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Thüringen in Berlin 2008
By Dorothea Holloway | December 31, 2008
In the capital city of Berlin you will find representative Vertretungen of the various federal states. Moreover, there’s a nice tradition that their administrators often invite guests to cultural functions. For the most part, these are exceptionally jovial and informative gatherings. The tables are covered with fruits from the respective federal state, there’s time for meeting people, and you can see a film. Most of these Vertretungen are located in the center of the city or in the Ministergärten – not at all grandiose – rather, quite accessible and convivial!
At the Freistaat Thüringen beim Bund we were greeted by Gerold Wucherpfenning, the Thuringian Minister for Construction, State Development, and Media. Manfred Schmidt, the head of Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, spoke about the advantages of location shooting in Thüringen, where, above all, children’s films are produced. And we saw Bernd Böhlich’s film Der Mond und andere Liebhaber (The Moon and Other Lovers), partially filmed in the picturesque Thuringian town of Altenburg, a medieval hamlet famous for its Renaissance Schloss and Rathaus (dating from the 11th century) – and its playing cards. In fact, Altenburg is often referred to as the Skat-Stadt. Although actually a drama, The Moon and Other Lovers with Katharina Thalbach in the lead leans towards a positive finale despite unemployment and busted heartstrings. A film with pleasant twists and heart-rending moments minus token complaining, it’s cast with some marvelous actors: Fritzi Haberlandt and Birol Ünel (Lola Award for Best actor in Fatih Akin’s Gegen die Wand (Head On). Bernd Böhlich’s Der Mond und andere Liebhaber was rated besonders wertvoll – just like the beer from Erfurt to grace the Thüringen Abend.
At the Vertretung des Freistaates Sachsen beim Bund we have also spent some delightful evenings at the invitation of Robin Malik, the director of the Dresden International Short Film Festival. He regularly programs there in advance some eyecatching entries from his festival and later follows this up at a special place in Berlin with a showcase of festival award winners – a very smart move! And when we were invited by Lothar Just of FilmFernsehFonds Bayern for an evening at the Bayerische Vertretung in Berlin, there was not only a hearty repast, but also a roundtable discussion to accompany the screening of Jo Baier’s film Liesl Karlstadt und Karl Valentin. Indeed, the Ländervertungen in Berlin are a cultural blessing.
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