Harbor Stories

Their seas may be the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean or the Atlantic, yet they are united by a shared love of their home harbors. Individuals from nine countries share stories that reveal what binds them to the harbors they call home. Read about storms, lugworms, colourful cargo containers and banana boats – stories of homecoming and departure from Egypt, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Yemen, Canada, Kenya, Colombia and Libya. Happy reading!

Halifax Harbour © Shutterstock

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Sitzende Menschengruppe mit mobilen Endgeräten Foto: Getty Images

The Goethe-Institut brings the German language to the world. We offer German courses and German exams in over 90 countries.

  • The right solution for every need
  • German courses for all levels
  • Internationally recognised language certificates

Belonging

How far has a radically open society been realized in the face of growing nationalist narratives on both sides of the Atlantic? The issue “Belonging” of Gegenüber magazine tells of life in a different homeland to one's grandparents, of cultural reproductions and mutations from one place to another, of new roots and aspects of exclusion that should not be alien to anyone, but which weigh differently. And it asks whether the concept of “native” vs. “migrant” is still valid.

Belonging? School of fish version Photo by Jeffrey Hamilton at Unsplash

Priorities and Projects

Reflections on the public sphere
Beyond the screen

From September to early February 2024, the Goethe-Institut Montreal, in cooperation with the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), presented a screening programme of 20 video works from n.b.k Video-Forum’s extensive video art collection, curated by Anna Lena Seiser (Head of Collection n.b.k. Video-Forum).

On display were videos by renowned artists from Germany, such as Hito Steyerl, Alicia Kwade and Antje Ehmann, who are no strangers to Quebec - but also video works by international artists, such as Pilvi Takala, Richard Serra and Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries.
 

Videostill Kristina Paustian, Positions, 2018 © die Künstlerin / n.b.k. © Kristina Paustian / n.b.k. © Kristina Paustian / n.b.k.

(Hi)stories of a medium
Radio Around The World

One hundred years ago, in October 1923, the very first German radio station went on the air in Berlin. On this occasion, we celebrate radio, in retrospectives and personal radio memoirs by international artists and authors!

A pink portable Panasonic radio and cassette recorder © Anmol Arora / Unsplash © Anmol Arora / Unsplash

Berlinale Bloggers 2024

“We are particularly proud of this year’s selection which achieves the best possible balance between auteurs we cherish and admire and powerful new voices in the independent cinema landscape,“ says Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director, about the nominated Berlinale films. Germany's largest film festival will take place in Berlin from 15 to 25 February 2024. Our bloggers from around the world will be reporting on new films and the people behind them, impressions of the German capital, awards ceremonies and more. Read along!

Eine Illustration von vier Menschen © Tobias Schrank / Goethe-Institut © Tobias Schrank / Goethe-Institut

Alaska

Director: Max Gleschinski
Year: 2022
Genre: Drama
Length: 124 min.

Kerstin paddles across the Mecklenburg Lake District in a red canoe. It slowly becomes clear what she is running away from, as the past catches up with her on the seemingly endless waters. Alaska is an atmospheric film about searching and finding, fleeing and drifting away.

Part of the annual series "City, Country, River" 

Scene from the film “Alaska” Photo (detail): © Jacob Waak / Wood Water Films

Onleihe

The Onleihe is Goethe-Institut’s digital library (eLibrary). More than 23,000 German language eBooks, audio books, movies, materials for German language learners, magazines and newspapers are available for downloading from the Onleihe. 

« Onleihe » : la bibliothèque numérique Illustration: Maria Tran Larsen © Goethe-Institut

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