For those who are unfamiliar with the area, it is not that easy to find: the Casablanca in Ochsenfurt. Next to the historic town hall, a small lane leads from the market square a few hundred meters further to a house with the silhouette of Humphrey Bogart in front of the door. It has found its place on Wagstrasse since 1982. In the small, cozy cinema with only one hall with 188 seats, mainly Arthaus cinema, documentaries and artistically demanding films are shown. The Casablanca, that’s the name of the film theater, which is one of the oldest art house cinemas in all of Bavaria, is also a place for discussion and controversy.
Suggestion for discussion
Either directly in the cinema, when directors or producers are available to answer questions, or there is a lot of talk in the small pub that is part of the cinema. About the films or the topics they take up. The latest in November is the Casablanca’s program of films about food production. Among other things with the Austrian-German documentary “Bread”. For this purpose, the two cinema operators have invited a baker who will also introduce the visitors to alternative ways of making bread.
Controversial issues
Movies are shown seven days a week in Casablanca. There are more than 200 in total per year. Including productions like “The fat years are over” or “And tomorrow the whole world”, which deal with left activists and violence. Or the Icelandic film “Against the Current”, which tells the story of an eco-terrorist. The two Stuttgart filmmakers Wiltrud Baier and Sigrun Köhler, who among other things have produced a documentary film about Stuttgart 21, are welcome guests. Her documentary film “Schotter wie Heu” about the last bank without a computer was very well received. In spring the two filmmakers will come with their new film “Narren”, a portrait of a carnival club. In the eighties it was Herbert Achternbusch’s films that caused a stir.
Personal concern is crucial
But not only directors have their say in Casablanca. In the “Großes Kino” series, for example, the cinema operators defend their favorite films themselves, explains managing director Gert Dobner. The topics that specifically affect the local people are particularly hotly debated. The construction of power lines, the effects of turbo-capitalism or the integration of refugees. Such films may not appeal to the masses, but they are expected by regular audiences. Artistic cinema is above all a love of film, says Hannes Tietze.
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