The film series ‘Apocalyptic Cinema’ will bring a selection of international films and short films to cinemas in Heidelberg in autumn and winter 2024/25. The Käte Hamburger Kolleg für Apokalyptische und Post-Apokalyptische Studien (CAPAS) at Heidelberg University has been organising the film series in cooperation with the Karlstorkino Heidelberg since 2021.
02 November 2024 - 21 January 2025 | Heidelberg
In cooperation with the 73rd International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg (IFFMH), a film evening entitled CAPAS presents: Apocalyptic Imaginaries will take place for the second year running at the Luxor Filmpalast. In addition, a premiere will be celebrated at the Gloria cinema together with Drop-Out Cinema eG Mannheim. For the first time, there will also be a short film special in cooperation with Segundo Festival Internacional de Cine sobre Envejecimiento: Miradas a través del tiempo Uruguay. For the first time this winter, Apocalyptic Cinema is bringing apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic themes to the big screen in three Heidelberg cinemas and illuminating films from various academic and film-critical perspectives in accompanying discussions.
The film series opens on 2 November with the film ‘We will all die’, which will be discussed by the well-known film critic Wolfgang M. Schmitt together with director Ben Knight, co-author Ralf Stadler and Melanie Le Touze (CAPAS team). In his documentary, director Ben Knight takes a tragicomic look at the inevitable end of humanity and at the same time takes a humorous look at the impending doom.
The gripping thriller ‘Bacurau’ will be shown at the Karlstorkino on 5 November. Sociologist and CAPAS team member Bruna Della Torre reflects on the film in a commentary about a remote village in Brazil that fights against external threats, developing a reflection on resistance and community. This will be followed by a screening of ‘Terminator 2’ in cooperation with the 73rd International Film Festival Mannheim Heidelberg (IFFMH) on 14 November. The iconic science fiction classic, which depicts a bleak future in which machines rebel against humanity and the fate of the world is at stake, will be commented on by CAPAS Fellow Verita Sriratana from a gender studies perspective.
On 3 December, the Karlstorkino continues with ‘Polaris’. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in 2144 full of ice and snow, the film follows a young female warrior on the run who has to face her own demons and the hostile natural world. Maya Dietrich from the Karlstorkino cinema sheds light on ‘Polaris’ from a film critic's perspective.
The end of the film series will be marked by a short film special on the subject of ‘Die Zeit, die bleibt: Apocalypse and Ageing’ on 21 January. This short film collection explores the links between the end of the world and individual ageing. CAPAS Director Robert Folger and psychoanalyst and visiting scholar Timo Storck discuss how apocalyptic scenarios affect the human life cycle. This film series offers a unique opportunity to explore the theme of the apocalypse through a broad cinematic and discursive spectrum. From dystopian science fiction blockbusters to experimental short films, Apocalyptic Cinema is aimed at film lovers and those interested in science.
