Exberliner's English Days

Detour

Join us at Lichtblick for a long weekend of Achtung highlights, all screening with English subtitles, moderation and appearances by directors and protagonists, April 14-16 (and a Sunday brunch!)

The migrant crisis is still the topic du jour at Achtung, as seen in our three must-see documentaries which discuss integration and multiculturalism in refreshing, at times unlikely or controversial ways. While Berlinale standout Central Airport THF (Zentral flughafen THF; Sun, 11:30) by Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz documents the displaced lives of those living in the hangars of Berlin’s iconic Tempelhof Airport, two of the film’s main protagonists will be present for a post-screening discussion, Sabine Michel’s Merkel Must Go (Montags in Dresden; Mon, 20:15) wrestles with the question of how her picturesque home city became the epicentre of Germany’s alt-right – this ‘pegida documentary’ got some flak at Dok Leipzig for allegedly lacking enough of a critical stance, so join the screening on Monday to form your own opinion! Simone Catherine Gaul’s The New Children of Golzow (Die neuen Kinder von Golzow; Sun, 14:30), offers an uplifting counterpoint to these sobering portraits of intolerance, by telling the story of how the mayor of a small Brandenburg town resorts to inviting two Syrian refugee families to save the local school from imminent closure. A few Syrian kids saving a famous village school, winning over locals’ acceptance and affection In supposedly xenophobic Ossi-land? A Merkel refugee integration dream come true? Don’t miss the post-screening Q&A with Halima Taha and her family, coming all the way from Golzow to share their story with the audience.

Die neuen Kinder von Golzow

For features we’re showing Nina Vukovic’s intense psycho-drama Detour (Sat, 20:15) in which a spurned mistress (played by the always captivating Luise Heyer) impulsively takes her lover’s son on a misguided road trip to Berlin. Last but not least Duc Ngo Ngoc is back to Lichtblick for Farewell Halong (Sat, 18:00), an engrossing story about the fate of the Vietnamese residents of a floating village forced to relocate on land. Sunday tickets include a free brunch buffet (13:15) courtesy of Kreuzberg bistro Chez Michel. See you there! And don’t forget to RSVP on our Facebook event!