Did you know that Dresden used to be home to more than 100 cinemas? Although it has been a while since, today there are still 10 left with over 40 screens that which offer a large variety for fans of the moving image. One of the highligh of the cineast’s calendar is the Filmfest Dresden that celebrates its 25th anniversary this week. Founded in the former GDR, the festival initially presented rare and sometimes even prohibited feature and short films. Over the years it has evolved into an important international short film festival that attracts many directors and film makers with generous prize money and its informal and friendly atmosphere.
For their anniversary the organizers of the film festival though up something special: a program called “5 mal 5” (=5 times 5) which focuses on the city of Dresden. Bundles of five films related to Dresden are being shown free of charge on five days. We already had a look this
“A wall is a screen” – films projected on house walls in Dresden Neustadt.
Wednesday and Thursday and we have to admit that we are amazed! The program “Fehlfarben 1” (films made in Dresden between 1985 and 1992) gave an impressive insight into the atmosphere of change the city and its residents experienced during the Wende. So, if you speak a little German, make sure to watch the rerun this weekend in the Schauburg theatre!
The show “A wall is a screen” was so good that I would rather have blogged about it in advance in order to invite you all. More than 1,000 people were following the film program which was projected onto a selection of walls in different places of the Dresden Neustadt. It startet with a short film about the GDR modern Hauptstaße right behind the Golden Horseman and was shown exactly there. The government district became host to films critical of society and the hip Neustadt bar quarter was used as a screen for a visual instruction to de-gentrification of so-called trendy neighbourhoods.
If you are in Dresden this weekend, get some tickets for the international film programs that will all have an English translation or are originally in English. The winner films of all competitions will be shown there as well. So, if you call yourself a film enthusiast, do not miss out on this opportunity to visit a Dresden cinema!