Film program and DVD presentation on modern architecture and the city in film with filmmaker and curator Florian Wüst, Berlin

The artist and film curator Florian Wüst presents his latest project exploring the modern city in film. Following the ideals of the “Neues Bauen” of the 1920s, the modernization of major European cities after 1945 aimed to improve living conditions for the working population. There was a lack of living space everywhere. Industrial mass production and consumer culture presented people and their social relationships with major changes. The medium of film served as a means of promoting the urban and transport models “of tomorrow” on the one hand and expressing criticism of the rationalization of everyday life on the other. The three documentary and experimental short films shown in the DVD presentation provide a unique historical perspective on the controversy surrounding the modern city.

With the films:
Für einen Platz an der Sonne, Rudi Hornecker, FRG 1959, 10 min
Die Stadt, Herbert Vesely, FRG 1960, 36 min
Bag de ens facader (Behind the same facades), Peter Weiss, Denmark 1961, 27 min (original with German subtitles)

Venue: Seminar room of the Edith-Russ-Haus
Participation is free of charge, registration is not required.

Florian Wüst is a freelance artist and film curator based in Berlin. His work focuses on the history of the Federal Republic of Germany and social, economic and technical progress in the modern age. Wüst frequently writes and lectures on topics related to film and society. He is co-editor of the book “Wer sagt denn, dass Beton nicht brennt, hast Du’s probiert? Film im West-Berlin der 80er Jahre” (2008) and the DVD edition “Die moderne Stadt. Film essays on the new urbanity of the 1950/60s” (2015). www.fwuest.com