Lecture
Professor David Peimer
Saturday 18.04.2026
Professor David Peimer
Portrayals of Berlin in Films during Iconic Eras
Saturday 18.04.2026
How to watch
This lecture starts on 18 April at 5:00pm (UK).
Summary
Berlin. The city conjures up images from the remarkable to the terrifying. History, culture, and world-changing events clash when we imagine this truly unique city. Join us as we delve into films which capture Berlin in all its glory and grotesqueness in the postwar era. Films explored include Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies (a 2015 Cold War thriller), Goodbye Lenin! (a bittersweet 2003 comedy about a son trying to hide the fall of the Wall from his frail, nostalgic mother), Downfall (2004, Hitler’s final days in the bunker), and Germany in Autumn (1978, the great director Fassbinder and his mother argue about Berlin’s extreme divisions during iconic eras).
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre in the UK. He has worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, New York University (Global Division) and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has most recently directed Dame Janet Suzman in his own play, Joanna’s Story, at London Jewish Book Week. He has published numerous books, including Armed Response: Plays from South Africa and the digital book Theatre in the Camps. He is on the board of the Pinter Centre (London), and has been involved with the Mandela Foundation, Vaclav Havel Foundation and directed a range of plays at Mr Havel’s Prague theatre.