European Union Film Festival 2017

Programme

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 Haffner (21 min.)

John Adams

The Wound-Dresser for baritone and orchestra (21 min.)

Georg Nigl - Baritone

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Symphony No. 6 in B minor, op. 74 Pathtique (52 min.)

Words cannot express my feelings everything from euphoria and great joy to awe and disbelief. I am aware of the responsibility and high expectations of me, and I will do everything in my power to be a worthy conductor of this outstanding orchestra. says Kirill Petrenko, the new chief conductor of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. With his meticulous and nonetheless passionate and thrilling way of making music, he has already left a lasting impression since his Philharmonic debut in February 2006.

Now Kirill Petrenko will present his perspective in matters of the Viennese classics: with Mozarts Haffner Symphony, a work that originated in a serenade framed by two showy brilliant movements, one of which is to be played really fiery and the other as fast as possible (Mozart), the middle movements, each structured in three parts, develop a lyrical tone that expands in restrained emphasis.

The brilliance of the Haffner Symphony is followed by the nocturnally dark confrontation with death that Walt Whitman experienced during the American Civil War and reflected in his poem The Wound-Dresser. What attracted John Adams is the extraordinarily sombre and pessimistic tone. The essence of the poem is deeply human and full of love and great tenderness. I tried to bring out that tenderness in the music. And indeed, the horrors in the text and the restrained beauty of its setting form a remarkable counterpoint that evokes the longing for peace and deliverance, without any pathos.

With the Pathtique, Kirill Petrenko has then programmed the most frequently played Tchaikovsky symphony, a symphonic requiem: an opening movement permeated with lamento figures. The whole symphony is pervaded by the mood of a requiem suffused with subjectivity but it will remain an enigma to everyone, followed by a typically Russian waltz in 5/4 which spreads a strange melancholy in a never-ending flow of music. The composers death only eight days after the works premiere has given the symphony an added aura of finality. Tchaikovskys restless heart communicates so directly and frankly with the listener that the boundaries between pathetic and empathetic seem to have been eradicated.

ALL ARE WELCOME

Entry free

Seats on first come first serve basis

We hope and expect that a large number of music lovers would be able to enjoy these exclusive concerts

#CIQFF2017 #reeldesires2017

WALK IN INTERVIEW FOR GERMAN TEACHERS

22. July 2017,

8.30 am to 1.00 pm

Check out the poster for the 5th Reel Desires : CIQFF 2017. Thank you @Gabrielle nightwish Ral for designing this.

The event will be held at Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Chennai. Films, panel discussion and other exciting events.

The last day of our journey has already kicked off but there is still a chance to hop on.

Do not miss the grand finale at 7.30 pm tonight:

Meditations on the Tiger will be shown in a unique and never seen before three-screen installation on Goethe-Instituts very own rooftop.

Join us for a great night!

Curated by Uma Vangal

A curatorial note on Vahana

The word is often literally understood as a vehicle that transports and especially so in Indian mythology as that which transports and bears the divine entities. Figuratively, the word refers to an elemental mobility, constant movement and perhaps interdependence between the body and the spirit. Symbolically, Vahana can also mean the willingness to journey within and without in the search for knowledge and wisdom to navigate our inner consciousness and the unconscious ways in which we straddle the real and physical worlds in our work and in our lives.

Vahana - Journeys in cinema with Soudhamini will transport us all into a world of imagery and movement in a body of work that spans nearly 25 years of cinematic exploration. The Goethe-Institut offers us a platform to delve into the works of V. Soudhamini, Independent Documentary filmmaker in a three day retrospective event curated by Uma Vangal, Film Professor and Filmmaker.

The featured films will make us move from the world of animals to the world of humans, from the rhythmic movement on a train to the emotional roller-coaster of poetry, from the fluidity of music to the soothing flow of the river.The maker, the movies and the mediators will embark on an interdisciplinary trip that will meander down the years, make several introspective stops on the way and perhaps discover a meaningful narrative for the confusing times we live in. Come, join us on this exhilarating journey!

The maker V. Soudhamini: The works in this exhibition date back to the early 1990s when I first began making films. Animal imagery streams through my work to finally reach the concept of Hamsa - the Swan, as both vahana and mudra, in a recently concluded film

on Saraswati. Let us use animal imagery as both motif and password to unlock the secret universe of these films and understand better our own response as viewers and fellow travellers on the many journeys the films propose.

We begin with the inaugural screening of Soudhamini's latest film 'Nadhi Smriti - Memories of a River', on the riverine goddess Saraswati, on 19th July evening.

Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Chennai

In collaboration with Little Theatre presents

Dreimal Knig / Three times King

by Theater Grne Soe, Frankfurt Germany

02 July 2017 4.00 p.m. Public Show Museum Theatre

03 July 2017 11.00 a.m. School Show Museum Theatre

04 July 2017 Workshop Goethe-Institut Auditorium

Concept & Direction: Katya Averkova

Costumes: Katya Averkova

Stage and Setting: Motz Tietze

Composition and Music: Katya Averkova & Matvei Saburov

Technique: Ralf Neumann

Assistance: Elisabeth Koch

Performers: Detlef Khler, Sigi Herold, Willy Combecher

Supported by the Cultural Office of the city of Frankfurt am Main and the Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts

Three times King .. in a fantasy language!

Being a king is not only a childish wish. Being a king means to be rich, to determine, to have fun, to be respected by your people and much more. Being a king means to be in charge of something too.

Who knows the stress and crucifying nightmares a king has? Who knows a kings secret wishes and desires?

TheaterGrueneSosse shows a surreal, poetical and musical performance about three very different kings, torn between dream and reality in a land full of surprises.

The aesthetics of the stage design reminds of something dilapidated, used and refers back to more pompous times. The kings unintelligible murmurs, a fantasy language, leaves free space for own interpretations.

The three different characters are one, a hidden lover of technology, the other, a funny, sociable and friendly one and finally the slightly rigid but calm and considerate one. Their play is often interspersed with scenes that can be associated to childrens play, which gives a new level of deeper meaning to the intensely sincere play.

The fairy tale begins and ends in a nightdress. In between are the dream tales of three kings. They differ from one another not only in their appearances, personalities and talks, but also in their understanding of the world. They lead their peculiar everyday lives parallel to each other. Two kings are engrossed in their work and achieve a lot. Paper is being filled in with lots of thoughts that can also get tangled up. One king makes mysterious machines in his obscure workshop. Another one spends his free time with sports, to keep himself fit. The last king likes to play pranks during work, but he recognizes the value of small and simple things in the world and is able to create more out of very little. This is how he transforms few snowflakes turn into a whole snowman.

But of course not everything can always go smoothly in a kingdom and even in the hearts of these kings jealousy and greed gets inflamed. This escalates into a war. With help from all sides, the fight settles. Not just for children alone, there is much more for everyone to discover and to enjoy.

The blue lighting on stage setting takes us into a dream world and setting a mood of melancholy. It reminds us of our own childhood, where work did not mean stress and conflicts even though quickly arose, disappeared also just as quickly ever.

Beautifully visualized in a wintery dreamy landscape this fairytale is told by Theatre Grne Soe for adults and little ones with lovely surreal narratives. Isnt it nice to get lost with emotions of winter with a glittering spark of truth?

Entry ticket Rs. 200/-

Duration 1/h

Ek Madhav Baug written by Late Chetan Datar is one of the pioneering plays written on homosexuality and acceptance of gay community.

The poignant play tells the story of a 21 year old young boy coming to terms with his sexuality.

The play is seen from the view point of the mother of the young man who is reading his personal diary in which he speaks to his mother about growing up gay, conflicts faced in coming to terms with ones sexuality and final acceptance of being a normal person whose preferences may be different but not deviant.

The play strikingly brings out the emotions of the mother and son and will leave no soul untouched through its intensity and heartfelt content.

The duration of the play is 1 hour and 10 minutes, without interval.

QTalk Rainbow in your house"

The play-reading will be followed by a panel discussion on the acceptance of queer children in our society: "growing up queer in Indian household and how the existing social structure plays an important role in accommodating queer children in our houses"

ALL ARE WELCOME

Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Chennai

In collaboration with Little Theatre presents

Dreimal Knig / Three times King

by Theater Grne Soe, Frankfurt Germany

02 July 2017 4.00 p.m. Public Show Museum Theatre

03 July 2017 11.00 a.m. School Show Museum Theatre

04 July 2017 Workshop Goethe-Institut Auditorium

Concept & Direction: Katya Averkova

Costumes: Katya Averkova

Stage and Setting: Motz Tietze

Composition and Music: Katya Averkova & Matvei Saburov

Technique: Ralf Neumann

Assistance: Elisabeth Koch

Performers: Detlef Khler, Sigi Herold, Willy Combecher

Supported by the Cultural Office of the city of Frankfurt am Main and the Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts

Three times King .. in a fantasy language!

Being a king is not only a childish wish. Being a king means to be rich, to determine, to have fun, to be respected by your people and much more. Being a king means to be in charge of something too.

Who knows the stress and crucifying nightmares a king has? Who knows a kings secret wishes and desires?

TheaterGrueneSosse shows a surreal, poetical and musical performance about three very different kings, torn between dream and reality in a land full of surprises.

The aesthetics of the stage design reminds of something dilapidated, used and refers back to more pompous times. The kings unintelligible murmurs, a fantasy language, leaves free space for own interpretations.

