| Beyond the Mainstream: A
Tribute to Director Romuald Karmaker In-Person! Presented in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut, German Cultural Center
– Los Angeles
This series continues on October 8-9 at the
Goethe-Institut
A true maverick of German Cinema, Romuald Karmakar's
interest in society's fringe groups links him closely to American filmmakers like Monte
Hellman and John Cassavetes. With keen and genuine interest in people far beyond the
mainstream, Karmakar approaches his subjects carefully. His questions don't denounce, his
camera doesn't exploit, his views don't judge. Recently hailed by Film Comment magazine as
one of the most fascinating figures in current European cinema, Karmakar crafts genuinely
independent films, tackling thorny and difficult subjects (the impenetrable mind and soul
of a serial killer, the legacy of Nazism, the dangers of the globalization of world
culture) with a sober and unflinching eye.
We are very pleased to welcome director Romuald
Karmakar to the Egyptian Theatre and the Goethe-Institut, German Cultural Center –
Los Angeles for the first L.A. retrospective of his work!
Tuesday, October 1 -- 7:30 PM
Los Angeles Premiere! Romuald
Karmakar In Person!!
MANILA, 1999, Bavaria Film, 113 min.
Starring Elizabeth McGovern, Jürgen Vogel and Manfred Zapatka. From seemingly prosaic
material – a group of international travelers are stranded at the Manila Airport
– director/writer Romuald Karmaker fashions one of the most subtly gripping and
thought-provoking European features in recent memory, a meditation on how cultures (and
people) dominate one another, on boredom, heartsickness and longing for home (any home),
on the pain of confronting our true selves, no matter where we go. Winner of the Silver
Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival. In German with English subtitles. Discussion following with director and writer Romuald Karmakar.
Wednesday, October 2 -- 7:30 PM
THE DEATHMAKER (DER TOTMACHER),
1995, Pantera Film, 114 min. Karmakar's stunning debut feature was based on the
transcripts of the psychiatric evaluation of Fritz Haarmann, who, in 1924, was accused of
seducing and killing more than 20 young men. (Peter Lorre's character in 'M' was modeled
after Haarmann.) Superb performances by Pierre Franckh, Jürgen Hentsch and the amazing
Götz George, who won Best Actor at the 1995 Venice Film Festival. In German with English
subtitles.
World Premiere!
196 BPM, 2002, Pantera Film, 62 min.
Karmakar’s latest is a music-only (no dialogue) portrait of the annual Love Parade, a
techno/electronic orgy that draws over half a million people into Berlin’s streets
and clubs. Shot in raw, you-are-there style with handheld camera and long, uninterrupted
takes, 196 BPM captures the freewheeling carnival of dancers, bartenders, drunks, deejays,
tattooed freakers and more. Featuring DJ Hell, one of the most innovative deejays in
Europe today. "Because of all the good vibes, I started to walk around with my little
mini DV Panasonic and shoot films like I started 15 years ago. Like a partisan, pure
underground." – Romuald Karmakar. Discussion
between films with director Romuald Karmakar.
Friday, October 4 - 7:00 PM
(Spielberg Theatre)
THE HIMMLER PROJECT (DAS
HIMMLER-PROJEKT), 2000, Pantera Film, 182 min. Radically minimalist and uncompromising,
this experimental documentary shows actor Manfred Zapatka reading the three-hour speech
that Heinrich Himmler gave in 1943 to SS Officers in Posen. While avoiding any staging,
Karmakar produces one of the most haunting views into the essence of Nazi ideology. The
nucleus of barbarism has rarely been dissected more convincingly. In German with English
subtitles. Romuald Karmakar to introduce screening.
The following programs in the Romuald Karmakar
Tribute are presented at the Goethe-Institut,
Los Angeles at 5750 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100. Please call 323/525-3388 for more
information. (All films in German with English subtitles.) Tickets
for these programs are not available from the Egyptian Theatre Box Office.
Tuesday, October 8 -- 7:00 PM [Goethe-Institut]
WARHEADS, 1989-92, 16 mm, 180 min. The cult and culture of
the foreign legion is the focus of this epic documentary, shot in training camps in
French-Guyana, Mississippi and on the battle fields of former Yugoslavia.
Wednesday, October 9 -- 7:00 PM [Goethe-Institut]
COUP DE BOULE, 1987, 16 mm, 8 min. This unauthorized
documentary was shot, while the filmmaker served in the French military. It depicts
soldiers during brutal initiation rituals and landed Karmakar in military jail for two
weeks.
GALLODROME, 1988, 16 mm, 12 min. The tradition of
cockfighting and the people and motivations behind it.
DOGS OF VELVET AND STEEL (Hunde aus Samt und Stahl), 1989, 16
mm, 52 min. While the media discussed the banning of pitbulls from Germany's streets and
yards, Karmakar interviewed a group of pit bull holders in Hamburg about their love affair
and cuddly relationship with the controversial guard dogs. |
