Christian Petzold: The State We Are In
Christian Petzold’s films are like no one else’s. At once intricately engaged with the real world and steeped in film history, they radically reimagine such genres as film noir, thriller, melodrama, and the spy drama, offering narrative mysteries, enigmatic protagonists immersed in even more enigmatic circumstances, an incomparable sense of atmosphere and style, and surprising links between Germany’s turbulent past and its fragile present. A founding member of the loose movement known as the Berlin School, and a longtime collaborator of the late Harun Farocki, Petzold gained international attention with acclaimed titles Jerichow (2008), Barbara (2012; NYFF50), Phoenix (2014), and his latest masterwork, Transit (2018; NYFF56). The expanse of his career to date—including several inventive films made for television—affirms his status as one of contemporary cinema’s premier directors. This fall the Film Society is honored to host Petzold in person. In addition to featuring his own works, we will present a selection of movies that have influenced him. Presented in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut, with support from German Films.
Organized by Dennis Lim and Dan Sullivan
Acknowledgments:
Austrian Filmmuseum; Judith Revault d’Allonnes — Centre Pompidou; Deutsche Kinemathek; Goethe-Institut; German Films Service + Marketing GmbH; Institut français; The Match Factory; Music Box Films; Schramm Film
Explore the Christian Petzold brochure flipbook or read below.
This browser does not support PDFs. Please download the PDF to view it: Download PDF
Pilots
Cuba Libre
The Sex Thief
Introduction by Christian Petzold on December 2
Petzold closes his unofficial trilogy about women on the run with this tale of a failed academic desperately seeking work and her femme-fatale sister, who dupes rich men around the luxury tourist resorts of Morocco.The State I Am In
Something to Remind Me
Wolfsburg
Ghosts
Yella
Q&A with Christian Petzold on December 2
Based on horror classic Carnival of Souls, Yella finds chills in the cold cruelty of a male-driven business culture, where Yella (a poised Nina Hoss) discovers that her new job isn’t as promising as it seems—and that her past life is not so easily left behind.Jerichow
Introduction by Christian Petzold on November 30
In this unofficial adaptation of The Postman Always Rings Twice, a hard-up Afghanistan war veteran takes a job with a wealthy Turkish entrepreneur. When he meets his boss's quietly frustrated wife, the two begin a dangerous affair.Dreileben: Beats Being Dead
Barbara
Phoenix
Introduction by Christian Petzold on December 1
Set in the period immediately following World War II, Phoenix is an engrossing reflection on the postwar reconstruction of identity couched as a noirish thriller of mistaken identity. Screening with the Hitchcock rumination Where Are You, Christian Petzold?Transit
Harun Farocki Program: The Interview and Nothing Ventured
Carte Blanche: Christian Petzold Selects
He Ran All the Way and A Day in the Country
The Young Lieutenant
Some Came Running
The Woman Next Door
Tickets now on sale! To begin the purchase process, log in to your account. Don’t have an account? Sign up for one today.
To purchase tickets to individual films, please click on the “Films” or “Schedule” tabs at the top of this page and then click on your desired films or showtimes.
3+ Film Package – Tickets just $9 Members / $10 Students, Seniors, and Persons with Disabilities / $13 General Public.
All Access Pass – See everything in the series for $125.
Note: Member complimentary tickets can be used for this series.
Not a member? Take advantage of discounted tickets, early access periods, complimentary offers year-round, and more by becoming one today! Join here.