Pierre Gras, French film critic and professor of cinema at the renowned university, the Sorbonne, will be presenting the German version of his book "Goodbye Fassbinder". There will be a debate moderated by Marcus Seibert and attended by special guests such as Romuald Karmakar and Christoph Hochhasler, both directors. The debate be held in both French and German.

A summary of the last 25 years of German cinema, given by the French author, provides all the ingredients for fresh perspective on the so called "Seventh Art" in Germany. The result is a book written subjectively and maybe even provocatively. It is emblematic of the long-lasting French and in particular German interest in cinema.

The title of the book could be misleading: Fassbinder, film director, screenwriter and actor, is indeed one of the most important figures in New German Cinema. However, the cinema Pierre Gras deals with in his work is actually from the beginning of the 90's. "Run Lola Run" (1998), "Good Bye, Lenin" (2003) or "The Life of Others" (2006) are the masterpieces that contributed to the re-birth of German cinema after the reunification. In his book, Pierre Gras analyzes and explains the catalyst for the recent “renaissance” of German cinema. He shows the continuity and ruptures, and, the weaknesses and strengths of German cinema at a controversial moment in history. Written by a Frenchman deeply passionate about Germany, "Goodbye Fassbinder" discusses the economic, social and artistic aspects, giving the readers a broad picture on the subject.

• For more information: https://berlin.institutfrancais.de/agenda/evenement/2015-06-25t173000-presentation-du-livre-goodbye-fassbinder-le-cinema-allemand-apres-la-reunification?language=fr

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Cecilia Pinelli, Berlin Global