program coordinator Annika Haupts will discuss the importance of preserving German independent cinema, the focus of the Berlinale’s 2024 retrospective.
UNDERCURRENT ( 夜の河 ) Undercurrent ( 夜の河 ) in 4K Thu, Dec 19 | 7:30pm | TMT West Coast Restoration Premiere
Kozaburo Yoshimura—former assistant director to notable filmmakers such as Yasujiro Ozu—added another compelling drama about postwar Japanese society to his incredible body of work with his first feature in color. Kiwa (Fujiko Yamamoto) is a keen- eyed, assertive kimono designer who embodies both traditional Japanese and modern Western notions—two clashing viewpoints that propel the development of the film’s narrative and characters. Yoshimura employs visually stunning symbolism like vivid red fabric, a Picasso-influenced painting, and beautiful insert shots of flowers to evoke the complex and unsettling dichotomy of postwar Japan. Note by Hyesung ii. DIRECTED BY: Kozaburo Yoshimura. WRITTEN BY: Sumie Tanaka. WITH: Fujiko Yamamoto, Ken Uehara, Keizo Kawasaki,
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