Director of Goethe-Institut China works to bridge China, Germany through art

Audiences for the Festival of German Cinema 2023 in Goethe-Institut in Beijing Photo:Courtesy of Goethe-Institut in Beijing

With the premiere of a German film that depicts a moving family story, the Festival of German Cinema 2023 recently debuted at the Goethe-Institut in Beijing. 

Including the November film event, the Institute, an open hub providing local Chinese with a taste of German culture, has managed to launch several other programs in 2023 aimed at promoting a better understanding between the two countries through what Robin Mallick, the head of the Institute, called the "diversity of art." 


A taste of German culture 

Including the festival's opening film When Will It be Again Like It Never Was Before directed by Sonja Heiss, a total of 12 productions are being screened for audiences free of charge at the Goethe Institute from November 18-26.  

The 12 pictures are distinctive in terms of both genres and stories. One of Mallick's favorites, documentary The Forest Maker narrates a story of environmental issues involving farmholders in Africa and an agronomist named Tony Rinaudo. The film was directed by Volker Schlöndorff, a critical figure in Germany avant-garde cinema. The film came out in 2021, when the director was 82 years old. 

Dancing Pina, the festival's another production, pays tribute to German dancer Pina Bausch. Drama film In a Land That No Longer Exits highlights the socio-cultural complex of East Germany epitomized by a model's journey in the fashion industry. 

While these films do not focus on "Germany" per se, they still vividly depict the "personality" of contemporary German cinema, giving an interpretation of universal topics such as environmental change, family relationships and individual and collective identities.  

Mallick told the Global Times that he expects Chinese audiences to see the openness and diversity of German culture through these productions. 

An annual event hosted by Goethe-Institut China, the film festival this year is atypical since two sessions have been launched in one year. Besides the current festival, another Festival of German Cinema 2023 was held in March to capitalize on the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in China. 

Mallick told the Global Times that he could see the changes brought by COVID-19 every day, but he never thought about leaving his position in China. 

"I thought this is once in a life time opportunity that I definitely didn't want to miss," Mallick told the Global Times. 

Robin Mallick, the director of the Goethe-Institut in Beijing Photo:Courtesy of Goethe-Institut in Beijing

Prior to the 2023 film festival, Mallick's team also launched the "798 Tea House" project. The project provides a space for people-to-people exchanges on culture and art, making it a utopia for free thinking. 

Other than the "798 Tea House," the Goethe-Institut in September brought three blockbuster plays from the Berliner Theatertreffen to meet audiences in China. It also ran an artist residency program between China and Germany. Mallick told the Global Times that a German artist who is fascinated with Chinese opera culture has had an opportunity to come to Beijing, the home to Peking Opera through the program. 

"I think it's very important to have a thorough impression [about a particular culture or country]," Mallick said, adding that second-hand information is not sufficient to see the full reality of a matter. 

"I think so far everyone, who after four years has had the chance to come to China, for example, has been extremely impressed about the complex realities of life and that I think you can only get to see and to understand things once you come here to China," he said.

Although Mallick is still at an explorative stage in his job in Beijing since he first started in September 2022, his first experience with China took place a long time ago in 2008, when Mallick visited Shanghai for the very first time. He was surprised by the fast-developing modernity of the city and saw its vibrant cultural scenes. 

Mallick said that "China is an extremely exciting country" for him.  

Visitors for the 798 Tea House project at the Goethe-Institut in Beijing Photo:Courtesy of Goethe-Institut in Beijing