Cinema Niche presents: Hard to be a God
Cinema /////////// Hard to Be a God /////////// Aleksei German ///////////
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky /////////// Cinema Niche ///////////
Alongside a number of side projects such as CineKorda, Queer Days and Celluloid Nights, the original Cinema Niche series will be given a new impetus in early 2025, as we realise a long-cherished dream: we will be screening in Hungary three times (twice in Budapest, once in Pécs) the 2013 film Hard to Be a God, directed by Aleksei German and based on the novel by the Strugatsky brothers, and directed by the stars of twentieth-century science fiction literature. German, one of the most original filmmakers in Russian cinema (My friend Ivan Lapsin; Khrustalev, my car!), worked on the film for several decades, which was finally completed after his death by his writing partner and wife Svetlana Karmalita and his son Aleksei German Jr. The novel was also published in Hungary in the 1970s, but is best known for its adaptation by Kornél Mundruczó, who adapted it into an award-winning play with the Proton Theatre team throughout Europe.
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Buy tickets:
https://puskinmozi.hu/.../cinema-niche-bemutatja-nehez...
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🎬 Date: 10 January 2025, Friday 19:00
🎬 Venue: Puskin Cinema / Metropolis Hall
🎬 Ticket price: 4000 ft
🎬 Length: 177 minutes
🎬 Projection language: original Russian text with Hungarian subtitles
🎬 IMDB: imdb.com/title/tt2328813/
🎬 Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/film/hard-to-be-a-god/
Schedule
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An extraordinary vision, the epic and fantastical swan song of the late Russian film giant Alexei German, reveals a world where the Renaissance never happened. Adapted from the cult sci-fi novel by the writing duo Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, who co-wrote the novel and screenplay for Tarkovsky's Stalker, the film is set on an alien planet wallowing in the cruelty and misery of a never-ending Middle Ages. From Earth, a team of secret scientists, including the protagonist Don Rumata (Leonid Yarmolnik), arrive on this distant world to observe, but not to interfere. German's most ambitious, final project took decades to complete; he wrote the first script in 1968, shot the film between 2000 and 2006, and had been in post-production for several years when he tragically passed away in 2013. On the film's stunning canvas of grime and chaos, German brings his black and white images to life in stunning detail - evoking the visions of Bruegel and Bosch rather than the tradition of space opera.
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Aleksei German, the Russian filmmaker who is considered by his contemporaries to be the greatest perfectionist, is one of the most influential and influential figures of late 20th century Soviet cinema. His entire oeuvre was characterised by uncompromising innovation and a philosophical rigour in his approach to his work, in which he constantly pushed the boundaries of the cinematic language.His work sought to explore the fragility of collective memory, the ethical dilemmas and paradoxes of totalitarian regimes, and the mysteries of the human psyche.German's work was defined not only by the obstacles of Soviet censorship, but also by his legendary, extremely slow and meticulous creative method.He made only five films in his career, unique in both subject matter and cinematic language.His last masterpiece was Hard to Be a God.
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Niche?Cinema Niche?Wtf?
CINEMA NICHE (nís) is a series of screenings of contemporary films not shown in cinemas in Hungary, with Hungarian subtitles.We are looking for curious people to whom we can bring contemporary masterpieces seen at international festivals and other personal favourites.We help to draw attention in the noise to film experiences that would be a shame to miss for anyone interested in the development of this art form or who just loves to watch special and memorable films.
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Previous screenings of the series:
01. Pablo Larraín / The Club
02. Jia Zhangke / A Touch of Sin
03. Carlos Reygadas / Our Time
04. Apichatpong Weerasethakul / Memoria
05. Gaspar Noé / Vortex
06. Terrence Malick / A Hidden Life
07. Riley Keough & Gina Gammell / War Pony
08. Albert Serra / Pacifiction
09. Hong Sang-soo / The Day He Arrives & The Woman Who Ran
10. Hu Bo / An Elephant Sitting Still
11. Radu Jude / Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
12. Wim Wenders / Anselm 3D
The programme is supported by the Hungarian Ant and the NKA.
Graphic design by Bercel Hegyessy.