Press Release | Berlin, 07/07/2015

Bertelsmann and UFA host 5th UFA Film Nights in Berlin

• From August 20 to 22, open-air screenings of silent movie classics will be presented on Berlin’s Museum Island, accompanied by live music
• In the lineup: “Tabu,” “Her Dark Secret” and “The Adventures of Prince Achmed”
• Florian C. Reithner composes new soundtrack for “Tabu”; World premiere with accompaniment by UFA Filmorchester

Bertelsmann and the UFA are hosting the fifth UFA Film Nights on Berlin's Museum Island. From August 20 to 22, the international media, services and education company and the leading German film production company jointly present well-known movies from cinema history with live musical accompaniment in a spectacular historical setting. And so, in their fifth year, the UFA Film Nights remain true to their idea of presenting silent movie classics in an historic architectural setting: outside the orangery in the park of Sanssouci Castle in 2011, on Schinkelplatz in Berlin-Mitte in 2012 and 2013, and in 2014 moving to Museum Island, where they are screened outside the Old National Gallery.

Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's South Seas romance “Tabu” (1931) will be shown on the first night (Thursday, August 20), with the world premiere of music specially composed for the occasion by the young composer and conductor Florian C. Reithner, who will direct the UFA Filmorchester. On Friday August 21, this is followed by “Her Dark Secret” (1928), a romantic comedy featuring the first joint appearance of Lilian Harvey and Willy Fritsch, who later became the dream couple of German talkies. Neil Brand, one of the world's leading silent film pianists, provides the musical accompaniment and “Game of Thrones” star Tom Wlaschiha introduces the movie. This year's “UFA Film Nights” concludes on Saturday August 22 with Lotte Reiniger’s “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” (1926), the first feature-length animated movie; an oriental fairytale world of delicate silhouettes. The enchanting movie is accompanied by the Trioglyzerin ensemble with classical and oriental instruments.

The UFA Film Nights honor the avant-garde of cinematography who worked for the historic UFA in their time. They also provide access to the unique global cinematic heritage of the 1920s, with directors like Fritz Lang, Joe May, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, Ernst Lubitsch and visionary producers like Erich Pommer.

The program at a glance:

Thursday, August 20, 2015: Doors open at 8:30 p.m., movie starts at 9:00 p.m.
Tabu (1931) by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau,
new composition by Florian C. Reithner performed by the UFA Filmorchester conducted by Florian C. Reithner, introduced by Joachim Król

Friday, August 21, 2015: Doors open at 8:30 p.m., movie starts at 9:00 p.m.
Her Dark Secret (1928) by Johannes Guter,
accompanied by Neil Brand in the wings, introduced by Tom Wlaschiha

Saturday, August 22, 2015: Doors open at 8:30 p.m., movie starts at 9:00 p.m.
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) by Lotte Reiniger,
accompanied by Trioglyzerin, introduced by Natalia Wörner

UFA Film Nights tickets are now available for €15 euros including booking fee from:

www.ufa-filmnaechte.de  // www.gegenbauer-ticketservice.de 
Tel: +49 30 - 44 30 44 30
Email: Send email

and at the usual ticket outlets.

UFA Film Nights are hosted by UFA and Bertelsmann kindly supported by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation, Deutsches Filminstitut, Cine Plus, Gegenbauer Facility Management, Humboldt Box and Securitas.

Yorck Kinogruppe, Stroer, the RBB Fernsehen, radio eins, RBB Kulturradio, Mit Vergnügen and Berlin.de are media partners.

More at www.ufa-filmnaechte.de 

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company that operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes the broadcaster RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr, the service providers Arvato and Be Printers, the music rights company BMG and the e-learning provider Relias Learning. The company has more than 112,000 employees and generated revenues of €16.7 billion in financial year 2014. Bertelsmann stands for creativity and entrepreneurship. This combination promotes the creation of first-class media content and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world.