CATHEDRALS OF CULTURE

by Wim Wenders, Michael Glawogger, Michael Madsen, Robert Redford, Margreth Olin, Karim Ainouz

SYNOPSIS

"If buildings could talk, what would they say about us?" Cathedrals of Culture offers six startling responses to this question. This 3D film project about the soul of buildings allows six iconic and very different buildings to speak for themselves, examining human life from the unblinking perspective of a manmade structure. Six acclaimed filmmakers bring their own visual style and artistic approach to the project. Buildings, they show us, are material manifestations of human thought and action: the Berlin Philharmonic, an icon of modernity; the National Library of Russia, a kingdom of thoughts; Halden Prison, the world’s most humane prison; the Salk Institute, a scientific monastery on the California coast; the Oslo Opera House, a futuristic symbiosis of art and life; and the Centre Pompidou, a modern culture machine. Cathedrals of Culture explores how each of these landmarks reflects our culture and guards our collective memory.

DETAILS

158 mins

2014

Germany, Denmark, Austria, Norway, France

German, English

CREDITS

Neue Road Movies presents a Neue Road Movies production

Directed by Wim Wenders, Michael Glawogger, Michael Madsen, Robert Redford, Margreth Olin, Karim Ainouz

Produced by Erwin M. Schmidt, Gian-Piero Ringel

Executive Producer: Wim Wenders

Co-produced by Anne Köhncke, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Tommy Pridnig, Peter Wirthensohn, Maria Ekerhovd, Charlotte Uzu, Laura Michalchyshyn, Sidney Beaumont, Nobuya Wazaki, Kayo Washio

Director of Stereography: Joséphine Derobe

In co-production with Final Cut for Real, Lotus Film, Mer Film, Les Films d’Ici 2, Sundance Productions / RadicalMedia, WOWOW, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg

In collaboration with Arte, ORF Film/Fernsehabkommen

With the support of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Danish Film Institute, Österreichisches Filminstitut, Norwegian Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Filmstandort Austria, Aide aux Nouvelles Technologies du CNC, Fritt Ord, Dreyers Fond, MEDIA Programme of the European Union

BIOGRAPHY

DIRECTORS - WIM WENDERS, MICHAEL GLAWOGGER, MICHAEL MADSEN, ROBERT REDFORD, MARGRETH OLIN, KARIM AINOUZ

WIM WENDERS
Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1945. Studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and directing at the HFF in Munich. Founding member and since 1996 president of the European Film Academy. His 3D dance film Pina premiered in 2011 in the Berlinale Official Selection (Out of Competition) and received an Oscar® nomination. He is currently shooting his 3D feature film Every Thing Will Be Fine in Montreal

MICHAEL GLAWOGGER
Born in Graz, Austria, in 1959. Studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and the Film Academy Vienna. As a filmmaker and writer, he moves back and forth between cinematic forms and genres. Whores’ Glory completed his trilogy of essayist documentaries in 2011. He is currently on a one year travel around the world for his new documentary Untitled.

MICHAEL MADSEN
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1972. Studied art history and works as filmmaker and conceptual artist.
Founder and artistic leader of the Sound/Gallery in Copenhagen. His documentary Into Eternity (2010)
provides a glimpse into the world’s first final nuclear waste facility. The Visit: A Film On The Ultimate Copernican Revolution is in post-production.

ROBERT REDFORD
Born in Santa Monica, USA, in 1936, Robert Redford is an actor, film director, producer, and environmentalist. In 1981, he received an Oscar® for his directorial film debut Ordinary People, and in 2001 received an honorary Oscar® for his Sundance Film Institute work. His Sundance Institute and Film Festival
nurtures innovative voices in independent film. His most recent screen performance was in J.C. Chandor’s
survival epic All Is Lost.

MARGRETH OLIN
Born in Stranda, Norway, in 1970. Studied journalism and documentary filmmaking in Bergen and Oslo. She
directs and produces documentaries and feature films and stages theatre plays. Her work focuses on social
and political issues. Her first feature The Angel was the Norwegian Oscar® entry in 2010. Her most recent
documentary Nowhere Home received the Norwegian Film Award 2013.

KARIM AINOUZ
Born in Fortaleza, Brazil, in 1966. Studied architecture in Brazilia and film in New York. He directs fiction
and documentary films and teaches script writing. His art installations have been exhibited widely. His directorial debut Madame Sata screened in Un Certain Regard in Cannes in 2002. His new film Praia Do Futuro premieres in this year’s Berlinale Competition.

SELECT FESTIVALS

BERLINALE 2014〡SOFIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014〡CINEMA DU REEL 2014〡NORWEGIAN DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL 2014〡DOCVILLE 2014〡BELDOCS 2014〡BIOGRAFILM 2014〡TRANSILVANIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014〡EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014〡DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014〡DOKUFEST KOSOVO 2014〡ESPOO FILM FESTIVAL〡DOK FEST MUNICH 2014〡DMZ 2014〡VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014〡RIO FILM FESTIVAL 2014〡CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014〡TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014〡FESTIVAL ON WHEELS 2014〡ZAGREBDOX 2015〡DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY 2015〡SAO PAOLO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2015

PRESS

"Clever, coy, precious, stirring, it’s a film of many moods."
- The Hollywood Reporter

"Provides moments of beauty and brilliance."
- Variety

"A cerebral, mightily engrossing coming together of great architecture and great filmmakers."
- Empire