Films Across Borders: Stories of Women
Germany, 2016, 104 min., Director: Doris Dörrie
Young German woman Marie (Rosalie Thomass) escapes to Fukushima to change her life. Working with the organization Clowns4Help, she hopes to bring joy to 2011 nuclear disaster survivors, some still living in emergency shelters. Marie soon realizes she‘s absolutely unsuited to the task of making tragedy less wearisome. But instead of running away, Marie decides to stay with cantankerous old Satomi (Kaori Momoi), the last geisha of Fukushima, who of her own accord has decided to retreat back to her ruined house in the formerly radioactive Exclusion Zone. Two women who couldn‘t be more different, but who – each in her own way – are trapped in the past and must learn to liberate themselves from guilt and the burden of memory.
With the film
Fukushima, mon Amour (Film|Neu 2016),
Doris Dörrie returns again to Japan, the subject of a number of her previous films, such as
Kirschblüten – Hanami (
Cherry Blossoms, 2008) and
Erleuchtung garantiert (
Enlightenment Guaranteed, 2000). Born in Hanover, Dörrie began her career in film with study-visits to California and New York. In 1975, she began as a student at the University of Television and Film Munich, during which time, she wrote film reviews for the Süddeutsche Zeitung. After completing her studies, Dörrie had various work on television shows and with documentary films before achieving fame with the film
Männer… (
Men…, 1985), which was awarded numerous prizes and inaugurated the success of German romantic comedies. In addition to her many original films and film adaptations, Dörrie has also received praise for her writing, having published several novels, short stories, and children’s books. Since 1997, she has worked as a professor at the University of Television and Film Munich in addition to staging and directing operas and continuing to write and direct her own films.
Films Across Borders: Stories of Women, a multi-cultural film series, showcases an eclectic selection of cinematic works by and about women. Now more than ever, the importance of gender-balanced perspectives and parity in representation is clear.
Stories of Women gives voice to vital and diverse female viewpoints through dramatic features, documentaries and shorts.
Screenings, panels and audience Q&As will explore key issues around the female gaze, women in film, and the ways in which women, fighting for equality on screen and behind the camera, raise awareness about key social issues, inspire action and pave the way for stories of other underrepresented populations to be brought to the fore.
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