GERMAN CINEMA NOW!, a celebration of the bold, new, and fantastic in German and transnational cinema, is a monthly film series presented by Goethe Pop Up Seattle. In 2022, GCN! explores states of (apparent) stasis, sameness, and standstill, inviting viewers to look closely at the countless dynamic processes that are always underway, just beneath the surface.
The screenings of
GREAT FREEDOM will take place in
person only and are presented in partnership with
Northwest Film Forum, Three Dollar Bill Cinema, and the
Honorary Consulate of Austria in Seattle. All ticket purchases support Northwest Film Forum.
Use the discount code GoetheFr33dom to purchase $7 tickets as guests of Goethe Pop Up Seattle.
Screening times:
Fri Mar 18: 7.30pm PDT
Sat Mar 19: 3.15pm PDT, 8.00pm PDT
Sun Mar 20: 8.00pm PDT
Wed Mar 23: 7.00pm PDT
Thu Mar 24: 7.00pm PDT
Fri Mar 25: 7.30pm PDT
Sat Mar 26: 4.00pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT
Sun Mar 27: 4.00pm PDT
Registration
About the film:
GREAT FREEDOM (Große Freiheit)
Dir. Sebastian Meise
Austria & Germany, 2021, 1h 56m
German with English subtitles
The exquisite latest film from writer-director Sebastian Meise,
Great Freedom paints a stirring portrait of gay resistance and resilience in post-war Germany. Sensual yet arresting, Austria’s official submission to the 2022 Academy Awards turns a humanist eye towards a heartrending past.
Unfolding across three decades, this drama traces the repeated imprisonment of one man under Paragraph 175 — a law criminalizing homosexual activity. After being “liberated” by Allied forces in 1945, Hans is transferred directly from a concentration camp to prison to finish out his sentence. There, he forms an unlikely connection with his cellmate Viktor, a convicted murder. As Hans is jailed again and again, a relationship that begins with revulsion blossoms into something far more tender.
Anchored by a transformative star turn from Franz Rogowski (
Transit),
Great Freedom weaves together intimate moments across time to form a personal and political epic. In the process, this Cannes prizewinner triumphs as a searing depiction of love in the face of injustice.
*** Cannes Film Festival 2021 prizewinner! Jury Prize (Un Certain Regard).***
About the filmmaker:
Sebastian Meise is an Austrian director and screenwriter. His acclaimed debut feature film STILLIFE premiered at San Sebastian IFF and won several awards such as Best Feature Film at Diagonale Film Festival. His documentary film OUTING was presented at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto. His latest feature film GREAT FREEDOM with German shooting star Franz Rogowski and Berlinale Silver bear awardee Georg Friedrich in the leading roles had its world premiere in the Official Selection Un Certain Regard of the Cannes Film Festival 2021 where it won the Prix du Jury. The film was also awarded with the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film and for Best Actor Georg Friedrich, as well as with the CICAE Arthouse Award.
He co-founded the Vienna based production company FreibeuterFilm.
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