Molotov, WFI, and Goethe Host Screening of Fritz Lang's 'M' Today

Washington, D.C. -- Today, April 3, 2014 at 7 PM at Goethe-Institut Washington, German filmmaker Fritz Lang's motion picture "M" will be the subject of both a screening and panel discussion about the intersection of German Expressionist and Grand Guignol styles.

The event is the first collaboration among Goethe-Institut Washington, the Washington Film Institute and Molotov Theatre. Group. The screening will be held at Goethe-Institut, 812 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001.

Priority admission can be had through a donation to any one or all three of the sponsoring organizations, through the official event page: http://fritz-lang-m.eventbrite.com.

The discussion panel will precede the film screening. Panelists include Kerstin Gaddy, Ph.D., Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs, School of Arts and Sciences, the Catholic University of America; Alex Zavistovich, President and Co-Founder of Molotov Theatre Group; and Moderator Jay Brock, Clinical Assistant Professor, the Catholic University of America.

An informal reception will follow the screening.

The Grand Guignol was a French school of reality-based horror theatre popular from the late 1890s to the early 1960s. "By the time of the filming of 'M' in 1930, the Grand Guignol style had spread to many countries in Europe," said Molotov Co-Founder Alex Zavistovich. "There are numerous echoes of that style in 'M,' just as there are in countless even more contemporary films. Understanding that influence is valuable to a better appreciation of the film itself."

The April 3 panel moderator Jay Brock is the director of Molotov Theatre Group's critically hailed current production, "Normal." The play is based on the life of Peter Kurten, the "Dusseldorf Ripper" who was also the subject of Fritz Lang's motion picture.

"Normal" features Brian McDermott, Elizabeth Darby and Alex Zavistovich, and runs through March 30 at DCAC in Adams Morgan. Tickets for that event are available at www.molotovtheatre.org.

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