In 1979, Adrienne Mancia together with Larry Kardish curated the first program of Kino!, new German cinema at New York's Museum of Modern Art. For 34 consecutive years, Larry Kardish, distinguished Senior Film Curator at MoMA, presented work by celebrated international filmmakers including Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Volker Schlöndorff, Margarethe von Trotta, Rosa von Praunheim, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Wolf Gremm, Wolfgang Becker, Doris Dörrie, Andreas Dresen, to Christian Petzold, and many others to enthusiastic audiences.
For 2013, Kino! continues, now organised by Rajendra Roy, The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, MoMA, with Nicole Kaufmann, Project Co-ordinator, German Films Service + Marketing (Munich) and its New York representative, Oliver Mahrdt (read our interviews with them, here).
Here is the 35th edition lineup of reinvention with filmmakers Stephan Lacant, Nico Sommer, Laura Mahlberg, Andreas Bolm, and Jan Ole Gerstner in attendance to present their work and participate in Q&As.
Free Fall (Freier Fall)
Directed by Stephan Lacant
100 minutes, 2013
Police officer Marc is shaken to the core when he meets a new colleague, Kay, on a training course and begins to develop feelings for him. Torn between his love for his pregnant girlfriend Bettina and the rush of a completely new experience, his life spins increasingly out of control. Opening night film of the Perspective Deutsches Kino program at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Thursday, April 18, 2013, 7pm, Theater 1; Friday, April 19, 2013, 7pm, Theater 2
Silvi
Directed by Nico Sommer
97 minutes, 2013
Deserted by her husband, Silvi finally realises that her rather dull marriage has failed. Driven by loneliness, the 47-year-old woman decides to start over again! Anonymous sex, endearments in the dark and deranged lovers push her into emotional chaos of affection, pleasure and borderline experiences. She discovers that finding the right partner poses quite a challenge.
Friday, April 19, 2013, 4pm, Theater 2; Sunday, April 21, 2013, 1pm, Theater 2
Forget Me Not (Vergiss Mein Nicht)
Directed by David Sieveking
Documentary, 88 minutes, 2012
This feature-length documentary centers on the director’s mother succumbing to Alzheimer’s. Created with humour and astonishing candour, this remarkably unsentimental film bravely tackles the fundamental question: will we grow old together? Grand Jury Prize winner at the Locarno Film Festival.
Saturday, April 20, 2013, 1:30pm, Theater 2; Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 7pm, Theater 2
Kalifornia
Directed by Laura Mahlberg
27 minutes, 2013
The pale grey surrounding Pavel's caravan resembles the life inside of it: the 71-year-old Russian spends his evenings in a dismal and monotonous way. But then Pavel makes a decision. He picks up the telephone, calls his old friend Jack and starts walking – straight-ahead to California. “Kalifornia” describes the late effort of an old man to turn his life around and find happiness in the distance.
Screening with:
The Revenants (Die Wiedergänger)
Directed by Andreas Bolm
62 minutes, 2013
An ageing hippie couple endures an isolated, ghostly existence in an old country house. A boy wanders aimlessly through a forest, building a lair for himself. A ghost story about a never-ending escape from catastrophe, The Revenants is a film about desire, loss and endlessly returning.
Saturday, April 20, 2013, 4pm, Theater 2; Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 4pm, Theater 2
Oh Boy
Directed by Jan Ole Gerstner
88 minutes, 2012
A humorous, self-deprecating tale about college drop-out Niko. Drifting through Berlin, he prefers to be an observer. But life has a way of catching up with him, as he finds himself losing his girlfriend and his father’s financial support. Everything would be so much easier if he could only find a ‘normal’ cup of coffee.
Saturday, April 20, 2013, 7:30pm, Theater 2; Sunday, April 21, 2013, 4pm, Theater 2
Kino! 2013: New Films from Germany runs from April 18 – April 24 at MoMA, 11 West 53 Street, New York. For more details and tickets visit the official site
