In the organizer's words:

A few weeks ago marked the 130th anniversary of the Skladanowsky brothers' first film screening on November 1, 1895 at the Wintergarten in Berlin. Back then, boxing kangaroos, artists and wrestlers could be seen; the very first original moving pictures were still inspired by circus and vaudeville. Even if Max and Emil Skladanowsky did not go down in history as the actual inventors of cinema - that honor was reserved for another pair of brothers, the frères Lumière, who were operating in France at the same time - they were nevertheless important pioneers of moving pictures that would change the world forever.

Wim Wenders, like no other director in Germany, has repeatedly woven his love of cinema and cinema history into his films, in quotes, texts or stories. In Lisbon Story, for example, he tells the story of a foley artist and in the road movie Im Lauf der Zeit (In the Course of Time) he tells the story of someone who saves cinemas by repairing the projectors. Thirty years ago, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary, he made his cinematic homage The Skladanowsky Brothers. Together with students from the Munich University of Film and Television, Wenders shot the film with an old hand-crank camera in the best slapstick style.

On November 1, the photographer and showman Max Skladanowsky presented the "Bioskop", which he developed together with his brother Emil, in the Berlin variety theater Wintergarten at Friedrichstraße station. Using their projector, they projected short film strips onto a screen in front of an enthusiastic audience for the first time in Germany.

To round off the anniversary year, we want to celebrate the achievements of the Skladanowsky film pioneers with a special cinema experience. We will be showing the German premiere of the 4K restored version of the film by Wim Wenders. French composer Laurent Petitgand, who has written the music for ten of Wenders' films, will accompany the film live with several instruments and vocals.

The event takes place in cooperation with the DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut und Filmmuseum, Frankfurt, the Wim Wenders Stiftung, Düsseldorf/Berlin and with the kind support of the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation and the Bundesarchiv.

• The Skladanowsky Brothers (D 1996, 80 min.)
  D/B: Wim Wenders with students from the HFF Munich (including Florian Gallenberger, Veit Helmer, Germán Kral and Barbara Rohm, D: Udo Kier, Christoph Merg, Rüdiger Vogler)

  A silent film with dialogs and musical accompaniment by Laurent Petitgand
  Introduction: Wim Wenders
  Discussion: Wim Wenders, Veit Helmer, Florian Gallenberger, Moderation: Knut Elstermann

  Supporting film: The Winter Garden Program of the Skladanowsky Brothers (1895), 6:33 min.

Price information:

10 EUR (Reduced: 7 EUR)