Press Release | Brussels, 09/09/2014

Bertelsmann Presents ‘UFA Film Nights’ in Brussels

Silent film classics with live musical accompaniment will be shown in the European metropolis from September 15-17

The international media company Bertelsmann will again present classics of the silent film era during its “UFA Film Nights” in the European metropolis of Brussels. From September 15 to 17, four films will be screened at the prestigious Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar), each of them with live musical accompaniment.

Bertelsmann Chairman & CEO Thomas Rabe said: “It’s a good sign that early works of European cinema in particular are becoming increasingly popular with the public. Silent films are an integral part of Europe’s cultural heritage, which must be preserved and made accessible to as many people as possible. As a company that lives by creativity and advocates the protection of intellectual property, we feel we have a special responsibility in this connection. Silent films deserve protection from decay and oblivion, and that includes bringing them with us into the digital future. Like ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,’ which kicks off our event this year and which was recently restored, digitized and premiered at the Berlinale in new splendor this spring with Bertelsmann’s financial support.”

The works being shown in Brussels are movies from the golden age of silent film, beginning with “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” a masterpiece of expressionist cinema from the Weimar years. The Brussels Philharmonic will accompany it, conducted by Timothy Brock, who composed new music specifically for the restored version. It is followed by the semi-documentary 1930 silent film “People on Sunday” by Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer, and Billy Wilder, with musical accents provided by DJ Raphael Marionneau from Hamburg. Finally, the two Russian gems “A sixth part of the world” (1926) and “The Eleventh Year” (1928) by Dziga Vertov will be shown to musical accompaniment by the Michael Nyman Band from London.

The “UFA Film Nights” begin on Monday with a reception at the Bozar, at which Bertelsmann and its CEO Thomas Rabe expect to welcome some 350 invited guests. The ambassadors of many countries including Italy, Germany, Brazil and India, have confirmed their attendance, along with personages from the film industry such as the Belgian directors Jan Verheyen and Raoul Servais, the Director of the Orchestre National de Belgique Albert Wastiaux, and the Head of the Brussels Goethe-Institut, Susanne Höhn.

The series was already enthusiastically received by audiences in Berlin, where in August Bertelsmann and the UFA film production company had organized the 4th “UFA Film Nights” as an open-air event against a historical backdrop. This is the second time the “UFA Film Nights” are being held in Brussels.

The program at a glance:

Monday, September 15, 2014, 8:00 PM
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari / The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari
Robert Wiene (1920)
Accompanied by the Brussels Philharmonic and Timothy Brock
Bozar – Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Tuesday, September 16, 2014, 8:00 PM
Menschen am Sonntag / People On Sunday
Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer and Billy Wilder (1930)
Accompaniment by DJ Raphael Marionneau
Bozar – Hall M

Wednesday, September 17, 2014, 8:00 PM
A Sixth Part Of The World
The Eleventh Year
Dziga Vertov (1926; 1928)
Accompanied by the Michael Nyman Band
Bozar – Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Information and Tickets: Palais des Beaux-Arts/ Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar), 23 Rue Ravenstein, 1000 Brussels
Send email ; www.bozar.be  ; Phone: +32 – 2507 – 8200

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is an international media company whose core divisions encompass television (RTL Group), book publishing (Penguin Random House), magazine publishing (Gruner + Jahr), services (Arvato), and printing (Be Printers) in some 50 countries. In 2013, the company’s businesses, with their more than 111,000 employees, generated revenues of €16.4 billion. Bertelsmann stands for a combination of creativity and entrepreneurship that empowers the creation of first-rate media, communications, and service offerings to inspire people around the world and to provide innovative solutions for customers.