09/17/2024

Newsletter September 2024

This year Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum (DFF) is celebrating a double anniversary: the film institute has existed for 75 years, and the museum for 45 years. The DFF maintains one of the largest film archives in Germany. In 2019, this collection was expanded with the addition of the estate of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, which is on permanent loan from the Fassbinder Foundation.

In the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Eva-Maria Magel looks back at the history of the two institutions, which have now merged, and takes stock of the current situation. She writes that while the DFF has good reason to be proud of its educational work – which includes the film education project “Encounter RWF” – increasing funding cutbacks are extremely worrying (the article is available at: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/rhein-main/frankfurt/75-jahre-filminstitut-und-40-jahre-filmmuseum-in-frankfurt-19762505.html de)

It remains to be seen what the future holds for the DFF. Following the departure in June of its director of many years, Ellen Harrington, Christine Kopf is currently serving as acting director.

This year, the author Georg Seeßlen was awarded the Lessing Prize for Criticism. The prize, awarded by the Lessing Academy and endowed with 15,000 euros, honors “interdisciplinary, socially impactful criticism” as an “intellectually and institutionally independent, risk-taking achievement.” In his writings on film, media, and politics, Seeßlen has repeatedly explored the world of Fassbinder. He once summed up the director’s work as expressing “the longing for a better world and a better human being,” adding that Fassbinder’s films primarily show “why this longing must remain unfulfilled.” (The full text can be found here: https://www.epd-film.de/themen/rainer-werner-fassbinder-der-wunderbare-spassverderber )

The online magazine CulturMag has published the speech given at the award ceremony by literary scholar Moritz Baßler, who states: “Those who love pop can […] not completely let go of the critique of capitalism […].” According to Baßler, it is precisely this unresolved contradiction that defines the greatness and vitality of Seeßlen’s work. In his texts, Seeßlen is not concerned with the “many thousands of pages already written,” but with the present moment and with ensuring that we, as readers, can join in the conversation: “That’s why he does it.” Read the full speech here: https://culturmag.de/crimemag/moritz-bassler-laudatio-auf-georg-seesslen-lessing-preis-fuer-kritik-2024/164342

On 22 April, German filmmaker Michael Verhoeven passed away. After beginning his career making satirical Munich comedies for producer Rob Houwer, he later gained recognition for his political films, above all THE WHITE ROSE (1982) and THE NASTY GIRL (1990), both of which address Germany’s Nazi past. Toward the end of his career, Verhoeven focused more on documentary films and television projects.

Renown came suddenly and dramatically to Verhoeven. In 1970, when his anti-war film O.K. – based on the gang rape of a Vietnamese civilian by U.S. soldiers – was entered into competition at the Berlin Film Festival, it divided the jury. Some members asked the selection committee to reconsider the film’s suitability for the competition. In protest, several directors, including Fassbinder, whose film WHY DOES HERR R. RUN AMOK? had also been entered, withdrew their films. As a result, the festival was ultimately canceled – the only time this has happened in its history.

The artist Richard Serra also passed away a few months ago. The sculptor was known for his imposing, large-scale works made from industrial materials, which viewers could literally immerse themselves in. In 1983, Serra created the sculpture “Fassbinder I” and the wall drawing “Fassbinder II” for the courtyard of the Westphalian State Museum. A press release at the time stated that “Fassbinder I” resisted its surroundings. The sculpture sought “not harmonization, but confrontation – through its material, its stark and reduced form, its imposing weight, and its expression of immovability.” For Serra, these were also the essential qualities of the director after whom the work was named.

Today, the sculpture stands in the inner courtyard of the Bible Museum in Münster. A short film about both works is available at: https://www.museumsfernsehen.de/richard-serras-fassbinder-und-fassbinder-ii-im-lwl-museum-fuer-kunst-und-kultur/

Hark Bohm turned 85 on 18 May. As a director, he focused on the turbulent emotional worlds of young people, most notably in the road movie NORTH SEA IS DEAD SEA (1976). As a screenwriter, he collaborated with Fatih Akin on the films GOODBYE BERLIN (2016) and IN THE FADE (2017). However, he was most prolific as an actor, appearing in numerous Fassbinder films, often in smaller roles and frequently cast as a doctor or policeman. Like Fassbinder, Bohm was a co-founder of the film distributor Filmverlag der Autoren in 1971. A longer conversation with him is available in the broadcaster NDR’s online audio library: https://www.ndr.de/kultur/film/Hark-Bohm-Der-norddeutsche-Vater-des-Autorenfilms-,harkbohm110.html DE

Berlin is currently hosting two exhibitions with connections to Fassbinder. At the Neue Nationalgalerie, the exhibition “Velvet Rage and Beauty” explores the body-focused, sexual, and queer aspects in Andy Warhol’s work. Among other pieces, the exhibition features the erotic Polaroids that served as the basis for Warhol’s poster design for Fassbinder’s final film QUERELLE (1982). “Velvet Rage and Beauty” runs until 6 October: https://www.smb.museum/museen-einrichtungen/neue-nationalgalerie/ausstellungen/detail/andy-warhol/

https://www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/neue-nationalgalerie/exhibitions/detail/andy-warhol/

In addition, 12 September saw the opening at the Gropius Bau of an exhibition by Rirkrit Tiravanija titled “Das Glück ist nicht lustig” (Happiness is not funny), a phrase borrowed from the opening credits of ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL (1974). In his works, Tiravanija departs from traditional notions of art, creating open-ended spaces and situations. Viewers often have the opportunity to participate in the actions initiated by the artist.

The artist has referenced Fassbinder’s socially critical melodrama ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL multiple times. He has printed the title on flags, T-shirts and newspapers, and in one installation he had the film flickering on a television. Early in his career, Tiravanija created the work “untitled 1994 (angst essen seele auf),” a bar inspired by the film, where only beer and cola were served – the same drinks shared by the guest worker Ali and the widow Emmi during their first meeting. The exhibition runs until 12 September. More information can be found on the Gropius Bau website: https://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/gropius-bau/programm/2024/ausstellungen/rirkrit-tiravanija DE https://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/en/gropius-bau/programm/2024/ausstellungen/rirkrit-tiravanija

The San Sebastián Film Festival is taking place this year from 20 to 28 September and will host the premiere of François Ozon’s latest work, WHEN FALL IS COMING. The plot revolves around a grandmother living with her best friend in the Burgundy countryside until an accident involving poisonous mushrooms shatters their idyllic life. The first trailer for the film, which explores simmering conflicts and plays with questionable truths, is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9sZFbvahl0

We wish our readers and friends golden autumn days and will be back before Christmas with more news from the world of Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

More on the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder:

https://www.fassbinderfoundation.de/filme-von-fassbinder/?lang=en

More on the plays Rainer Werner Fassbinder:

http://www.fassbinderfoundation.de/theaterstucke/?lang=en

Photo right: Rirkrit Tiravanija, untitled 2010 (angst essen seele auf, frankfurter allgemeine, september 22, 2008) © Rirkrit Tiravanija, courtesy of the artist / neugerriemschneider, photo: Jens Ziehe