Back to listing

• From April 10th to 12th at Katara Cultural Village, in partnership with the Austrian, German and Swiss Embassies in Doha
• ‘The Little Ghost’ Special Q&A with Director, Alain Gsponer on Saturday April 12th

Doha, Qatar, March 30, 2014: Doha Film Institute, in partnership with the Austrian, German and Swiss Embassies in Doha, presents Perspektive Kino. Taking place from April 10th to 12th at Katara Cultural Village, Drama Theatre, Building 16, the four-film series brings a selection of recent German-language cinema to Doha in a spirit of cultural exchange and the celebration of cinematic excellence.

The Perspektive will open on Thursday April 10th at 8pm with ‘Barbara’ (Germany, 2012) by Christian Petzold, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2012 Berlinale. ‘Barbara’ tells the story of a doctor working in 1980s East Germany who finds herself banished to a small country hospital.

Other titles showcased include, ‘The Wall’ (2011) by Julian Pölsler, an Austrian-German film on Friday April 11th at 7pm, from Switzerland ‘The Beekeeper’ (2013) by Mano Khalil on Saturday April 12th at 7pm and ‘The Little Ghost’ (2013), a delightful family oriented film, by Alain Gsponer, a co-production between Switzerland and Germany.

The screening of ‘The Little Ghost’ will feature a special Q&A with the director Alain Gsponer on Saturday April 12th at 4pm.

Abdulaziz Al-Khater, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, said: “The German speaking community is a vibrant part of Doha’s multicultural populace. We are very pleased to include a special presentation of German language cinema in the Institute’s varied slate of year-round programming and I look forward to welcoming our local audiences to see these outstanding films. I thank the Embassies of Austria, Germany and Switzerland for their partnership in this initiative and for providing this special opportunity for cultural exchange.”

In a joint statement from Their Excellencies, Mrs. Sieglinde Fedele di Catrano, Chargée d’Affaires of Austria, Mrs. Angelika Storz-Chakarji, Ambassador of Germany and Mr. Martin Aeschbacher, Ambassador of Switzerland: “Through cinema, we can gain insight into other cultures and ways of life. We are delighted to partner with the Doha Film Institute to bring a selection of films from our countries to share with audiences here in Doha. We hope that the community and all friends of quality German language movies in Qatar will enjoy these films brought to the Drama Theatre in Katara.. For those, who are not speaking German: All movies will be subtitled in Arabic and English. The Ambassadors would like to thank Mr. Abdullaziz Al Khater, CEO of the Doha Film Institute and his team for this initiative and its superb and very professional cooperation.”

Tickets are on sale now. Tickets for single screenings are QAR 35 per person, and QAR 25 per student. A special Kino ticket package is available for QAR 80 which grants the buyer one ticket to each of the four films in the series (available online and in person while supplies last). For the whole programme and for more information about group discounts, online and in-person ticket purchases, please visit www.dohafilminstitute.com.

Barbara (Germany, 2012)
In the summer of 1980, Barbara, a doctor, has applied for an exit visa from the East Germany. To punish her, the authorities have transferred her from Berlin to a small, remote hospital on the Baltic Sea. Jörg, her lover from West Germany, is planning her escape. Barbara waits, keeping to herself. Under her new boss Andre, she is attentive to her patients, but distances herself from her colleagues. Her future, she feels, will begin later. But Andre confuses her. His confidence in her professional abilities, his caring attitude, his smile. Why does he cover for her when she helps the young runaway Sarah? Is he assigned to spy on her? Is he in love? As the day of her planned escape approaches, Barbara begins to lose control – over herself, her plans and her love.

The Wall (Germany, Austria, 2011)
A woman joins a couple on a trip to a hunting lodge in the mountains. When evening comes, her friends go the pub in the valley and the woman stays behind with their dog. When the couple does not return the following morning, the woman sets out for the village and makes an alarming discovery: a transparent wall, behind which there appear to be no signs of life, suddenly separates her from the rest of the world. Left in isolation with a dog, a cat and a cow, she must try to survive in the forest. She keeps a record of her thoughts, her fears and the hardships she suffers, despite the fact that her outpourings might never be read by another soul.

The Little Ghost (Switzerland, Germany, 2013)
The Little Ghost lives in the castle of Eulenstein, where it only awakes at precisely one hour after the clock strikes midnight. Despite the warnings of a friend, Mr. Uhu Schuhu, the ghost would like to see the world by daylight just once. Meanwhile, Karl, Hannes and Sophie go on a night excursion to the castle, where they have their first encounter with the ghost. The following day, the ghost wakes up at 12 o’clock – noon. Its joy about this soon passes, however, since – now black in colour as the result of being struck by the rays of the sun – it scares the town’s inhabitants and causes a commotion. Chased by the police, the ghost asks the children for help.

The Beekeeper (Switzerland, 2013)
The touching story of a beekeeper who lost everything in the Turkish-Kurdish war – his wife, his children, his home and the more than 500 bee colonies ther were his livelihood. He is left with nothing but his love for bees and his unshakeable faith in the human spirit. Despite his losses, he finds a new life in Switzerland as a result of his passion for beekeeping.