History & Film of Eastern, Western & the United Germany (seminar & a series of film showing at Instituto Cervantes, Sept 10-11, 2009)

Goethe-Institut Manila together with the German Embassy and Instituto Cervantes proudly announce a 2 days’ seminar with Dr. Peter Zimmermann (Wuppertal University, Germany):

Seminar: From the ‘Cold War’ to the Fall of the ‘Iron Curtain’ and the Berlin Wall: History and Film in Eastern, Western and the United Germany

(A contribution to the 12th Cine Europa Film Festival commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall)

Time: Thursday, September 10, 10:30am - 5:30pm

Friday, September 11, 1:00pm - 7:00pm

Venue: Instituto Cervantes. 855 T.M. Kalaw St. Ermita

The workshop will point to some highly important events of German and European history, being represented in documentaries and feature films in eastern and western Germany:

- Rebuilding the destroyed country after World War II with the help of the allied forces

- The construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and different living conditions on both sides of the ‘iron curtain’

- The ‘peaceful revolution’ in eastern Germany in 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall

- Daily life in east and west after the German reunification and the integration of the eastern countries into the European Union: hopes and disillusions.

Target groups of the workshop are not only students and filmmakers, but the seminar it is open for everybody interested in German and European contemporary history and its influence on German film and television production.

Seminar attendance shall be made known to: Goethe Institut: tel. (632) 817.0978 or e-mail: sebastian.griese@gmail.com or call Instituto Cervantes: tel. (632) 526.1482 loc. 115.

Program schedule

Thursday, September 10. 10am – 12am

Introduction into the history of the division of Germany after World War II / Screenings of excerpts of several documentary films with introduction and discussion:

- Wolfgang Staudte: The murderers are among us / Die Mörder sind unter uns (DEFA 1946: Life in the destroyed city of Berlin after World War II / Excerpt of 15’)

- Kurt Maetzig: Unity SPD-KPD / Einheit SPD-KPD (DEFA 1946 / 20’: The Reunification of the Social Democratic and the Communist Party under Russian Control)

- Stuart Schulenberg: Two Cities / Zwei Städte (US 1949 / 10’: Comparison of the destroyed City of Dresden in eastern Germany with the successful reconstruction of Stuttgart in Western Germany)

- Jürgen Böttcher: Building a Furnace / Ofenbauer (GDR / DEFA / 1962 / 14’)

12am – 1pm break

1 – 2:30pm

Introduction: Building the Berlin Wall and the confrontation of east and west Germany. Screenings of excerpts of several documentary films with introduction and discussion:

- Karl Gass: Look at this City! / Schaut auf diese Stadt (GDR/ DEFA 1962 / 85’: Building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 as a result of the separation of Germany into two antagonistic states / Excerpt: 15’)

- The Wall – Germany’s Internal Borders / Mauerschau (FRG / SWR 1999 / 45’ / 100 deutsche Jahre, Teil 45: History of the wall separating both parts of Germany from a western point of view. / Excerpt 15’)

- Walter Heinowsky: Brothers and Sisters / Brüder und Schwestern (GDR / DEFA / 1963 / 38’: Satire on western propaganda slogans calling for reunification of the divided country / Excerpt 15’)

2:30 – 3pm break

3 – 6pm

Different living conditions in western and eastern Germany and increasing discontent and increasing criticism in the GDR under the influence of ‘Glasnost’ and ‘Perestroika’

- Germans as consumers / Die Deutschen und der Konsum (FRG / SWR 1999 / 45’ / 100 deutsche Jahre Teil 43 / Different life style and living conditions in eastern and western Germany / Excerpt 15’)

- Winfried Junge: The Children of Golzow / Lebensläufe. Kinder von Golzow (GDR / DEFA 1980 / 257’ : Coming of age stories and living conditions of a group of children growing up in the town of Golzow near the Polish border in the GDR. Long time observation in several parts from 1961 – 1980 / Excerpt 20’),

4 – 4:30pm break

4:30-5:30pm

- Volker Koepp: Life in Wittstock (GDR / DEFA 1984: Coming of age stories of a group of young girls working in a textile factory in the town of Wittstock. Long time observation in several parts 1974 - 1984. / Excerpt 30’)

- Helke Misselwitz: Winter adé (GDR / DEFA 1989 / 115’: Difficult living and working conditions of women in the GDR. Portraits showing the growing dissatisfaction of the people with the socialistic system in the GDR. Excerpt 30’)

Friday, September 11

1 – 2:30pm

Introduction: Increasing dissatisfaction and demonstrations against the ruling socialist party in Eastern Germany and the fall of the wall

Screenings of excerpts of several documentaries with introduction and discussion:

- Andreas Voigt : Last Year Titanic / Letztes Jahr Titanic (D 1991 / 100’: Demonstrations and political events leading to the fall of the wall in 11/9 1989 / Excerpt 10’)

- Marcel Ophuls: Novemberdays (UK / BBC 1990 / 90’: Portraits of some of the first east German people crossing the border and climbing over the wall in November 1989 – showing their hopes and disillusions one year later / Excerpt 10’).

- Jürgen Böttcher: The Wall / Die Mauer (GDR / DEFA 1990 / 99’: Documentary on the last days of the wall with flashbacks into decisive events of the German history. Excerpt 10’)

- Raymond Red: Fall of the Wall (Philippines / 10’)

- Hans Christoph Blumenberg: German Screenplay / Deutschlandspiel (D / 2000 / 178’: Docudrama on the political events in Germany from October 1989 until reunification in October 1990. Excerpt 20’

2:30 – 3pm break

3 – 4:30pm

Introduction: The difficulties of the reunification and the problems of the integration of the eastern part into a united Germany.

Screenings of excerpts of several documentaries with introduction and discussion:

- Winfried Junge: Scenario – our times / Drehbuch – Die Zeiten (D 1992 / 280’: Long time observation of a group of children and young adults living in the town of Golzow near the Polish border in the GDR. in several parts from 1961 – 1992: disorientation and hopes after the reunification / Excerpt 30’)

- Volker Koepp: Wittstock, Wittstock (D 1997 / 114’ : Long time observation of a group of young women working in a textile factory in the town of Wittstock in several parts 1974 – 1997: the privatization and close down of the factory after the reunification forced the displaced and unemployed workers to look for new jobs / Excerpt 30’)

4:30 – 5pm break

5 – 7pm

Introduction and screening:

Wolfgang Becker: Good bye Lenin (D 2003 / 120’)

Satirical Comedy of a young man who tries to hide the fall of the wall and the end of the GDR from his ill mother, who is a loyal socialist citizen.