German Silents at FLEFF

Here in Ithaca, the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival is currently underway. Two classics of German cinema will be a part of the weekend's screenings downtown.

On Friday, April 3, at 7pm, FLEFF screens the silent horror film Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, Germany, 1922) with live music by Richard Feria, John Stetch, and Nicholas Walker.

Then, Sunday evening at 7, festival-goers will be treated to a screening of Ernst Lubitsch's Die Bergkatze (The Wildcat) (Ernst Lubitsch, Germany, 1921), again with live musical accompaniment, this time by Robby Aceto, Peter Dodge, and Chris White.

Summaries of both films are available here.

Both events will take place at the Cinemapolis theater on the commons.

More information regarding tickets and festival passes, as well as everything FLEFF-related, can be found at http://www.ithaca.edu/fleff

Hope to see you there!

3/31: Willi Tobler und der Untergang der 6. Flotte

Tonight, PG Kino presents Alexander Kluge's 1972 TV film Willi Tobler und der Untergang der 6. Flotte (Willi Tobler and the Decline of the 6th Fleet).

"Willi Tobler and the Decline of the 6th Fleet takes place during the galactic civil war of 2040. In a world in which galactic encirclement battles rage, Willi tries to save himself by obtaining a position at the center of power. In doing so, he ultimately sides with the wrong party in the civil war." (Summary from the Goethe-Institut New York)

We hope you will join us at 7:30pm in Rockefeller 115

"Spielzeugland" wins Oscar for Best Live Action Short

Two weeks ago, the 2007 German short film Spielzeugland won the Oscar in its category.

Oscar.com has a nice site for the winner, where you can read Jochen Alexander Freydank's acceptance speech and learn more about the film. You can find it here.

February 17: Der schweigende Stern

On Tuesday, February 17 PG Kino will screen Der schweigende Stern (1962). The film was directed by Kurt Maetzig.
The film was the first science fiction film produced by DEFA, the East German film studio, and was based on Stanislaw Lem's novel Die Astronauten (The Astronauts).

7:30pm, Rockefeller 115
German w/English subtitles.

UFA to UFO: The German Science Fiction Film

PG Kino is proud to announce the Spring 2009 series, "UFA to UFO: The German Science Fiction Film"

Our first screening will take place on Tuesday, January 27, at 7:30pm in Rockefeller 115.

Frau im Mond (1929) was directed by Fritz Lang. The film will be introduced by Comparative Literature student Paul Flaig and followed by a discussion. The film is German with English subtitles, and the screening is free.

I hope you will join us!

[Upcoming screenings TBA]

Screening 12/2/08: Der Untergang (Downfall)

Tomorrow evening, December 2, PG Kino will present its final film of the Filming Fascism series. At 7:30pm in Rockefeller 132, we will screen Der Untergang (2004), which explores the final days of the Third Reich in Berlin.

"Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, "Downfall" shifts its gaze back and forth between the crumbling military situation on the ground in Berlin and the bizarre domestic situation in the bunker underneath it, combining high wartime drama with a sense of mundane detail that verges on the surreal." (New York Times)

A trailer is available here.

We hope you will join us.

11/11 Screening: To Be or Not to Be

This evening, PG Kino will screen Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be (1942) as part of our series "Filming Fascism." With this screening we turn away from films made in Germany during the Third Reich and begin to look at other points of view on National Socialism.

Made in America by a German expatriate, To Be or Not to Be is a "black comedy about a Polish theater company -- led by Joseph and Maria Tura (Jack Benny and Carole Lombard) -- that turns to espionage after being shut down by the invading Nazis" (All Movie Guide).

I hope you will join us for the film, as well as an introduction by Comparative Literature student Paul Flaig, and a discussion.

Free & Open to the Public. Rockefeller 132, 7:30pm.