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02/10/10
WORLD ON A WIRE: NEW MASTER at the Berlinale
World Premiere on February 14, 2010, at the Kino International
Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s brilliant cinematic vision of the future, made in 1973, will celebrate its world premiere on February 14, 2010, at 8 p.m. at the Kino International theater. It is being featured in the Berlinale Special section of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. An additional screening of the two-part movie is scheduled for February 15 at 4:15 p.m. at the Urania.
WORLD ON A WIRE (WELT AM DRAHT), the German science fiction classic and The Matrix precursor, was unavailable for viewing for more than 30 years. Now Fassbinder’s film can be seen in its original beauty on the big screen and DVD. “It's a rebirth”, says Michael Ballhaus, artistic director of the restoration project. Ballhaus, one of the most important cameramen in German and international cinema, served as the director of photography for the original film 37 years ago.
Discussing WORLD ON A WIRE: NEW MASTER, Ballhaus says: “We went through the entire film, performed color grading and considered what footage could be made lighter or darker.” The work did not stop there: “We cleaned the film and removed scratches and deposits. As a result, the images are crisp and light. I must say the film now looks fantastic.”
Juliane Lorenz, president of the Fassbinder Foundation and producer of the restored version, shows the exciting restoration process in her Making-of documentary FASSBINDER’S WORLD ON A WIRE: LOOKING AHEAD TO TODAY. She also interviewed people involved in the original production. “For me it was very important to bring Michael Ballhaus on board the restoration project. I was not involved in the film, and for me it was crucial that the original DP personally oversee his work. Like the director, he was one of the creators of the film. He knows his work best of all.”
WORLD ON A WIRE: NEW MASTER, which was preceded by long efforts to sort out rights issues, is an additional collaboration between the Fassbinder Foundation and ARRI Film & TV. It was made possible by the financial support of our partners at the German Federal Cultural Foundation, The Museum of Modern Art and medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
For additional information on the film, the original production and the restoration process, please see the press book and the WORLD ON A WIRE website.
The original screenplay by Fritz Müller-Scherz and Rainer Werner Fassbinder (based on a novel by Daniel F. Galouye) will be published for the first time by Matthes & Seitz. It will also be made available as a downloadable e-book.
In addition, on February 18, 2010 ARTHAUS will release a restored version of WORLD ON A WIRE in a premium DVD set as part of the Kinowelt Home Entertainment series. Along with extensive bonus material, the DVD includes Juliane Lorenz’s documentary FASSBINDER’S WORLD ON A WIRE: LOOKING AHEAD TO TODAY.
The next screening of WORLD ON A WIRE: NEW MASTER will take place on April 14, 2010, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Preparations are underway for the cinema and DVD release of the film in France, Belgium, UK, Spain, USA and other countries.
Berlinale tickets
More:
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation (main page)
Kulturstiftung des Bundes
medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
Arthaus / Kinowelt Home Entertainment
Matthes und Seitz
E-Book
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