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MEDIA CONTACT: Reinhildl Steingrover 585.274.1616 or Helene Snihur hsnihur@rochester.edu
585.275.7800
September 20, 2006
World-renowned German director Egon Günther will show and discuss his film Stone for its first screening in the United States at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, in room 1-101 Dewey Hall on the University of Rochester's River Campus.
The 1991 film, which follows a Shakespearean actor who goes into inner exile in resistance to the East German regime and wrestles with questions of guilt and responsibility, was Günther's last film with the East German film studio DEFA. The movie captures the unstable atmosphere in East Germany at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall and provides an unusual portrayal of the historical events from the eastern side of the border.
Günther, born on March 30, 1927, is ranked as one of the former East Germany's most influential "second generation" directors. Before becoming a filmmaker, Günther attended Leipzig University where he studied German philology, educational theory, and philosophy. He directed his first film in 1965 and went on to make more than 30 movies in his career.
Noted German film historian Ralf Schenk will introduce Günther. Schenk has written many film reviews as well as television programs about German and international film history. A distinguished scholar of DEFA history, Schenk is the author of numerous books about eastern European film, including the annually published yearbook of the DEFA foundation.
The event is presented by the humanities department of the university's Eastman School of Music, and by the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, the Graduate Program in Visual and Cultural Studies, the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies, the Film and Media Studies Program, and the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering. It is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at (585) 275-4251.
The University of Rochester (www.rochester.edu) is one of the nation's leading private universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering is complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and the Memorial Art Gallery.
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