Brussels, 09/21/2017

5th ‘UFA Film Nights’ Start in Brussels

Today marks the start of the "UFA Film Nights" in Brussels, organized for the fifth time by Bertelsmann, the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts, and Cinematek. For cinephiles, the festival provides an opportunity to (re)discover masterpieces of silent cinema accompanied by live music, until Saturday. On the agenda this year: a previously unreleased score that will accompany "Der letzte Mann" (The Last Laugh) with the sound of the freshly restored Organ in Henry Le Boeuf Hall; DJ Jeff Mills, who will accompany the movie "Paris qui dort"; and the Trio Grande for Buster Keaton’s "Our Hospitality" in a session for young audiences.

The festival is sponsored and organized by Bertelsmann. The media company first introduced the "UFA Film Nights" in Berlin in 2011 to make early masterpieces of European cinematography accessible to a broad public. The best way to do so: bring them back onto the screens. The festival soon garnered international acclaim as well, with "UFA Film Nights" drawing enthusiastic film lovers in Brussels, Madrid, Paris, and New York.

This year, the Brussels edition of the festival opens with a monument of German cinema, "Der letzte Mann" (The Last Laugh) by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (1924). It will be accompanied by a score especially composed for the occasion by the Franco-Swiss composer Karol Beffa, on the freshly restored organ. The next day, be the celebrated DJ Jeff Mills will set the mood in Hall M by accompanying the movie of his choice: "Paris qui dort" (1923) by René Clair. The "UFA Film Nights" conclude with a family evening featuring "Our Hospitality" (1923) by Buster Keaton, which will be accompanied by the Trio Grande.

For many years, Bertelsmann has been engaged in a variety of cultural initiatives both in Germany and internationally. The Group’s "Culture@Bertelsmann" activities comprise exhibitions, readings and concerts, the "Blue Sofa" literary format, as well as a commitment to preserving Europe’s cultural heritage. For instance, Bertelsmann owns the Archivio Storico Ricordi in Milan, a music archive that contains a wealth of unique testimonies to Italian opera history. Bertelsmann is indexing the archival holdings to meet the latest standards and making the cultural treasures accessible for a wide audience. As a company with a long history in filmmaking, Bertelsmann also supports and sponsors the restoration, digitization and screening of major silent films.