INDIA. New Delhi: The German Embassy is hosting a film festival centred on Berlin. From April 7 to 18, the India Habitat Centre will screen eight films, each depicting Berlin from a distinct perspective. For more than a century, Berlin and its film makers have been at the vanguard of cinema.
The curated festival aims to highlight the city’s incredibly diversified history as well as its wide range of cinematic styles.
The festival’s goal is to show as many different directors and periods of film about Berlin as possible.
Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-1989
The festival opens on Thursday, April 7 with ‘B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-1989,’ a 2015 documentary on Berlin’s booming post-punk underground scene.
Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis
The second film on the schedule is Walter Ruttmann’s 1927 masterpiece ‘Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis,’ which will be shown on April 8.
It is essentially a classic ‘city symphony’ film that follows the life of Berlin and its inhabitants over the course of a single day, from sunrise to nightfall.
Sonnenallee
The comedy film ‘Sonnenallee,’ directed by Leander Haußmann and about a group of kids growing up in East Berlin in the late 1970s, will be shown on April 9.
Der Himmel über Berlin
Wim Wender’s 1987 classic ‘Der Himmel über Berlin,’ to be presented on April 10, is about invisible, eternal angels who dwell Berlin and listen to the thoughts of its human inhabitants, comforting the distressed.
Das Leben Der Anderen
The next film on the schedule is Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Oscar-winning drama ‘Das Leben Der Anderen,’ which will be shown on April 12.
Set in 1984 East Berlin, it follows an agent of East Germany’s secret police who, while conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself increasingly absorbed by their lives.
Good Bye Lenin!
Wolfgang Becker’s 2003 tragicomedy film ‘Good Bye Lenin!’ will be screened on April 15. Set in East Berlin between October 1989 (a few days before the Berlin Wall came down) and October 1990 (a few days after German reunification ), the film follows a young man who attempts to protect his fragile mother – a passionate communist – from a fatal shock after she comes out of a long coma. He does so by concealing from her the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in East Germany.
Run Lola Run
The second last film on the lineup, to be screened on April 16, is Tom Tykwer’s 1998 blockbuster ‘Run Lola Run’. The experimental thriller follows Lola who has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks to save her boyfriend’s life after a botched money delivery.
Victoria
The festival comes to a close on April 18 with Sebastian Schipper’s 2015 critically acclaimed ‘Victoria’: a crime thriller shot in a single continuous take that follows a young Spanish woman who meets four local Berliners outside a nightclub; but what starts as an exciting adventure quickly turns into a nightmare.
Sharing his thoughts about the festival, H.E. Mr. Walter J. Lindner, German Ambassador to India, said: “Not many people know that Berlin played a crucial role in the great beginnings of film history, alongside Bollywood and Hollywood over 100 years ago. The Roaring Twenties, the division of Germany, and life in Berlin as the multicultural capital of a reunited Germany are all these significant developments that have found their way into masterpieces of the German film industry.”
“As diverse and colorful as the city of Berlin was and continues to be, so is its vibrant film scene. I am delighted that with our Berlin Film Festival we will now show some of these masterpieces to our Indian audience,” he added.
Details of timelines and activities are as follows:
1) Festival Opening on Thursday, 7th April 2022
Introduction by Mr. Murtaza Ali Khan, Film & TV critic and journalist
Welcome by Mr. Johannes Hoeber, Head of Cultural Department, German Embassy New Delhi
Screening of B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West Berlin 1979-1989 – a documentary about Berlin’s vibrant post-punk underground scene.
2) Subsequent screenings from 8-18 April (each one starting at 7 pm)
Regular health protocols are to be followed.
08/04 Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis
09/04 Sonnenallee
10/04 Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire)
12/04 Das Leben der Anderen* (The Lives of Others)
15/04 Good Bye Lenin!
16/04 Lola rennt (Run Lola Run!)
18/04 Victoria*
Speaking about the screenings, Mr. Johannes Höber, Cultural Counsellor at the German Embassy, said, “The vibrant city of Berlin is an object of fascination for culture-loving audiences worldwide. With our Berlin film festival, we want to give Delhiites an insight into the magic of Berlin, through the lenses of some of its most thrilling movies.”
Registration for each screening is necessary due to limited seats. For registration visit: www.indiahabitat.org/programmes
