Before getting to the main point, I would like to write a brief explanation about the cinemas known in Germany as “Programmkino.” These cinemas, which exist throughout the country, are known for screening high-quality and cultural films for serious film lovers and for audiences who are intellectually curious. They are theaters that usually stand on their own feet, have no government affiliation, and do not sell popcorn or soft drinks. Of course, even among them there are cinemas that merely carry this title in appearance, while in reality they eat from both sides of the trough: secretly receiving government support while…
Author: Javad Kerachi
Javad Kerachi
Javad Karachi received his bachelor’s degree in cinematography from the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, and completed his master’s degree at the Film and Television Academy in the same country. He is fluent in German and English and has directed several documentary and television films. Karajhi has received awards on two occasions. In 1984 (1363 in the Iranian calendar), in New Delhi, he received an award from Indira Gandhi as Best Cinematographer. He was also selected as the youngest director at the Mannheim–Heidelberg International Film Festival in Germany for his film Az Rooz Goftan (“Of Speaking of the Day”). His film One Time to Live, released in 2020, won several awards, including Best Film and Best Actress at the Rabindranath Tagore Film Festival in India, Best Film at the Singapore Film Festival, and Best Film and Best Actress at the Calcutta Film Critics Festival. Among his published books are Pasha, Parivash, The Fire of Your Low Wall, and Awake, Go.
The German magazine Der Spiegel interviewed Werner Herzog, the German filmmaker who, at 83, has lived for decades in the United States, primarily in Los Angeles. Herzog has directed more than 70 feature films and documentaries, and his working methods and fiercely idiosyncratic storytelling have consistently blurred the boundaries between genres. He has never shied away from confronting the world directly. In his filmmaking workshops, he famously urges participants: “Go work as a bouncer in a sex club. Work as an orderly in a mental institution. Go to a dairy farm and learn how to milk cows.” His most recent…