Casting
UW Cinematheque 821 University Ave., UW Vilas Hall, Room 4070, Madison, Wisconsin
press release: Germany | 2017 | DCP | 91 min. | German with English subtitles
Director: Nicolas Wackerbarth
Cast: Judith Engel, Andreas Lust, Milena Dreissic
While casting for a television remake (with partial gender reversal) of Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, director Vera (Engel) coolly plays emotional games with her potential female leads and, in particular, with actor Gerwin (Lust). Invoking other great films about the filmmaking process including Truffaut’s Day for Night and Fassbinder’s Beware of a Holy Whore, Casting is “every bit as complex in its mapping of the emotional dynamics between volatile artists and wannabes, every bit as funny, engaging and, here and there, wrenching” (David Hudson, Fandor).
Premiere Showcase is the Cinematheque’s effort to bring the boldest and most exciting new cinema back to the big screen. Crafted with the same curatorial acuity we bring to our repertory series, Premiere Showcase presents exciting new work by contemporary directors that would otherwise have no theatrical venue in the area. Our selections for this calendar include two acclaimed films from this year’s Sundance Film Festival: the Zellner Brothers’ Western comedy Damsel and Panos Cosmatos’ visionary revenge fantasy Mandy, starring a delightfully unhinged Nicolas Cage. Also in September, Casting is a new German movie that exposes the sometimes harmful casting process for a remake of a Fassbinder classic. Plus, Egyptian filmmaker Tamer El Said will appear in person to discuss his meta-film about filmmaking In the Last Days of the City, and our annual collaboration with Madison’s Asian-American Media Spotlight brings two films to the Cinematheque: Miao Wang’s documentary Maineland and the contemplative drama August at Akiko’s.
All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.