We asked contributors to this issue for their favourite films – and we also give a few cinema tips ourselves.
Dr Martin Krispin, Head of the DAAD’s Warsaw Regional Office: “The film tells the story of how Polish-Jewish radio pianist Władysław Szpilman survived the Warsaw ghetto. There’s no heroic pathos at all, but there is great intensity.”
Paulina Ziółkowska: “This is a film about constant change, transition, growing up and adjusting. The film also touches on the subject of human relationships, which is of particular interest to me.”
Dr Leila Mukhida: “This is a hilarious film that raises a serious question: what happens if people like you are completely absent from moving image archives? Where can you look for solidarity and identification, as well as an understanding of your genealogy?”
Prof. Vinzenz Hediger: “At the age of only 25, director Chantal Akerman radically reinvented cinema from a feminist perspective with her film. It tells the story of a single mother (Delphine Seyrig) who makes a living for herself and her son by secretly working as a prostitute. It’s one of the great works of art of the second half of the 20th Century.”
Dr Hongwei Bao: “It is a beautiful, stylish film made by the maverick Hong Kong film auteur Wong Kar-Wai. Two men’s love entanglement is set against the stunning backdrop of Argentina. Queer Asian icon Leslie Cheung’s performance was spellbinding. The fact the film was made in 1997 before Hong Kong’s official handover from the UK to China also made the film politically significant.”
Prof. Vinzenz Hediger: “This is the only wuxia film by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien. It’s his distinctive reinterpretation of the genre, based on the story of a female warrior from the 7th Century.”
Prof. René Harder: “Deeply affecting moments of great visual power and insight are followed by light-hearted, almost ridiculous situations, such that laughter drives the tears from your face. The leading actors Corinna Harfouch, Lars Eidinger and Hans-Uwe Bauer brilliantly master the balancing act between precise dialogue and slapstick.”
Prof. Wolfgang Willaschek: “For family reasons I can relate to this film, which was very successful in Italy and is now enjoying great success in Germany, too. It sets a benchmark for the compelling way it combines sociopolitical statement (about violence against women in post-war Italy in 1946), film dramaturgy (a fiction between enlightenment and entertainment), and a fascinating aesthetic (filmed in black-and-white using the latest camera technology).”
Mathias Zeiske: “An endlessly funny, uplifting, anarchistic road trip through late-capitalist Bucharest, Europe and social media. Radu Jude manages the rare feat in his three-hour film, where the audience leave the cinema more wide awake than they were when they went in.”
Abigail Mann: “The movie masterfully weaves together a thrilling adventure and a poignant commentary on the Sierra Leone civil war and the global diamond trade. The movie illustrates the immense power of cinema to bring historical events to life, engaging and moving one in ways that mere facts and figures cannot.”
Dr Mariana Ivanova: “My favourite DEFA film is Konrad Wolf’s last film ‘Solo Sunny’ about a singer from Prenzlauer Berg in Berlin who stakes everything on her art, her dreams and her desire to stay true to herself.”
Dr Victoria Rizo Lenshyn: “My favourite DEFA film is Egon Günther’s ‘Der Dritte’. It’s about a single mother who embarks on a journey to find a good partner in her private life and equity in her career as a mathematician.”
Dr Kalina Kupczyńska: “Right now my favourite film from Poland is ‘EO’. It was nominated for the Oscars and won the jury prize at Cannes. The main character is a donkey and the film is mainly about the perception that animals have. It’s just fantastic.”
Mehmood Ali Khan: “The film depicts the story of a struggling family who live hand to mouth in their one-bedroom apartment in Tehran. While the story may seem of minor importance compared to national discourses on politics and power in Iran, its economic dimension puts it at the centre of that discourse. The film highlights how American sanctions affect the poorest of the poor in the country, rather than making any difference to the ruling elites and theocracy.”
Janet Philip Adeshina: “’Sherlock Holmes’ stands for high-energy suspense, mystery-unravelling, and clever detective work in solving mysteries. Another reason why this film appeals to me is the intriguing story’s twist which kept me curious and engaged with the film.”
Megumi Hayakawa: “This animated short portrays a wasp that discovers an old gramophone and realises it can use its sting to play records on it. The wasp then organises a little concert for the other inhabitants of the meadow.”
Toni Erdmann (2016, director: Maren Ade)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003, director: Kim Ki-Duk)
The Wild Boys (Les Garçons Sauvages, 2017, director: Bertrand Mandico)
The Remains of the Day (1993, director: James Ivory)
The Zone of Interest (2023, director: Jonathan Glazer)
