DEAR THOMAS (LIEBER THOMAS) - German Currents Film

The German Currents Film Festival and the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles would like to invite you to its special in-person screening of Andreas Kleinert's award-winning film

DEAR THOMAS (LIEBER THOMAS)

Saturday, October 22nd @ 5:00 PM

at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles

1901 West 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90057

This screening is free for the general public on a first-come, first-served basis.

Admission is free.

Space is limited.

RSVP and masks required.

Free Parking is available at Metro/Retail parking structure located at

676 S. Westlake Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90057

Public transport is possible with the red line to MacArthur Park/Westlake stop.

Using carpool or ride-share options are appreciated.

LIEBER THOMAS (DEAR THOMAS)

Germany (2021) 150 min. Digital Projection. German with English SubtitlesDirector: Andreas Kleinert​​​​​​​, Screenplay: Thomas Wendrich/Anke Wagner, Cinematography: Johann Feindt, Cast: Albrecht Schuch, Jella Haase, Ioana Iacob, Jörg Schüttauf, Anja Schneider​​​​​​​, Producers: Michael Souvignier, Till Derenbach​​​​​​​, Production Company: Zeitsprung Pictures GmbH, in co-production with NDR, BR, WDR, ARTE Deutschland TV GmbH.

Rebel. Poet. Revolutionary. Few artists personify the division between East and West Germany like Thomas Brasch. Born in 1945 to Jewish-German emigrants exiled in England who soon returned to Germany to help build the GDR, Thomas (Schuch) was destined to be an outsider. As his father Horst (Schüttauf) rose in the ranks of East Germany’s ruling party, he urged young Thomas to help build the then still young state. But Thomas grew to be an uncompromisingly radical activist and artist whose rebellious attitude led to family conflict, state censorship, and ultimately prison. After emigrating to the west with his partner Katharina (Haase), Brasch refused to play the role of the stereotypical GDR dissident artist. Instead, he directed his critique at German history and West German Society in his poetry, plays, and films. Despite his overwhelming success and acceptance in the west, Brasch refused to be appropriated. Recipient of nine German Film Awards, including Best Film, Screenplay, Actor (Schuch), Actress (Haase), and Cinematography, veteran director Andreas Kleinert skillfully interweaves Brasch’s writing into this intimate portrait of the East German provocateur.

AWARDS German Film Awards 2022: Best Film (Gold), Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Lead Actor (Albrecht Schuch), Best Supporting Actress (Jella Haase), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Set Design, Best Costumes, Bavarian Film Awards 2022: Best Actor (Albrecht Schuch)

Andreas Kleinert was born in East Berlin in 1962. He studied film directing at the Konrad Wolf Film Academy in Babelsberg from 1984 to 1989 and has been a professor of feature film directing at the institution, now a university, since 2006. His debut film LEB WOHL, JOSEPH (1990) premiered in competition at Locarno, while VERLORENE LANDSCHAFT (1992) was screened in competition in San Sebastián. Kleinert received an Emmy for his highly acclaimed drama MEIN VATER (2003). His FRAU VON FRÜHER (2012) and HEDDA (2016) were adaptations of plays by Roland Schimmelpfennig and Henrik Ibsen. In between, he directed various episodes of the popular detective series TATORT – SCHIMANSKI and POLIZEIRUF 110.

FULL FESTIVAL PROGRAM: WWW.GERMANCURRENTS.COM

The German Currents Film Festival is produced by the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and the American Cinematheque in kind cooperation with the German Consulate General, and with the support of The Friends of Goethe, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the German Film Office, and media partners Deutsche Welle.