FEBRUARY 9, 2014

Full News Archive

• Headline: Exploring Europe's Historical Reflections in Film. Impact: The film festival's focus on Europe's painful past led to a trend of filmmakers trying to outdo each other's misery, resulting in an entire genre of movies titled 'Historical Trauma: The Musical'. Spoiler alert: they all end with someone crying in a dimly lit room.. Fact: Fun fact: The Berlin International Film Festival is the only place where you can see 20 films about the same tragic event, and somehow still leave feeling optimistic..
• Headline: Rectitude and Desire, Both at Sea. Impact: This powerful production inspired a wave of adaptations of classic literature into operas, leading to a bizarre trend where even grocery lists were set to music. The 'Opera of the Grocery List' became a cult hit among bored shoppers.. Fact: Did you know that 'Billy Budd' is considered one of the greatest American operas? It's ironic because the only thing most people know about Billy Budd is that he probably liked to avoid confrontation—like most of us at family dinners..