To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the building of the Berlin Wall the German Embassy in Phnom Penh and the German-Cambodian Cultural Center Meta House invite you to the opening of the exhibition

THE WALL: A BORDER THROUGH GERMANY
this Tuesday, 04/10, 6PM

The “Berlin Wall”, which separated the German city in an eastern and western part, was the symbol of the Cold War. It was built in 1961 by the communist government of the GDR to prevent East Germans from escaping to the West. Around hundred people were killed and many more were seriously wounded trying to cross it. Most of the Berlin Wall has been demolished since the border between East and West Berlin opened in 1989 and Germany was reunified…

We attach an invitation in English, Khmer and German.
German snacks and drinks will be provided.

On the following nights you are invited to watch films about related topics
in our gallery. The rooftop is closed due to construction works until
next week.

Wed, 05/10
COURAGE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD: “THE MIRACLE OF LEIPZIG”
7PM: In autumn 1989 thousands of East Germans rose up in protest against a communist state which suppresses its own citizens, incites people to spy on each other and keeps them under constant surveillance.? The documentary MIRACLE OF LEIPZIG (2009, 90 mins with English subtitels) by award-winning directors Sebastian Dehnhardt and Matthias Schmidt tells the story of nameless individuals whose courage changed the world and marked the beginning of the end of the East German state – and of the entire Eastern block. Eye-witnesses explain how they experienced these decisive weeks. They describe fears and hopes, courage and despair, conflicts and solidarity.

Thurs, 06/10
OSCAR-WINNER TILDA SWINTON FOLLOWS THE BERLIN WALL
7PM: In 1988 the Berlin-based director Cynthia Beatt embarked on a journey into little-known territory for her film project CYCLING THE FRAME (1988, 27 mins). She filmed Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton as they followed the Berlin Wall, capturing the inward-looking West Berlin and the over-the-Wall views of East Berlin. 21 years later, Beatt and Swinton re-traced the line of the Wall that once isolated Berlin from East and West Germany – this time on both sides of the former Wall (THE INVISIBLE FRAME, 2009, 60 mins). The rhythmic interaction of fixed camera and tracking shots combine in a vibrant orbiting of Berlin, visually intertwining west and east.

Fri, 07/10
“THE LIVES OF OTHERS”: HIDDEN THOUGHTS AND SECRET DESIRES
7PM: At once a political thriller and human drama, THE LIVES OF OTHERS (2006. 137 mins, German with English subtitles) is written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It begins in East Berlin in 1984, five years before the fall of the Berlin Wall and ultimately takes us to 1991, in what is now the reunited Germany. The Oscar-winning feature film traces the gradual disillusionment of a highly skilled officer who works for the Stasi, East Germany’s all-powerful secret police. His mission is to spy on a celebrated writer and actress couple. With gradual but unstoppable force, he enters his life. Repercussions both tragic and redemptive unfold…

Sat, 08/10
ASIAN WRITER IN AMERICA: POETRY NIGHT WITH RICHARD CRASTA
7PM: Can poetry lift us from troubled times? Richard Crasta (born 1952) is an Indian-American novelist, with a strong Indian identity in his writings. He is the author of the comic novel “The Revised Kamasutra”, nonfiction and essay collections like “Impressing the Whites”; “Beauty Queens”, “Children and the Death of Sex”, and some semi-fictional works like “What We All Need”. His first novel “The Revised Kama Sutra” was published under the name of Avatar Prabhu in the USA and Germany. Richard Crasta lives and works currently in Phnom Penh. Tonight the author will share his experiences and perspectives “on cultural imperialism and ethnic pigeonholing”.

Sun, 09/10
“YOUNG TONES OF BRAVERY”: KHMER STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE
6PM: Cambodia has the youngest population in ASEAN with around 32 percent of the population being between 15 and 30 years of age. Tonight’s performance YOUNG TONES OF BRAVERY features students (between 18-25 years old) from the NGO “Cambodian Living Arts”, the “Royal University of Fine Arts”, and “Bright Hope Institute of Kampong Chhnang”. The idea is to give young students a platform to express themselves through art. In our Meta House gallery the audience will enjoy an entertaining mix of traditional and modern art from a young person’s perspective, including live dance, music and readings of poetry and short stories in both English and Khmer.