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Free events at U of W mark Berlin Wall fall

By: Staff Writer

2/11/2009 8:11 AM | Comments: 0

WINNIPEG - Twenty years ago the Berlin Wall fell. To mark this historic anniversary, this week the University of Winnipeg holds an exhibit and film series. The series begins at 12:30 p.m. today with an opening reception by Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President and Vice-Chancellor, U of W. Once begun, the series will continue for two weeks.
On display for the length of the series is a visual exhibition entitled From the Peaceful Revolution to German Unity. A composition of posters document the fall of the Berlin Wall and Germany’s subsequent reunification on October 3, 1990. Books about this historic event as well as East German children’s books and other artifacts will also be on display.
The film series will feature four international films, beginning with One, Two, Three, by American director Billy Wilder on Nov. 2. The film is a fast-paced comedy about romance and politics in divided Berlin. The other three films are from Germany, including The Architects (Die Architekten), which was the last film produced out of the East German studio DEFA. The Architects will be shown Nov. 5 and is about Brenner, a bored architect in his late thirties. Brenner is given the chance of his career: he is put in charge of a project to design a social centre in a new residential area in East Berlin.
Next Monday the film Sonnenallee will illustrate the "absurdity of everyday life in the former East Germany." A group of kids grows up on the short, wrong (east) side of the Sonnenallee boulevard in Berlin, right next to one of the few border crossings between East and West reserved for West German citizens. The film is based around the antics of these kids, their families, the friends and relatives who come to visit from the West, and the East German border guards.
The final film, Berlin is in Germany, will be shown on Thursday, Nov. 12. After a lengthy prison sentence, the main character, Martin, is released into a unified Berlin. He meets up with old friends and with his wife, who now lives with their son (whom he has never met) and another man. Due to a mistake, he is caught up in a conflict with the police, but with his wife’s help, he is released and given another chance.
All events are free and open to the public.
AT A GLANCE
Opening Reception with Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President & Vice Chancellor, University of Winnipeg
Where: Hamilton Galleria, UWinnipeg Library – 4th floor mezzanine
When: Monday, November 2, 2009, 12:30 pm

From the Peaceful Revolution to German Unity Exhibition
Where: Hamilton Galleria, UWinnipeg Library – 4th floor mezzanine
When: November 2 to 15, open during Library hours

Film Series

Monday, November 2, 2009, 4:00-6:00 pm, Room 2M63
"One, Two, Three"
USA, 1961. Director: Billy Wilder. B&W, 109 min

Thursday, November 5, 2009, 4:00-6:00 pm, Room 2M63
"The Architects (Die Architekten)"
East Germany, 1990. Director: Peter Kahane. Colour, 102 min. English subtitles.

Monday, November 9, 2009, 4:00-6:00 pm, Room 2M63
"Sonnenallee"
Germany, 1999. Director: Leander Haussmann. Colour, 94 min. English subtitles.

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 4:00-6:00 pm, Room 2M6
"Berlin is in Germany"
Germany, 2001. Director: Hannes Stöhr. Colour, 90 min. English subtitles.

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