Denison University will present an Austrian Film Festival on four nights in mid-November. All films will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Slayter Hall Auditorium beginning on Thursday evening (Nov. 14) and continuing through Sunday (Nov. 17). All the films are in German with English subtitles and are based on literary works by Austria's most prominent writers. Refreshments will be served and the shows are free and open to the public.

At each screening, Gabriele Dillmann, assistant professor of German, and Virginia Davidson, president of the Denison German Club, will give a brief introduction of the filmmaker and the author of the work on which that night's film is based.

"I was looking for materials that would assist in raising a greater awareness of Austrian culture as a distinct entity within the study of German," say Dillmann. As it turned out, film and theatre critic Stanley Kauffmann had commented on the American public's need for access to non-commercial, European films after viewing a trilogy by Austrian filmmaker Axel Corti at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. His comments prompted the Austrian Cultural Institute to select five full-length features based on literary works by Austrian writers and make them available with English subtitles. One film ("Berta Garlan" based on a novel by Arthur Schnitzler) was damaged in shipment and cannot be shown.

These are not action-packed box office hits, but rather faithful renderings of the story as well as excellent film making, says Dillmann. Each film represents a different period -- from the turn of the 19 century to the 1980s -- and each undertakes an in-depth investigation of personality shaped by historical events.

The festival is presented by the Denison Modern Languages Department, the Denison German Club and the Denison Film Society. Funding for the project has been provided by Denison's Patty Foresman Fund and by the Austrian Cultural Institute, New York.

On Thursday (Nov. 14) "Tales from the Vienna Woods" a 1979 film directed by Maximillian Schell will be presented. It is based on the play by Odon von Horvath. The Friday (Nov. 15) film is "A Woman's Pale Blue Handwriting" by Axel Corti and released in 1984. It is based on the novella by Franz Werfel.

"Franza" by Xaver Schwarzenberger will be shown on Saturday (Nov. 16). Released in 1986, it is based on the novel by Ingeborg Bachmann. The final film in the series, to be shown on Sunday (Nov. 17), is "The Quiet Ocean," another production by Schwarzenberger. It is based on the novel by Gerhard Roth and was released in 1983.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575