In the organizer's words:

Friday, 16.1., 6 pm, Saturday, 17.1., 6 pm, Sunday, 18.1., 11 am and 6 pm

The FilmGalerie's special program sheds light on the medium of film at the breaking point between dictatorship and democracy. The series deals with the development of film during the years of National Socialist rule and the post-war period: from National Socialist propaganda to re-education in post-war Germany, the medium of "film" was used in a variety of ways. The selected films, lectures and discussions are intended to show how powerful film can be as a means of political articulation. Particularly in view of the current rise of right-wing populism and the advance of autocratic tendencies, the question of the relationship between political reality and film still arises 80 years after the end of the war.

"Bruchstelle 1945: German Film between Dictatorship and Democracy" is a special series of the FilmGalerie of the LWL Museum of Art and Culture. The program was created on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation from National Socialism. Tickets for individual screenings and series tickets for all four dates are available online in the ticket store and at the museum box office.

Hitler's Hollywood - German Cinema in the Age of Propaganda 1933-1945

Germany 2016, 105 minutes, Director: Rüdiger Suchsland

Friday, Jan. 16, 6 p.m.

Film critic and filmmaker Rüdiger Suchsland sifted through the approximately 1000 film productions of the Nazi regime, including not only propaganda films, but also numerous love stories, comedies and detective stories. His documentary "Hitler's Hollywood" works its way chronologically through the film material from 1933 to 1945 and traces the ideological manipulation of the population.

The film is introduced by a lecture by author and film curator Uwe W. Appelbe entitled "Bruchstelle 1945.

The murderers are among us

Germany 1946, b/w, 85 min., Director: Wolfgang Staudte

Saturday, Jan. 17, 6 p.m.

In the ruins of Berlin, a junior doctor traumatized by the war reunites with the captain who ordered the shooting of women and children on the Eastern Front at Christmas 1942. Now a successful factory owner, he celebrates Christmas as a simple family man without guilt. Wolfgang Staudte's work is the first German post-war film to deal with the question of guilt and conscience.

In those days

Germany 1947, b/w, 111 min., Director: Helmut Käutner

Helmut Käutner's episodic film tells the story of the fate of a car's owner during National Socialism. Seven episodes deal with people who suffered under the Nazi regime as a result of persecution, resistance or war. Käutner's film reflects on the "zero hour" - and at the same time takes stock of human behavior under fascism.

The films will be introduced by a lecture by author and film curator Uwe W. Appelbe entitled "Phoenix from the Ashes?".

Sunday, January 18, 11 a.m.

We child prodigies

Germany 1958, b/w, 107 min., Director: Kurt Hoffmann

"Wir Wunderkinder" follows two childhood friends - the idealistic Hans and the opportunistic Bruno - from the time of the German Empire to the economic miracle. This satirical examination of German history was awarded the Gold Medal at the Moscow International Film Festival and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

The film will be introduced by a lecture by film scholar and curator Jörg Schöning entitled "Perspektivwechsel. West German cinema of the 50s".

Sunday, January 18, 6 p.m.

Riefenstahl

Germany 2024, b/w/color, 120 min., Director: Andres Veiel

German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003) put her films at the service of the National Socialists and made a name for herself with propaganda films. After the end of the Second World War in 1945, she endeavored to present her work as apolitical. Using extensive material from Riefenstahl's estate - including letters, notes, photographs and video recordings - director Andres Veiel gets to the bottom of Leni Riefenstahl as a person.

Film lecturer Klaus Füßmann will introduce the screening. After the film there will be a final discussion on the special series "Bruchstelle 1945".

The series ticket is valid for the following four dates:

Friday evening, January 16, 6 p.m.: Lecture and film "Hitler's Hollywood"

Saturday evening, January 17, 6 p.m.: Lecture and films "The murderers are among us" and "In those days"

Sunday morning, January 18, 11 a.m.: Lecture and film "We Wunderkinder"

Sunday evening, January 18, 6 p.m.: Lecture and film "Riefenstahl"

Price information:

The link leads to the series ticket for all four dates. However, the film events can also be booked individually.