The Monument, Klaus Georgi and Lutz Stützner, 1990, 4 min.
The Architects, Peter Kahane, 1990, 97 min.
Rebels with a Cause is the only comprehensive retrospective of East German cinema ever screened in the United States. Between 1946 and 1992, the state-owned DEFA studios produced more than 7,500 films. While many have been voted among the best German films ever made, they have so far remained largely unknown.
This is an exceptional opportunity to discover the energy, innovation, and political commitment that characterized cinema on the other side of the Berlin wall. The films will be screened in new 35mm prints with English subtitles.
As a complement to SFMOMA’s programming, Goethe-Institut San Francisco hosts DVD screenings of I Was Nineteen (Konrad Wolf, 1968) at 7:00 p.m. on October 23 and Trace of Stones (Frank Beyer, 1966/1990) at 7:00 p.m. on October 30.
Filmed during destruction of the Berlin wall, The Architects depicts a young architect in East Berlin attempting a creative new project that is stifled by a conservative regime. The animated short The Monument accompanies this film.