In partnership with Zeitgeist Northwest, we are pleased to present three recent, award-winning German films, the inauguration of what we hope will be an annual showcase of new German cinema here in Portland. Come and enjoy these three films, and sign the mailing list for more to come.

Although he only completed seven features and a few shorts in his 25-year film career, Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948) earned his place as one of the most important figures in the history of cinema. He was both the maker of some of the great early masterworks in cinema and a brilliant theorist whose ideas about film form greatly influenced subsequent generations of filmmakers, from Hollywood to the avant-garde. Eisenstein wanted to make films for the common man, films that communicated intellectually and emotionally as well as literally, but his intense use of symbolism and metaphor in what he called “intellectual montage” alienated some of his audience as well as the Soviet government, which, while enabling his creativity, ultimately distrusted his “bourgeois formalism.” Over the years, his films have been released in numerous versions, sometimes edited and/or on inferior (often 16mm) prints. Here, on 35mm, is an opportunity to see the power and beauty of the originals.

Thanks to Seagull Films for providing the prints.

Like Japanese fashion and pop culture, Japanese film remains in the international vanguard, uniquely blending traditional genres and classical forms with cutting-edge technology and dazzling imagery. This year’s Japanese Currents provides a rich sampling of heralded films from established names like Sion Sono and Koji Wakamatsu to emerging talents like Satoko Yokohama and Shûichi Okita, and offers something for every devotee (or novice) of Japanese cinema—historical essay, family melodrama, ensemble comedy, art documentary, psychological thriller, experimental shorts—as well as an opportunity to give back to the Japanese tsunami relief effort through a special benefit screening. Collectively, the series offers a fresh take on Japanese culture and a showcase of the wealth of creative invention at work in Japan today.

Special thanks to the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles with additional support from Sapporo USA and the Japan America Society of Oregon.