Over the past decade, German cinema has revived with the emergence of a string of remarkable new filmmakers, beginning with Christian Petzold, Thomas Arslan and Angela Schanelec. In contrast to the more conventional efforts of Fatih Akin and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, the works of these directors are based in an emphasis on formal experimentation over spectacle and a preference for narrative experimentation over storytelling based on character psychology, whether transparent or ambiguous. In the last few years, more filmmakers have come to light alongside those mentioned above, and this program foregrounds two emerging talents: Christoph Hochhäusler (b. 1972) and Isabelle Stever (b. 1963). Both released their second films in 2005 and reached new levels of acclaim and international notice with their third features from last year.

As a group, these filmmakers are often referred to as “the Berlin School.” This name stems from the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin (Deutsche Film und Fernsehakademie Berlin, or “DFFB”). Headed for many years by pioneering directors Hartmut Bitomsky and Haroun Farocki, the school encouraged ambitious and adventurous filmmaking, laying the foundation for the most impressive flowering of German cinema since the 1970s. Isabelle Stever is a graduate of the DFFB, where she enrolled after initially studying mathematics. A graduate of the Munich film school, Hochhäusler has taught at DFFB and is a respected critic in Germany, where he was also a founder of the influential cinema journal Revolver. Hochhäusler and Stever share certain characteristics with their fellow Berlin School filmmakers, particularly their engagement with elliptical storytelling, opaque narrative motivation and an often restrained audiovisual style conjoined with provocative subject matter. In contrast with the markedly affective style of the New German cinema – Fassbinder’s melodramas, Herzog’s eccentricity, Wenders’ melancholy – these directors exhibit a striking coolness, at least on the surface. In the absence of being told how to feel, the spectator is urged to confront his or her own involvement. – David Pendleton