The three different characters are one, a hidden lover of technology, the other, a funny, sociable and friendly one and finally the slightly rigid but calm and considerate one. Their play is often interspersed with scenes that can be associated to childrens play, which gives a new level of deeper meaning to the intensely sincere play.

The fairy tale begins and ends in a nightdress. In between are the dream tales of three kings. They differ from one another not only in their appearances, personalities and talks, but also in their understanding of the world. They lead their peculiar everyday lives parallel to each other. Two kings are engrossed in their work and achieve a lot. Paper is being filled in with lots of thoughts that can also get tangled up. One king makes mysterious machines in his obscure workshop. Another one spends his free time with sports, to keep himself fit. The last king likes to play pranks during work, but he recognizes the value of small and simple things in the world and is able to create more out of very little. This is how he transforms few snowflakes turn into a whole snowman.

But of course not everything can always go smoothly in a kingdom and even in the hearts of these kings jealousy and greed gets inflamed. This escalates into a war. With help from all sides, the fight settles. Not just for children alone, there is much more for everyone to discover and to enjoy.

The blue lighting on stage setting takes us into a dream world and setting a mood of melancholy. It reminds us of our own childhood, where work did not mean stress and conflicts even though quickly arose, disappeared also just as quickly ever.

Beautifully visualized in a wintery dreamy landscape this fairytale is told by Theatre Grne Soe for adults and little ones with lovely surreal narratives. Isnt it nice to get lost with emotions of winter with a glittering spark of truth?

Entry ticket Rs. 200/-

Duration 1/h

Premiering on stage TOMORROW.

Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Chennai in association with Crea-Shakthi with support from "KA - Ideas on the Move" & Madras Dance Arts present

Frankly Speaking - An evening of Immersive Theatre

June 12th 2017, Monday 7:30 pm at Goethe-Institut, Nungambakkam

Tickets INR 200 - http://bit.ly/2qFNnNq

Written By Kirthi Jayakumar

Directed By Samyuktha PC

Performed by Aparnaa Nagesh, Keerthi Pandian & Kirthi Jayakumar

Lighting Design by Karthik Anantha Subramanian

The play is a narrative that takes off from where Anne Franks diary leaves us, and positions the truth of genocide being a formulaic reality, through the voices of eight young women from the world's many conflict zones. A blend of verses and excerpts from Anne's Diary, the exposition takes you beyond the bare minimum that statistics offer in any narrative on genocide, into the hearts of those that face and survive it. The play will be followed by an interaction with the audience.

#MeetTheCharacters #AnneFrank #FranklySpeaking #SavetheDate #ChennaiTheatre #GenocideMemories #MayanIxil # Guatemala #Palestine #Arabs #Jews #TheHolocaust #Rwanda #Tutsi #Yazidi #Syria #WomenInConflictAreas #Tamil #SriLanka #Eelam #Sudan #Bosnia #Darfur #rohingya #myanmar #Muslims

Ek Madhav Baug written by Late Chetan Datar is one of the pioneering plays written on homosexuality and acceptance of gay community.

The poignant play tells the story of a 21 year old young boy coming to terms with his sexuality.

The play is seen from the view point of the mother of the young man who is reading his personal diary in which he speaks to his mother about growing up gay, conflicts faced in coming to terms with ones sexuality and final acceptance of being a normal person whose preferences may be different but not deviant.

The play strikingly brings out the emotions of the mother and son and will leave no soul untouched through its intensity and heartfelt content.

The duration of the play is 1 hour and 10 minutes, without interval.

QTalk Rainbow in your house"

The play-reading will be followed by a panel discussion on the acceptance of queer children in our society: "growing up queer in Indian household and how the existing social structure plays an important role in accommodating queer children in our houses"

ALL ARE WELCOME

The Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Chennai presents in cooperation with Crea-Shakthi:

Script: Kirthi Jayakumar

Direction: Samyuktha P C

Performers: Aparnaa Nagesh, Keerthi Pandian, Kirthi Jayakumar

Duration: 45 minutes

Age group: suitable for 14+ years

Supported by: Ka and Madras Dance Arts

Frankly Speaking is a narrative that takes off from where Anne Frank's diary leaves us, and positions the truth of genocide being a formulaic reality, through the voices of eight young women from the world's many conflict zones. A blend of verses and excerpts from Anne's Diary, the exposition takes you beyond the bare minimum that statistics offer in any narrative on genocide, into the hearts of those that face and survive it.

Entry ticket Rs.200/-

''Making Tamil Nadu Drought-free'' -Chennai Water Forum (October 2016, in Kalakshetra) brought together 700 people and 50 speakers from a cross-section of va...