Goethe-Institut Glasgow in collaboration with GSSN
From 9-31 January 2024, the Goethe-Institut presents the eighth edition of “Fokus, Films from Germany” showcasing German cinema from contemporary films to DEFA classics in collaboration with the GSSN and festival partners all over Scotland. Films are screened free of charge and in German with English subtitles. The full Scotland-wide festival programme can be found here.
In collaboration with the St Andrews Film Society as well as SAINTS LGBTQ+, the GSSN presents the following screenings:
LOLA RENNT (1998), dir. Tom Tykwer
Tue, 23rd January 2024, 7 pm, School 1 (Sallies Quad) in collaboration with the St Andrews Film Society
Run Lola Run is a fast-paced drama with Franka Potente and Moritz Bleibtreu has become a cult classic: A Bonnie & Clyde in 1990s Berlin. Lola and Manni are lovers. Manni has completely botched a money handover after smuggling some cars. He is in despair and calls Lola. But how can she get 100,000 marks together in only 20 minutes to save her lover’s life? The situation seems hopeless. The clock starts ticking and Lola runs…. This year marks the 25th anniversary of its release.
I’M YOUR MAN (2021), dir. Maria Schrader
Thur, 25th January 2024, 7 pm, School 3 (Sallies Quad)
Alma is a scientist at the famous Pergamon Museum in Berlin. In order to obtain research funds for her studies, she accepts an offer to participate in an extraordinary experiment. For three weeks, she is to live with a humanoid robot whose artificial intelligence has been designed to allow it to morph into that of her ideal life partner. Enter Tom, a machine in (handsome) human form, created to make her happy. What ensues is a tragicomic tale that explores notions of love, longing, and what makes us human.
(Source: 71. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin)
COMING OUT (1989), dir. Heiner Carow
Tues, 30th January 2024, 7 pm (Sandy’s Bar, Student Union)
The final DEFA-produced film release before the German unification, was both groundbreaking and unique in its open and positive treatment of homosexuality at the time and became an instant national and international audience success. The premiere took place on 9 November 1989, the day the Berlin Wall fell, in Berlin’s Kino International and due to the great interest shown by the audience, the film was shown twice that evening. The plot centres on Philipp, a popular and committed teacher at his school. He is in a relationship with his colleague Tanja. When Philipp meets his school friend Jakob again, he remembers earlier mutual affections. Unsettled in his feelings and emotions, he meets Matthias in a pub and falls in love with him.
The film screening will be followed by a Q&A with Tom Smith (Department of German, University of St Andrews) who specializes on the representation of gender and sexuality in East German culture. His book Comrades in Arms: Military Masculinities in East German Culture was published in 2020 by Berghahn Books.
AFIRE (2023), dir. Christian Petzold
Wed, 31st January 2024, 7 pm, School 3 (Sallies Quad)
Afire tells the story of four young people who take a trip to the Baltic sea and soon start negotiating the boundaries of their relationships. When the forest around them begins to burn, ash rains down and the sky turns red, the physical intensity and artistic sublimation in this relationship drama take a turn into a new dimension. The newest film by award-winning director Christian Petzold merges the inner turmoil of its protagonists with the looming threat of environmental destruction in a gripping drama.