Rio’s Caixa Cultural to Screen Margarethe Von Trotta Films

By Beatriz Miranda, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On the week of International Women’s Day, Caixa Cultural, in Centro, will open the film exhibit “O Cinema de Margarethe Von Trotta” (The Cinema of Margarethe Von Trotta). From next Tuesday, March 6th, to Sunday, March 18th, the event will screen ten feature-length films of the renowned German director for free.

Considered one of the most relevant contemporary filmmakers, Trotta is known for portraying the twentieth century German politics through the perspective of female characters. According to curator Lívia Perez, the exhibit aims to reflect on the role of women in politics and history.

“Von Trotta’s films are not only politically engaged; they go beyond that, also exploring the diverse dimensions of the female, of existence, of poetics,” comments Perez.

Among the feature lengths to be presented at the exhibit are “The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum” (1975), Trotta’s first film, co-directed by Volker Schlöndorff; “Rosenstrasse” (2003), inspired by the resistance of Germans against the Nazi regime; and “Sheer Madness” (1983), to be screened in Rio’s movie theaters for the first time.

The exhibit will also present Trotta’s productions on some of Germany’s most remarkable women, like “Rosa Luxemburg” (1985), audiovisual biography on the life of the German political activist; “Vision” (2009), on the story of visionary nun and composer Hildegard Von Bingen; and “Hannah Arendt” (2012), starred by Barbara Sukowa, awarded as “Best Actress” in Cannes and Venice.

The event will also promote panels on Thursdays and Saturdays, at 7:30 PM. On March 8th, celebrating International Women’s Day, cinema critics Samantha Brasil and Maria Caú will gather to discuss “The Women of Margarethe Von Trotta”. On Thursday, March 15th, journalist and cinema critic Isabel Wittman will debate the theme “Women, History and Politics in Trotta’s Work”.

Filmmaker since 1975, Margarethe Von Trotta has already won several prizes in international festivals, including the German Academy award for best film with “Rosa Luxemburg”, in 1986; the David di Donatello Award for best European film with “Rosenstrasse”, in 2004; and the Great Award from the International Festival of Créteil’s Women for “Sisters or the Balance of Happiness”, in 1979.

What: “O Cinema de Margarethe Von Trotta”
When: March 6th to March 18th – see event for time details.
Where: Caixa Cultural do Rio de Janeiro – Av. Almirante Barroso, 25 – Centro
Entrance: FREE