“Basically, Berlin-Jerusalem is a story of broken utopias”
—Amos Gitai on Berlin-Jerusalem
This 1989 poetic film by Amos Gitai portrays an encounter between two women: the German poet Else Lasker-Schüler and the Russian Zionist Tania Shohat. They first met in 1920s Berlin, then again in Jerusalem in 1945.
past event

Where
Old Building, ground level, Auditorium
Lindenstraße 9–14, 10969 Berlin
Gitai connects both women’s lives with a story of expressionist freedom and Nazi violence, of the harsh realities of kibbutz life and the hopeful spirit of founding myths. The city of Jerusalem, in its many facets, shapes the film: Jerusalem as the target of poetic and idealogical dreams but also as a place prone to violence in the light of the present day.
Gitai movingly contrasts the story with choreography by the Pina Bausch dance troupe and media materials from the First Intifada of 1989.
Original title | Berlin-Yerushalayim (Berlin-Jerusalem) |
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Genre | Art-house film |
Directed by | Amos Gitai |
Choreography | Pina Bausch |
Produced in | Israel, the Netherlands, France, Italy, UK |
Languages | Hebrew with German subtitles |
Released | 1989 |
Length | 89 minutes |
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Events Accompanying the Exhibition: Welcome to Jerusalem (17)