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Berlin and Beyond Festival Focuses on Women by Doniphan Blair
Berlin and Beyond, the premier local showcase for German-language film, has hosted many men, from directors Michael Verhoeven and Wim Wenders, to Bruno Ganz, who has played artists, detectives and, of course, Hitler in the widely parodied but masterful “Downfall,” 2004. Now Berlin and Beyond turns its attention to women with a diverse sidebar entitled “Women in Focus.”
Berlin & Beyond's Sophoan Sorn, from Cambodia, originally a pianist, and only 25, is one of the most interesting festival directors around. photo: Berlin & Beyond
The innovative 15 year-old festival, which opens at the Castro on October 22, is now under the stewardship of the 25 year-old Sophoan Sorn. Born in Cambodia, and originally trained as a pianist, Sorn founded the San Joaquin International Film Festival in 2007 and then expanded it into a year-round program with the World Cinema Series and Children's Film Festival. Considering his ability to highlight the under-represented region of Stockton and Modesto, it is no surprise that Berlin and Beyond is attempting the same for women.
The centerpiece is the book-to-screen epic “Pope Joan,” 2009, directed by Sönke Wortmann and based on the international best-seller of the same name by Donna Woolfolk Cross, who will be at the festival. Published in 1996, “Pope Joan” has sold over five million copies, in book and audio format, in Germany alone.
Johanna Wokalek plays Pope Joan in the eponymous epic, quite the role switch from the sexy girlfriend in 'The Baader Meinhof Complex.' photo courtesy Berlin & Beyond
“Joan's story is ancient, but it is strangely new,” Ms. Cross told B&B associate Michaelanne Petrella. “The same battle Joan waged over a thousand years ago is still being waged today by women all over the world. There is no better way to keep any social group powerless than to deprive them of the right to education. In a time when it was widely believed that women could not reason and should not be educated, she distinguished herself for the brilliance of her mind and the superiority of her learning. What an inspirational story to tell our daughters — and our sons.”
This lavish and sweeping story tells of the 9th century woman who, disguised as a man, rose through the ranks of the Catholic Church to become the only woman to sit on the throne of St. Peter. Johanna Wokalek (“The Baader Meinhof Complex,” 2008) stars as Pope Joan, who wrestles with issues of faith, love, and women’s role in society. Although historians are still arguing about the facts behind the story, this inspiring film, which co-stars David Wenham and John Goodman, celebrates a woman whose strength of vision led her to defy the social restrictions of her day and achieve the highest goals possible.
“Women in Focus” will also feature Germany’s entry to the 2011 Academy Awards: Feo Aladag’s directorial debut “When We Leave,” which stars Sibel Kekilli (“Head-On”) and is a moving and timely story about a battered wife’s escape from danger. It is also a pointed analysis of the horrific issue of honor killings of women for so-called sexual transgressions. Other notable pieces in the program include: “The Woman with the 5 Elephants” about Swetlana Geier, the greatest translator of Russian literature into German, and directed by Vadim Jendreyko, who will be at the showing on October 23; “Silver Girls,” about three elderly prostitutes; and “The Last Giants – Oceans in Danger,” which follows a former fashion designer, Katharina Heyer, and her efforts to build a hospital for whales in Gibraltar. On closing night, October 28th, “Julia’s Disapperance,” a Swiss comedy about aging and youth, will screen with director Christoph Schaub in person.
As with many art projects, particularly about women, Ms. Cross had no idea her novel “would even see the light of day.” Indeed, “I never imagined that Pope Joan's story would strike so deep a chord with so many. This is not because of my writing but because of the heroine. Joan was a remarkable woman, so it's a shame she's been so long lost and forgotten to history. I'm grateful that my novel has helped to breathe new life into her inspirational story!” Fortunately, she had the courage of her convictions, a quality she shares with many other women.
The woman behind the woman of Pope Joan is author Donna Woolfolk Cross, who will be signing books before the show. photo courtesy Berlin & Beyond
“Courage does not mean the absence of fear,” noted Ms. Cross, “Rather the strength of character to fight for what is right despite fear. I am thinking particularly of the women of Afghanistan, who must often fight for the simple right to education. By now, most know the recent example of the young Afghan schoolgirls who were sprayed with acid for the ‘crime’ of wanting to learn. One is half-blind, the others disfigured for life, but despite continuing death threats from extremist groups, they continue to attend school. Joan's spirit lives on in these brave young women!”
Cross was also moved by seeing her text converted into imagery. “It's impossible to describe what it felt like to stand on a set in the 10th-century town of Querfurt, Germany, watching a medieval marketplace scene being filmed. There were hundreds of extras: cloth and spice merchants, tooth-pullers, vendors of relics, as well as pigs, horses, cows, and dogs. I stood quietly at the edge of the set, observing the chaotic swirl of color and action and remembered vividly writing that scene in the quiet of my little study. I had goose bumps!”
Northern California’s first-ever screening of “Pope Joan” will be Saturday, October 23 at 7:30 pm at the Castro Theatre, with a book signing with Ms. Cross just before at Books, Inc. (2275 Market St at 5:30 pm). Berlin & Beyond Film Festival is presented by Goethe-Institut San Francisco and will included over 30 films from October 22 to the 28 at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, with an October 30 encore performance at San Jose’s Camera 12. Visit Berlin and Beyond for more information or call the Goethe-Institut (415) 263-8760 or for tickets (866) 558-4253. Posted on Oct 14, 2010 - 08:58 PM