Born in 1942, German filmmaker and activist Holder Bernhard Bruno Mischwitzky adopted the stage name Rosa Von Praunheim as a way of protesting against the pink triangle symbol, used to identify homosexuals in Nazi concentration camps.
Provoking Germany from the beginning of his career, Rosa caused discomfort by remembering his country's cruel past and by defending the rights of homosexuals in his works.
With the title "It's Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, but the Situation in Which He Lives", the 1970 film shows Rosa's engagement in mixing documentary and fiction to portray not only society's repression against gays, but also question the lifestyle and lack of political awareness of homosexuals to the conditions in which they live. More current, impossible.
This feature, as well as 18 films by the filmmaker – who celebrates 70 years in November – will be shown at the exhibition "Imagens Engajadas – Uma Homage to Rosa Von Praunheim", at the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center, in São Paulo, until the 7th of October.
Scene from "The Bahnhof Zoo Boys", a documentary about prostitutes in Berlin, also present in the exhibition
Fighting the AIDS virus, Rosa also produced works related to the topic, such as "Aids Trilogy 1 – Positive", which can be seen on Wednesday (03). The work features interviews with HIV-positive homosexuals from New York who talk about how they deal with the disease.
Also in the program, the story of the German sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld, who defended the emancipation of homosexuals, is portrayed in the feature film "The Einstein of Sex", which will be shown on Friday (05).
To see the complete schedule click here.
Service:
"Engaged Images – A tribute to Rosa Von Praunheim"
Banco do Brasil Cultural Center (Rua Álvares Penteado, 112, center).
Tel: (011) 3113-36511
Until 07/10
R$ 4 (DVD sessions: free)
