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Paris Calligrammes

Berlinale Special 2020
© Ulrike Ottinger
From a topographic perspective, Ulrike Ottinger’s cinema is mostly located between Berlin and remote places in the Far East or the Far North. In Paris Calligrammes, she explores the landscape of her memories of the city that she called home for 20 years and that helped shape her beginnings as a painter and filmmaker. Ottinger moved to Paris in her twenties and immersed herself in the cultural scene of the 1950s populated by heroes of the avant-garde and a new generation of artists and intellectuals. Meandering between bookshops, concert halls, theatres, cinemas, museums and cafés, Ottinger presents her personal pantheon, and at the same time maps a decisive era both in art – as Dada and Surrealism gave way to Situationism and Pop Art – and in politics where, in-between post-war hopes, the Algerian conflict and the student movements of 1968, there was much to discuss. Nonetheless, the film maintains its intimate stance throughout, assembling a rich and emotionally charged repertoire of film clips, news reports, photos and songs with the same meticulous affection that people used to stick newspaper clippings and photos in a diary so they could write around them.
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by Ulrike Ottinger Germany / France 2019 German, French, English 129’ Colour & Black/White World premiere | Documentary form

Crew

Written and Directed by Ulrike Ottinger
Cinematography Ulrike Ottinger
Editing Anette Fleming
Sound Design Detlef Schitto
Sound Timothée Alazraki
Production Design Aurore Vullierme
Line Producer Corina Ziller, Claire Lion
Producers Thomas Kufus, Kornelia Theune
Co-Producers Pierre-Olivier Bardet, Gérald Collas
Commissioning Editor Udo Bremer
Co-Production Idéale Audience Paris
INA - Institut national de l'audiovisuel Paris
ZDF/3sat Mainz

Produced by

zero one film

http://www.zeroone.de http://www.zeroone.de

Photos

Ulrike Ottinger

© Jelka von Langen

Born in Konstanz, Germany in 1942. She worked as a painter and photographer in Paris from 1962–1968. She founded the Visuell film club in Konstanz in 1969, and led it until 1972; she also founded galeriepress, an art gallery and press. She has lived in Berlin since 1973. Alongside her film work she also produces operas and theatre and is present on the international art scene with photo exhibitions.

Filmography (selection)

1973 Laokoon & Söhne. Die Verwandlungsgeschichte der Esmeralda del Rio (Laokoon & Sons. The Transformation of Esmeralda del Rio) · Berlinfieber – Wolf Vostell (Berlinfever – Wolf Vostell) 1975 Die Betörung der Blauen Matrosen (The Enchantment of the Blue Sailors) 1977 Madame X – Eine absolute Herrscherin (Madame X – An Absolute Ruler) · Madame X – Eine absolute Herrscherin (Madame X – An Absolute Ruler) 1979 Bildnis einer Trinkerin – Aller jamais retour (Ticket of No Return) · Bildnis einer Trinkerin – Aller jamais retour (Ticket of No Return) 1981 Freak Orlando. Kleines Welttheater in fünf Episoden (Freak Orlando) · Freak Orlando. Kleines Welttheater in fünf Episoden (Freak Orlando) 1984 Dorian Gray im Spiegel der Boulevardpresse (Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press) · Dorian Gray im Spiegel der Boulevardpresse (Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press) 1985 China. Die Künste – Der Alltag (China. The Arts – The People) · China. Die Künste – Der Alltag (China. The Arts – The People) 1986 Superbia 1987 Usinimage; short film · Usinimage 1989 Johanna d'Arc of Mongolia · Johanna d'Arc of Mongolia 1990 Countdown · Countdown 1992 Taiga. Eine Reise ins nördliche Land der Mongolen (Taiga. A Journey to Northern Mongolia) · Taiga. Eine Reise ins nördliche Land der Mongolen (Taiga. A Journey to Northern Mongolia) 1997 Exil Shanghai (Exile Shanghai) · Exil Shanghai (Exile Shanghai) 2002 Südostpassage (Southeast Passage) · Südostpassage (Southeast Passage) 2004 12 Stühle (12 Chairs) · 12 Stühle (12 Chairs) 2007 Prater · Prater 2008 Die Koreanische Hochzeitstruhe (The Korean Wedding Chest) · Die Koreanische Hochzeitstruhe (The Korean Wedding Chest) 2011 Unter Schnee (Under Snow) · Unter Schnee (Under Snow) 2016 Chamissos Schatten (Chamisso’s Shadow) · Chamissos Schatten (Chamisso’s Shadow) 2019 Paris Calligrammes

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2020