Films by Andrew Bird

Germany 2024, 115 min
by Andres Veiel

A captivating insight into the private estate of Leni Riefenstahl, who became world-famous with her Nazi propaganda film TRIUMPH OF THE WILL but kept denying any closer ties to the regime.Leni Riefenstahl is considered one of the most controversial women of the 20th century as an artist and a Nazi propagandist. Her films TRIUMPH OF THE WILL and OLYMPIA stand for perfectly staged body worship and the celebration of the superior and victorious. At the same time, these images project contempt for the imperfect and weak. Riefenstahl’s aesthetics are more present than ever today - but is that also true for their implied message? The film examines this question using documents from Riefenstahl's estate, including private films, photos, recordings and letters. It uncovers fragments of her biography and places them in an extended historical context. How could Riefenstahl become the Reich's preeminent filmmaker and keep denying any closer ties to Hitler and Goebbels? During her long life after the fall of Nazism, she remained unapologetic, managing to control and shape her legacy. In personal documents, she mourns her "murdered ideals". Riefenstahl represents many postwar Germans who, in letters and recorded telephone calls from her estate, dream of an organizing hand that will finally clean up the "shit-hole state". Then, her work would also experience a renaissance, in a generation or two this time could come - what if they are right?

Germany 2020, 180 min
by Volker Heise

Berlin 1945 time-travels in cinematic style into the city’s most fateful year through the eyes of those, who experienced it: the German population and Allied soldiers.Berlin 1945 tells the story of liberation, defeat, and reconstruction in a city transformed from a theatre of war into a field of ruins. Through the eyes of the victors and the vanquished, Berlin 1945 reveals a multi-layered transformation of a city and its inhabitants. With surprising, never before seen archival footage, we reconstruct the lives not only from those liberated from concentration camps and occupied countries, but also from Germany’s followers, silent masses, and perpetrators. We create a fast-paced collage of testimonies from this period, giving voice to Soviet, US, UK and French soldiers as well as the German population anxiously awaiting the outcome of the fighting.Episodes:Part 1:At the beginning of 1945, Berlin is under the illusion that they will survive the war. Every day there are bombing attacks, fires to be extinguished, and corpses to be buried. Life goes on as the front lines of the war close in each day. Death comes for men, women, the old, the young, the National Socialists and the forced labourers. In April, the Red Army stands ready outside the city; in a time of uncertainty on the front lines, nobody has a clear view of what will happen. Civilians hiding, SS soldiers shooting deserters, and Red Army soldiers hoping to survive the final days of the war. As the war comes closer and closer to the metropolis, it returns everything to its roots, showing no mercy.Part 2:The Battle for Berlin has begun. Step by step, the soon-to-be victorious powers advance. On April 30th, the Red Flag flies over the Reichstag and Adolf Hitler takes his own life. It takes another seven days before the Wehrmacht disassembles. National Socialism is finally defeated; along with Germany, and Berlin. Not only a defeat, but also a liberation for many.Part 3:The English, French, and Americans still wait to enter Berlin. In the meantime, the Soviets appoint mayors, organize the food supply, and go on the hunt for war criminals. The Jewish community regroups, among which there are few survivors. The fate of the city is determined at the Potsdam Conference. Life returns to the ruins, the theatres reopen, and orchestras play in the open air. However, the bond that held the Allies together is torn apart – and the Cold War begins.

USA, France, Germany 2019, 93 min
by Alla Kovgan

The iconic Merce Cunningham and the last generation of his dance company is stunningly profiled in Alla Kovgan's 3D documentary, through recreations of his landmark works and archival footage of Cunningham, John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, and more.Even for those who know little about dance, Merce Cunningham is a recognizable name — an iconic figure in his field. His mid–20th century collaborations with composer John Cage (his lifelong partner) and visual artist Robert Rauschenberg were central to an era of transformation. Cunningham resisted "avant-garde" or any other label. "I don't describe it. I do it," he once said.Now, with Cunningham, we have a chance to experience what he did. Filmmaker Alla Kovgan assembles the last generation of Cunningham dancers (led by Merce Cunningham Dance Company assistant director of choreography Jennifer Goggans) to present landmark works from the Cunningham repertoire. The film concentrates on the three decades from 1942 to 1972 when Cunningham was making his reputation. Gorgeously shot in 3D, Cunningham brings us closer to these works than any audience has ever been before. Taking an inventive approach with locations, the film places dancers in evocative backdrops such as a tunnel, a high-rise rooftop, and a forest.These current-day performances are interlaced with archival footage of Cunningham speaking and moving. We also hear illuminating interviews with Cage, Rauschenberg, and members of the original Merce Cunningham Dance Company, who endured years of rejection and outrage before they slowly won over audiences."I never believed that idea that dancing was the greatest of the arts," said Cunningham. "But when it clicks, there's the rub. It becomes memorable. And one can be seduced all over again." Whether you come to Cunningham as a neophyte or an aficionado, you'll leave with a rich experience of his art. [TIFF, Thom Powers]

