Exberliner's English Days

Join us at Lichtblick for a long weekend of Achtung highlights, all screening with English subtitles, moderation and appearances by directors and protagonists, April 14-16 (and a Sunday brunch!)

The migrant crisis is still the topic du jour at Achtung, as seen in our three must-see documentaries which discuss integration and multiculturalism in refreshing, at times unlikely or controversial ways. While Berlinale standout Central Airport THF (Zentral flughafen THF; Sun, 11:30) by Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz documents the displaced lives of those living in the hangars of Berlin’s iconic Tempelhof Airport, two of the film’s main protagonists will be present for a post-screening discussion, Sabine Michel’s Merkel Must Go (Montags in Dresden; Mon, 20:15) wrestles with the question of how her picturesque home city became the epicentre of Germany’s alt-right – this ‘pegida documentary’ got some flak at Dok Leipzig for allegedly lacking enough of a critical stance, so join the screening on Monday to form your own opinion! Simone Catherine Gaul’s The New Children of Golzow (Die neuen Kinder von Golzow; Sun, 14:30), offers an uplifting counterpoint to these sobering portraits of intolerance, by telling the story of how the mayor of a small Brandenburg town resorts to inviting two Syrian refugee families to save the local school from imminent closure. A few Syrian kids saving a famous village school, winning over locals’ acceptance and affection In supposedly xenophobic Ossi-land? A Merkel refugee integration dream come true? Don’t miss the post-screening Q&A with Halima Taha and her family, coming all the way from Golzow to share their story with the audience.

For features we’re showing Nina Vukovic’s intense psycho-drama Detour (Sat, 20:15) in which a spurned mistress (played by the always captivating Luise Heyer) impulsively takes her lover’s son on a misguided road trip to Berlin. Last but not least Duc Ngo Ngoc is back to Lichtblick for Farewell Halong (Sat, 18:00), an engrossing story about the fate of the Vietnamese residents of a floating village forced to relocate on land. Sunday tickets include a free brunch buffet (13:15) courtesy of Kreuzberg bistro Chez Michel. See you there! And don’t forget to RSVP on our Facebook event!