because i will be flying back from Nuremburg just in time to run down to my German conversation course at the Goethe Institut but:

Art critic Heinz-Peter Schwerfel will be premiering his film Berlin – arm aber sexy at the Martin Gropius Bau on the 7th of May at 19:00. The film, with music from Johannes Brahms, Lychee Lassi, MIA, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Stereo Total and others, examines Berlin’s happening art scene and the locust like behaviour of the artists, critics, collectors and charlatans that have descended on the city in the past few years. Schwerfel himself will be in attendance along with Sabrina van der Ley, artistic director of ART FORUM Berlin, and a bunch of other art mavens. Since entrance is FREE…yes…FREE, you can expect a crowd of penniless types like yourself so get there early. But If you – like me – end up missing the premiere, you can also catch it showing on arte on the 5th of June.

Martin-Gropius-Bau
Niederkirchnerstr. 7, 10963 Berlin
07 May 2008, 19:00

[via] [thanks]

Lichtblick-Kino, my favorite of Berlin’s countless small cinemas, is hosting a series of Pasolini films this month. The Italian filmmaker aroused controversy with both his films and his life and was murdered in shadowy circumstances in 1975. The retrospective will show eight of his films including Oscar nominated The Gospel According To St. Matthew and 1975’s notorious Sadiean celluloid nightmare Salo – 120 Days of Sodom.

be warned – Lichtblick is tiny so make sure you get there good and early, otherwise you’ll be sitting on a folding seat in the aisle!

Lichtblick-Kino Kastanienallee 77, Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, tel. 44 05 81 79

“he was born in Berlin, died in LA – and was a hit in both”, Ernst Lubitsch is an icon of German cinema. To mark the sixtieth anniversary of his passing Kino Babylon Mitte is playing host to a month long retrospective. The schedule of twenty three silent films (the earliest, 1914’s ‘The Pride of the Firm’, directed by Carl Wilhelm, casts Lubitsch as a romantic hero) and seventeen ‘talkies’ is a tribute not only to the director’s ability to work successfully across continents but also across the transition from silents to sound productions. Nicola Lubitsch, the director’s daughter, will also be taking part in the festivities, helping unveil a plaque commemorating his former residence at Schönhauser Allee 183. Lubitsch was known for his witty and sophisticated productions, with his films ranging from lighthearted romantic comedies to grand historical dramas. Of special interest is his anti Nazi farce ‘To be or not to be’ released in 1942. The film which follows the misadventures of a group of small time actors involved in the Polish resistance movement is a precursor to last year’s controversial Mein Führer. Also included in the retrospective will be 2006’s ‘Ernst Lubitsch in Berlin – from Schönhauser Allee to Hollywood’, a documentary of the director’s journey. The silent films will be accompanied by music from Stephan Graf v. Bothmer and for those with an exceptional ability to stay in their seats the program has scheduled two thirteen hour silent film marathons!!