Germany 2018, 96 min
by Uli Gaulke

At the end of Mulholland Drive lies the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Its residents were once the backbone of the Dream Factory: actresses, producers, writers. The spry seniors still burn for movies and entertainment. And so, they share their best personal and professional anecdotes with us.A touching and lighthearted documentary about the glamourous residents of a very special retirement home, including actress Connie Sawyer (“Dumb and Dumber”, “When Harry Met Sally…”) three-time Emmy® Award nominated producer Joel Rogosin („The Virginian”, “Ironside”, “Magnum, P.I. and and producer Daniel Selznick ("American Grafitti"). [global screen]The palms in the garden of Motion Picture & Television Country House at Mulholland Drive sway soft in the light breeze under the evening sun. Here in Woodland Hills, a sleepy suburb nothwest of Hollywood, hides a fairly unique kind of home for quite special inhabitants – the refuge for the elderly of the US film industry. All those silent, invisible heroes who created classics such as “The Godfather“, "Blown by the wind", „The Appartement“ or “E.T.“ spend their time here looking back on a quite impressive and exciting life. Actors, writers, directors, cameramen, agents, make-up artists, costume designers and even big studio bosses end up here. Over 1000 elderly – more or less sprightly – live in this home strolling down memory lane. Famous Hollywood stars who are still in business, just like George Clooney, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg, support the community with generous donations true to the motto: “We take care of our own“. [Fruitmarket]

Germany 2012, 90 min
by div

GOLDRUSH tells the story of the Treuhandanstalt - the most expensive experiment and the greatest white-collar-crime since Worldwar II. It’s a film about greed as the driving force of economic development. The trust agency 'Treuhand' was established to privatise the state owned enterprises of the GDR. Never before had there been an enterprise like the Treuhand that temporarily ran and speedily privatised 8,500 companies. With four million jobs at stake in East Germany, this was a novel and unique experiment and one under enormous pressure of time. It was doomed to fail. Over three million jobs were lost and 4.000 companies were closed. The Treuhand existed for 30 months. In this time it lost 250 million Marks a day - in the name of the Federal Republic. Furthermore, the Treuhand was defrauded out of at least 20 billion Marks. The scandal has never been entirely resolved and most of the perpetrators escaped prosecution or were never impeached. GOLDRUSH is not a historical piece - it is a film about the limitations of the social consensus. The film does not accuse, does not judge. It simply insists on the need to ask questions, even if the answers are not always conclusive.

Germany 2012, 92 min
by Fatih Akin

The mild moist breeze sweeping in from the Black Sea feeds the evergreen, precipitous land that its inhabitants have transformed into a garden: A carpet of lush green, round tea bushes stretching out between pines and rhododendrons; the livelihood of the 1700 inhabitants of Camburnu. For generations the village in the northeast of Turkey has lived on tea cultivation on the slopes and fishing in the sea. But this peace has been threatened since the government decided to build the largest garbage dump of the eastern Black Sea region in an area located above the village. ”Our village is being sacrificed,“ says the mayor. He fears that soon no one will want to buy any more tea or fish from Camburnu, because the garbage dump above the village will poison the ground water and pipes will flush the waste into the sea. The government in Ankara is famous for its fast and effective solutions.But at what price? The village's lawyers are fighting in the courts, because the construction of the landfill in the commercial and residential landscape also violates Turkish laws. And the local people are taking action to defend their rights. Women besiege the governor’s car and block the bulldozers’ access to the site. They are the heroes of the resistance. Director/producer Fatih Akin came to Camburnu in 2007 to shoot the final scenes for THE EDGE OF HEAVEN. That’s when he discovered the paradise that was being polluted.original Turkish version with English or German subtitles available

Germany 2005, 90 min
by Fatih Akin

A European musician and composer sets out to capture the musical diversity of Istanbul. A lover of experimenting with sound, Alexander Hacke (of the German avantgarde band Einstürzende Neubauten) roams the streets of Istanbul with his mobile recording studio and "magic mike" to assemble an inspired portrait of Turkish music. His voyage leads to the discovery of a broad spectrum ranging from modern electronic, rock and hip-hop to classical "Arabesque". As he wanders through this seductive world, Alex collects impressions and tracks by artists such as neo-psychedelic band Baba Zula, fusion DJs Orient Expressions, rock groups Duman and Replikas, maverick rocker Erkin Koray, Public Enemy-inspired Ceza, breakdance performers Istanbul Style Breakers, digital dervish Mercan Dede, renowned clarinetist Selim Sesler, Canadian folk singer Brenna MacCrimmon, street performers Siyasiyabend, Kurdish singer Aynur, the "Elvis of Arabesque" Orhan Gencebay, and legendary divas Müzeyyen Senar and Sezen Aksu..original Turkish/English/German version with English, French or German subtitles

Germany 2001, 90 min
by Monika Treut (Hyena Films e.K.)

WARRIOR OF LIGHT shot on location in Brazil is a feature-length documentary on Yvonne Bezerra de Mello, award-winning artist and human-rights activist who has gained international recognition for her work with street children in Rio. The film recounts how a woman turned her back on a wealthy lifestyle, driven into action by the execution of 8 streetkids by military police in 1993. In subsequent years Yvonne’s struggle to better the lives of endangered and abandoned children has led her to found "Projeto Uere" ("Children of Light") a radical project committed to protection and education of kids who live in the streets and slums of Rio which has brought her into conflict with Brazil’s wealthy elite.

by Christian Bau

After the catastrophe of Fukushima a new term appears in the Japanese language: Genpatsu-Rikon, incalligraphy composed of the characters for ’atomic’ and ’divorce’.In 2011 the filmmaker Christian Bau travels to the east cost of Japan and tries to find out more aboutthe background for this word creation.What did he see?“I’ve seen everything”.“You saw nothing, nothing at all”.