Double Feature + Q&A w/ Christian Petzold

Double Feature presentation and Q&A with filmmaker Christian Petzold on Monday, July 17th @ 7:30 PM at the American Cinematheque's Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.
TICKETS: AFIRE|PHOENIX AFIRE
Germany (2023), 103 min., German with English Subtitles
Writer-Director: Christian Petzold, Cast: Paula Beer, Thomas Schubert, Enno Trebs, Matthias Brandt 

While vacationing by the Baltic Sea, writer Leon (Thomas Schubert) and photographer Felix (Langston Uibel) are surprised by the presence of Nadja (Paula Beer), a mysterious young woman staying as a guest at Felix’s family’s holiday home. Nadja distracts Leon from finishing his latest novel and with brutal honesty, forces him to confront his caustic temperament and self-absorption. As Nadja and Leon grow closer, an encroaching forest fire threatens the group and tensions escalate when a handsome lifeguard and Leon’s tight-lipped book editor also arrive. Christian Petzold’s acclaimed latest was the winner of the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival.
(Source: Sideshow | Janus Films)


PHOENIX
Germany (2014), 98 min., German with English Subtitles
Writer-Director: Christian Petzold, Cast: Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld, Nina Kunzendorf
A spellbinding mystery of identity, illusion, and deception unfolds against the turmoil of post-World War II Germany in the stunning new film from acclaimed director Christian Petzold (BARBARA, JERICHOW). Nelly (Nina Hoss), a German-Jewish nightclub singer, has survived a concentration camp, but with her face disfigured by a bullet wound. After undergoing reconstructive surgery, Nelly emerges with a new face, one similar but different enough that her former husband, Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld), doesn’t recognize her. Rather than reveal herself, Nelly walks into a dangerous game of duplicity and disguise as she tries to figure out if the man she loves may have been the one who betrayed her to the Nazis. Evoking the shadows and haunted mood of post-war Berlin, PHOENIX weaves a complex tale of a nation’s tragedy and a woman’s search for answers as it builds towards an unforgettable, heart-stopping climax.
(Source: American Cinematheque)

This screening is a co-presentation of the American Cinematheque and the Goethe-Institut.