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Cathedrals of Culture

Wim WENDERS, Michael GLAWOGGER, Michael MADSEN, Robert REDFORD, Margreth OLIN, Karim AINOUZ
  • Germany, Denmark, Norway, Austria, France, USA
  • 2014
  • 156min
  • DCP
  • Color
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Synopsis

“If buildings could talk, what would they say about us?” Cathedrals of Culture offers six startling responses to this question. This 3D film project, about the soul of buildings, allows six iconic and very different buildings to speak for themselves, examining human life from the unblinking perspective of a man-made structure. Six acclaimed filmmakers bring their own visual style and artistic approach to the project. Buildings, they show us, are material manifestations of human thought and action: the Berlin Philharmonic, an icon of modernity; the National Library of Russia, a kingdom of thoughts; Halden Prison, the world’s most humane prison; the Salk Institute, an institute for breakthrough science; the Oslo Opera House, a futuristic symbiosis of art and life; and the Centre Pompidou, a modern culture machine. Cathedrals of Culture explores how each of these landmarks reflects our culture and guards our collective memory.

Director

  • Wim WENDERS
    Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1945. Studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and directing at the HFF in Munich.
    Founding member and since 1996 president of the European Film Academy. His 3D dance film Pina premiered in 2011 in the Berlinale Official Selection (Out of Competition) and received an Oscar® nomination. He is currently shooting his 3D feature film Every Thing Will Be Fine in Montreal.
  • Michael GLAWOGGER
    Born in Graz, Austria, in 1959. Studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and the Film Academy Vienna. As a filmmaker and writer, he moves back and forth between cinematic forms and genres. Whores’ Glory completed his trilogy of essayist documentaries in 2011. He is currently on a one year travel around the world for his new documentary Untitled.
  • Michael MADSEN
    Born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1972. Studied art history and works as filmmaker and conceptual artist. Founder and artistic leader of the Sound/Gallery in Copenhagen. His documentary Into Eternity (2010) provides a glimpse into the world’s first final nuclear waste facility. The Visit: A Film On The Ultimate Copernican Revolution is in post-production.
  • Robert REDFORD
    Born in Santa Monica, USA, in 1936, Robert Redford is an actor, film director, producer, and environmentalist. In 1981, he received an Oscar® for his directorial film debut Ordinary People, and in 2001 received an honorary Oscar® for his Sundance Film Institute work. His Sundance Institute and Film Festival nurtures innovative voices in independent film. His most recent screen performance was in J.C. Chandor’s survival epic All Is Lost.
  • Margreth OLIN
    Born in Stranda, Norway, in 1970. Studied journalism and documentary filmmaking in Bergen and Oslo. She directs and produces documentaries and feature films and stages theatre plays. Her work focuses on social and political issues.
  • Karim AINOUZ
    Born in Fortaleza, Brazil, in 1966. Studied architecture in Brazilia and film in New York. He directs fiction and documentary films and teaches script writing. His art installations have been exhibited widely. His directorial debut Madame Sata screened in Un Certain Regard in Cannes in 2002. His new film Praia Do Futuro premieres in this year’s Berlinale Competition.

Credits

The Berlin Philharmonic

  • DIRECTOR/WRITER   Wim WENDERS
  • PRODUCER   Erwin M. SCHMIDT, Gian-Piero RINGEL
  • CINEMATOGRAPHER   Christian REIN
  • EDITOR   Toni FROSCHHAMMER
  • NARRATOR   Meret BECKER
  • MUSIC   Claude DEBUSSY, Johann Sebastian BACH

The National Library of Russia

  • DIRECTOR/WRITER   Michael GLAWOGGER
  • PRODUCER   Tommy PRIDNIG, Peter WIRTHENSOHN
  • CINEMATOGRAPHER   Wolfgang THALER
  • EDITOR   Monika WILLI
  • NARRATOR   Gennadi VENGEROV
  • MUSIC   Wolfgang MITTERER
  • ARTISTIC COLLABORATION   Viola STEPHAN

Halden Prison

  • DIRECTOR/WRITER   Michael MADSEN
  • PRODUCER   Anne KÖHNCKE, Signe Byrge SØRENSEN
  • CINEMATOGRAPHER   Wolfgang THALER
  • EDITOR   Janus Billeskov JANSEN
  • NARRATOR   Benedicte C. WESTIN
  • MUSIC   Karsten FUNDA

The Salk Institute

  • DIRECTOR    Robert REDFORD
  • PRODUCER    Laura MICHALCHYSHYN, Sidney BEAUMONT
  • EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS    Robert REDFORD, Jon KAMEN, Justin WILKES
  • WRITER    Anthony LAPPÉ
  • CINEMATOGRAPHER    Ed LACHMANN
  • EDITOR    Jim HELTON
  • NARRATOR    Jonas SALK, Louis KAHN, Clodagh O’SHEA, Thomas D. ALBRIGHT, Greg LEMKE, Jessie VERMILLO
  • MUSIC    Moby

The Oslo Opera House

  • DIRECTOR/NARRATOR    Margreth OLIN
  • WRITER    Margreth OLIN, Bjørn Olaf JOHANNESSEN
  • PRODUCER    Maria EKERHOVD
  • CINEMATOGRAPHER    Øystein MAMEN
  • EDITOR    Michal LESZCZYLOWKSI
  • MUSIC    Christoph Willibald GLUCK, Igor STRAWINSKY, Olga WOJCIECHOWSKA

Centre Georges Pompidou

  • DIRECTOR    Karim AÏNOUZ
  • PRODUCER    Charlotte UZU
  • CINEMATOGRAPHER    Ali Olcay GÖZKAYA
  • EDITOR    Toni FROSCHHAMMER
  • NARRATOR    Deyan SUDJIC
  • MUSIC    Al LAUFELD

Production

  • Production   Neue Road Movies World Sales Cinephil
  • Tel  +972 3 566 4129
  • E-mail  info@cinephil.co.il