Dresden Hosts Congress to Bridge East-West Divide in Community Cinema
Dresden,Germany – A national congress kicked off in Dresden today,bringing together municipal cinemas from across Germany to address disparities and foster collaboration between the country’s East and West. The 20th Federal Congress of Municipal Cinemas, running through Sunday, focuses on “Growing together – cinema culture in East & West,” examining ancient developments and current needs within the sector.
The event, organized by the Federal Association of Municipal Film Work on its 50th anniversary, is hosted at the “Kino im Kasten” at the TU dresden, alongside the club cinema in Lingnerschloss and the Dresden Technical collections. The congress opened with a screening of the 1942 classic “Casablanca,” and will feature workshops,panels,debates,and additional film screenings,including a showing of the DEFA film “The Divided Sky,” based on the novel by Christa Wolf.
Janis Kuhnert, a board member of the Federal Association of Municipal Film Work, noted a relative lack of municipal cinemas in the eastern federal states. While acknowledging the presence of existing cinemas with specialized programs,festivals,associations,and film clubs in the East,Kuhnert told MDR KULTUR that “the network can be expanded.”
The congress aims to strengthen exchange,addressing practical issues and sharing know-how relevant to diverse cinema environments,”whether in a village on the Rhine or in Saxony,” Kuhnert explained. The goal is to facilitate a more connected and robust community cinema landscape across Germany.