After a winter’s hibernation, May sees the return of open-air cinema. The eager beavers at Berlin’s newest outdoor screen, Pompeji, kick off their second season from April 30 with Take Shelter (May 13-16, 20:45) in a unique outdoor setting amidst Pompeji’s ‘excavated’ ruins (tickets €4.90).
Less Roman, leafier and with a kick-ass English-friendly programme as always, Freiluftkino Kreuzberg opens May 4 (€6.50, or saddle up to the season with a five-show ticket for €27.50).
English OV this year include recent favourites such as Melancholia (May 6, 21:00) and Drive (May 10, 21:30), but also Polanski’s excellent Carnage (May 19, 21:30), the refreshingly un-PC Young Adult (May 13, 21:30), and Tomas Alfredson’s successful take on John le Carré’s MI6 world of espionage, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (May 17, 21:30).
Freiluftkino Kreuzberg (photo) also offers the special opportunity to see German arthouse with English subtitles, so don’t miss Andreas Dresen’s stunningly realistic portrayal of death in Halt auf freier Strecke (May 9, 21:30) and Kriegerin, a powerful, original film about neo-Nazism in the provinces (May 18, 21:30).
To get to know Berlin’s most hyped actress Nina Hoss, check out Christian Petzold’s Barbara, which is shown with English subtitles in Kreuzberg (May 5, 21:00) and at Freiluftkino Hasenheide (May 26, 21:30), and judge for yourself whether she deserved a Bear for her portrayal of an enigmatic East German nurse secretly planning her flight to the West.
If you’re more into spandex than skinheads, Eurovision takes over for one night, live from Azerbaijan, at Freiluftkino Kreuzberg (May 26, 20:30, free!).
Freiluftkino Kreuzberg, Mariannenplatz 2, U-Bhf Kottbusser Tor | Freiluftkino Hasenheide, Hasenheide 5-119, U-Bhf Hermannplatz | Pompeji, Laskerstr. 5, S-Bhf Ostkreuz
