Ulfers Foundation Award Ceremony Honoring Margarethe von Trotta

Born in Berlin, Margarethe von Trotta is considered one of the leaders of the New German Cinema movement. After studying Germanic and Romance languages in Munich and Paris (where she encountered the Nouvelle Vague and the films of Ingmar Bergman), von Trotta pursued a career in acting, working closely with Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Volker Schlöndorff. Starting with her first independent directorial effort, THE SECOND AWAKENING OF CHRISTA KLAGES (1978), von Trotta’s filmography lists numerous critically-acclaimed titles, including: MARIANNE & JULIANE (1981), which won the Golden Lion in Venice; ROSA LUXEMBURG (1986) and LOVE AND FEAR (1988) both of which were nominated for the Palme d'Or in Cannes; L‘AFRICANA (1990), which was nominated for the Golden Lion in Venice; ROSENSTRASSE (2003), which earned actor Katja Riemann the Coppa Volpi Award in Venice; and HANNAH ARENDT (2012), which won the German Film Award. Her first feature documentary SEARCHING FOR INGMAR BERGMAN (2018) celebrated its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Film and Media Scholar Professor Stefanie Diekmann (University of Hildesheim) will speak about Margarethe von Trotta's films. The laudatio will be given by screenwriter Pamela Katz (New York University).

Pamela Katz is a screenwriter whose most notable works are films made in collaboration with the legendary director Margarethe von Trotta, including Rosenstrasse, The Other Woman and Hannah Arendt, which received international acclaim and was selected as one of the New York Times’ Top Ten Films of 2013. She has also published a non-fiction book with Nan A. Talese/Doubleday about the collaboration of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, titled The Partnership: Brecht, Weill, Three Women and Germany on the Brink. Pamela Katz teaches screenwriting at the NYU/Tisch Graduate School of Film.

Stefanie Diekmann is Professor of Film and Media Studies at Hildesheim University in Germany. Her ongoing research interests are the intermedia relations of images (both photographic and filmic) and the representation of media in fiction and non-fiction film. Her current work focuses on documentary film with a particular interest in interview situations. Recent publications include: "Backstage" (Berlin: Kadmos 2013), "Six Feet Under" (Berlin: diaphanes 2014) and "Die andere Szene" (ed., Berlin: Theater der Zeit 2014).

Additional remarks by:

Linda G. Mills (New York University)

Elisabeth Strowick (New York University)

Friedrich Ulfers (New York University)

Juliane Camfield (Deutsches Haus at NYU)

This is the inaugural Ulfers Foundation Award, presented by the New York University Department of German in recognition of an individual whose achievements have served to promote and highlight German culture and history.  This award is endowed with a $5000 grant. 

Friedrich Ulfers is Associate Professor of German at New York University, in the past he also served as Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Science, the German Department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dean of the NYU in Berlin Summer Program and Director of Deutsches Haus at NYU. He teaches courses in German and Comparative Literature that engage a range of interests, including literary theory, continental philosophy, and the relationships between science, literature, and philosophy.

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This event is hosted by Deutsches Haus at NYU and the Department of German.