"He wanted to go to Hollywood and made it as far as Moscow" goes the byline for Leander Hausmann's biting 2012 political satire "Hotel Lux", which opens our May GOETHE FILMS series. A comedy that dares to go to the epicentre of German 20th century disaster and shame. It's Berlin 1938. Apolitical comedian Hans Zeisig (played by popular German comic Michael Bully Herbig) has made one too many Hitler jokes. He flees the city with false papers and finds himself between a rock and a hard place at the notorious Hotel Lux in Moscow -- a real historic place:
Russian baker Iwan Filippow´s delicacies were known far beyond the city of Moscow. In 1911 Filippow´s son expanded the family business, adding an additional four floors to the two-story bakery, which then became the Hotel Franzija. In 1933 two more floors were added and the hotel had been renamed Hotel Lux, now offering 300 rooms for some 600 guests. From 1921 on, four years after the October Revolution, the hotel became the accommodation for the Communist International, the Comintern. Moscow in the 20’s and 30’s was a mega-city at the dawn of a new era. The town was populated by a large, determined working class, and Stalin was the hope and the downfall of many who sought refuge and shelter at the Hotel Lux. Among them were communist officials who had to flee their fascist home countries and received asylum at what has become known as the “boarding house of the world revolution”.
Continue reading "GOETHE FILMS REVIEW: Welcome to the Hotel Lux" »
"Ester Amrami's Berlinale entry 'Anderswo' truly touched the jury with its sensitive and engaged voice commenting on borders and the inbetween and with its pensive but humorous view on things," this year's Berlinale jury swooned when awarding the prestigious „Dialogue en perspective“ prize to the young fimmaker fresh out of Film & TV Academy Potsdam.
Mark your calendars for our next series of GOETHE FILMS @ TIFF Bell Lightbox, which will have you laugh right to the box office.
Last night I told a Canadian professional comedian about our upcoming "Germany laughs" series of arthouse comedies. His comeback: "I didn't know there was a word for funny in German...haha." Well, we'll see about that, & thanks, Diane Kruger, for having my back in this photo.
