- From 22 to 25 August, early masterpieces of cinema history as well as – for the first time – a contemporary UFA movie will be screened in the open air accompanied by live music
- Premiere of the restored version of the silent movie classics “Die Liebe der Jeanne Ney” (The Love of Jeanne Ney), “Metropolis,” and “Der letzte Mann” (The Last Laugh) with new score
- Live musical accompaniment by Jeff Mills, the WDR Radio Orchestra, the Neues Kammerorchester Potsdam and Deutsche Oper Berlin’s UFA Brass
- Maria Furtwängler, Tom Schilling, Katharina Wackernagel and Franz Dinda introduce the UFA Film Nights
- Tickets now available
Bertelsmann and UFA will present the UFA Film Nights in Berlin for the seventh time from August 22 to 25, 2017. This year, early masterpieces of cinema history as well as a contemporary box office hit from UFA – to mark the centenary of Germany’s leading film production company – will be screened in the open air against a spectacular backdrop and accompanied by live music.
The UFA Film Nights have become a cinematic-musical highlight of Berlin’s cultural summer with a dedicated stage orchestra and big screen erected for the occasion in the Kolonnadenhof on Museum Island, a World Cultural Heritage site. The international media company Bertelsmann and UFA thus continue their tradition of presenting silent movie classics in a historic architectural setting. As in previous years, more than 800 guests are expected to attend each evening.
Following a reception at Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1, Berlin, the UFA Film Nights open on August 22nd with Georg Wilhelm Pabst’s “Die Liebe der Jeanne Ney” (“The Love of Jeanne Ney”) an exciting melodrama set during the October Revolution. The premiere of the digitally restored movie will be accompanied by the WDR Radio Orchestra, conducted by Frank Strobel. The ZDF/ARTE film editorial department commissioned the reconstruction of the music. The opening night will be streamed live on www.arte.tv/ufa.
On Wednesday, August 23rd, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau’s masterpiece “Der letzte Mann” (“The Last Laugh”) will be screened, starring the great Emil Jannings in one of his bestknown and most powerful roles.
Deutsche Oper Berlin’s UFA Brass, conducted by Manfred Honetschläger, will play the musical accompaniment based on Honetschläger’s own new composition. On Thursday evening, August 24th, Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis,” a cinematic landmark of the twentieth century, is on the program. For U.S. DJ Jeff Mills, it is the first time that he will set the complete, restored version of “Metropolis” from 2010 to music, live on the mixing desk.
This year’s UFA Film Nights will close on August 25th with “The Medicus” (“The Physician”) from 2013. Philipp Stölzl’s movie adaptation of Noah Gordon’s international bestseller will be screened for the first time with live music. The ambiance and dialog remain on the soundtrack, while the music will be played by the Neues Kammerorchester Potsdam.
Actress Maria Furtwängler introduces the first film, “Die Liebe der Jeanne Ney,” actor Tom Schilling introduces “Der letzte Mann,” Katharina Wackernagel “Metropolis,” and Franz Dinda, who appears in the movie, introduces “The Medicus.”
The Program at a Glance
Tuesday, August 22nd, 2017. Doors open at 8:30 p.m., screening starts at 9:00 p.m.
DIE LIEBE DER JEANNE NEY – THE LOVE OF JEANNE NEY (1927), Director: G.W. Pabst
With Édith Jéhanne, Brigitte Helm, Hertha von Walther, Uno Henning, Fritz Rasp and others Premiere of the new digitally restored version
Music: The WDR Radio Orchestra, directed by Frank Strobel, plays a reconstructed orchestral score, arranged by Bernd Thewes (commissioned by ZDF/ARTE)
Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017. Doors open at 8:30 p.m., screening starts at 9:00 p.m. DER LETZTE MANN – THE LAST LAUGH (1924), Director: F.W. Murnau With Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft, Georg John and others
Music: Deutsche Oper Berlin’s UFA Brass, directed by Manfred Honetschläger, plays an new composition by Manfred Honetschläger
Thursday, August 24th, 2017. Doors open at 8:30 p.m., screening starts at 9:00 p.m. METROPOLIS (1925/26), Director: Fritz Lang
With Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich, Alfred Abel, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Heinrich George, Fritz Rasp and others
Music: Jeff Mills with a new composition
Friday, August 25th, 2017, Doors open at 8:30 p.m., screening starts at 9:00 p.m. UFA FILM NIGHTS EXTENDED DER MEDICUS – THE PHYSICIAN (2013), Director: Philipp Stölzl With Tom Payne, Stellan Skarsgård, Olivier Martinez, Emma Rigby, Elyas M’Barek and others
Music: Neues Kammerorchester Potsdam, directed by Ud Joffe, to music by Ingo Ludwig Frenzel in a revised orchestration by Bernd Wefelmeyer
The UFA Film Nights hosted by Bertelsmann und UFA are internationally popular as well. Much to the delight of cineastes, several UFA Film Nights have already been held in Brussels, Madrid, Paris and New York.
This year’s UFA Film Nights in Berlin are being held with the kind support of Deutsche Telekom, ARTE, the National Museums in Berlin (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin), the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation, Maz & Movie, and Gegenbauer Facility Management.
Yorck Kinogruppe, Stroer, radio eins, RBB Kulturradio, and Mit Vergnügen are the event’s media partners.
More information at www.ufa-filmnaechte.de or on Twitter: #UFAFilmnächte
Tickets are now available for 15 EUR including advance booking charge:
Online: www.ufa-filmnaechte.de or www.gegenbauer-ticketservice.de
Phone: +49 30 4430 4430
Email: tickets@gegenbauer-ticketservice.de and all the usual ticket agencies.
About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company that operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes the broadcaster RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr, the music company BMG, the service provider Arvato, the Bertelsmann Printing Group, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of funds. The company has 116,000 employees and generated revenues of €17.0 billion in the 2016 financial year. Bertelsmann stands for creativity and entrepreneurship. This combination promotes first-class media content and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world.
About UFA
UFA celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2017, making it one of the oldest entertainment brands in the world. Today’s UFA Group is a powerful creator of entertainment content, and has steadily expanded its market leadership as a film and television producer in Germany over the years. The company has evolved from a creator of programs and TV producer into a content specialist that delivers a range of solutions for digital and multimedia content exploitation – for all major broadcasters in Germany as well as for many other partners. The UFA FICTION, UFA SERIAL DRAMA and UFA SHOW & FACTUAL production units as well as the UFA LAB operate under the UFA umbrella. UFA is part of the global media and entertainment company FremantleMedia, which operates the worldwide production business of Bertelsmann-owned RTL Group.
