As part of a tour of North American universities, CCGES is pleased to welcome the accomplished German film director Rainer Simon to campus on September 22nd and 23rd for a talk and film screening.

On Monday, September 22nd, Mr. Simon will take time to discuss his multifaceted career both as a Director in the East German state film DEFA studio and as an independent filmmaker. The next day, Mr. Simon will be present for a screening of his controversial 1981 film Jadup and Boel.

Rainer Simon began his career at the East German DEFA film studios in 1965. His films include Till Eulenspiegel (1975); Jadup and Boel (1981); and The Woman and the Stranger (1984), which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Since 1989, Simon’s work has focused on the life and culture of the indigenous people of Ecuador.

Talk

Date: Monday, September 22, 2008
Time: 2:30 – 4:00 pm
Location: CCGES Meeting Room, 230R York Lanes

Please note: Mr. Simon will give his talk in German while the discussion to follow will take place in both English and German.

Film Screening

As the first screening in the 2008-09 CCGES Film Series, we present Rainer Simon’s Jadup and Boel, a work set in a small East German town in the 1970’s where everyone has tried hard to forget World War II and its aftermath. When a stranger uncovers a book that the town’s mayor Jadup gave to the young refugee Boel over 30 years ago, painful memories emerge. Jadup is driven to reflect on the time after the war, a confrontation with the past that gives him a new, critical perspective on his current situation. Originally censored and later banned by GDR officials for its frank and critical look at post-war eastern Germany and 1970’s GDR, Jadup and Boel was not released until 1988.

Please note: this film will be screened in German with English subtitles

Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Time: 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: Accolades East Building 004

This screening is open to all who are interested.