The German Program and the German Cultural Society will host a series of five films examining different facets of the history of the Berlin Wall. All film screenings are open to the public.
Good Bye Lenin (2001-2003)
Friday, September 5
5:30pm, Room 421 Hall of Languages
Directed by Wolfgang Becker
In German with English Subtitles
East Germany, the year 1989: A young man protests against the regime and is arrested. His mother suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma. When she wakes up from it, the wall is gone and the country she knew no longer exists. What unfolds now is a bittersweet comedy about the fall of the Berlin Wall. For more information click here.
The Lives of Others (2005/2006)
Tuesday, September 16
5:30pm, Room 110 Bowne Hall
Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
In German with English Subtitles
A thriller, a love story, and a fairy tale about the GDR and the surveillance by the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police. What is the role of literature and art in such a system? Do lovers have a chance within a regime of spying and betrayal? For more information click here.
The Burning Wall (2002)
Wednesday, October 8
Kittredge Auditorium, lower floor HBC Hall, 5:30pm
Director Hava Kohav Beller will host a discussion of the film following the screening.
In English
One of the most compelling documentaries about life and dissent in East Germany between 1949 and 1989, centering on the physicist Robert Havemann, the film focuses on acts of courage and resistance despite brutal consequences. For more information click here.
Sonnenallee (1998/1999)
Friday, November 7
5:30pm, Room 421 Hall of Languages
Directed by Leander Haußmann
In German, no subtitles
Micha, the film’s hero, is seventeen and in love with the prettiest girl in his High School. Like anybody else, he wants to be close to her. His adventures are set in motion while Micha and his friends do what teenagers do: together they hang out, dream about the future, and listen to the Rolling Stones, at the same time defying their parents, school teachers and the police. The cult film about coming-of-age in Seventies in the GDR. For more information click here.
Der Mann auf der Mauer (1982)
Wednesday, November 19
7:00pm, Room 209 HBC Hall
Directed by Reinhard Hauff
In German, no subtitles
Kabe’s apartment faces the Berlin Wall, which is just the most visible confinement in his life in the East. He feels compelled to overcome the barriers surrounding him and tries to jump over the wall again and again. As a result, he is admitted to a mental institution and later to jail, until his life takes an unexpected turn. Filmed after the novel “Der Mauerspringer” (The Wall Jumper) by Peter Schneider. For more information click here.