The Ister
Tuesday, November 22 - 6 p.m.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Antioch College, Lewis Trelawny-Cassity has assigned a screening of THE ISTER as part of his Global Seminar on water. The public is invited to attend the screening for free and to participate in a discussion following the film.
Documentary. 189 minutes. There will be an INTERMISSION halfway through. Not Rated. 2005.
In 1942, at the height of World War II, Martin Heidegger, the most influential philosopher of the twentieth century, delivered a series of lectures on The Ister, Friedrich Hölderlin’s poem about the Danube River.
Heidegger had achieved worldwide fame in 1927 for his philosophical magnum opus, Being and Time. In 1933, Heidegger embraced the National Socialist ‘revolution,’ becoming rector of Freiburg University. His inaugural address culminated in “Heil Hitler!” After clashing with the Nazi bureaucracy, however, he resigned the rectorate in 1934.
Eight years later, as the tide of the war was turning against Germany, Heidegger spent the summer semester lecturing on the poetry of Friedrich Hölderlin. His lectures directly addressed the political, cultural and military chaos facing Germany and the world in 1942.
THE ISTER takes up some of the most challenging paths in Heidegger’s thought, as we journey from the mouth of the Danube River in Romania to its source in the Black Forest. However controversial Heidegger remains, his thought remains alive in the work of some of the most remarkable thinkers and artists working today, four of whom discuss the contemporary social relevance of Heidegger, including Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe, Jean-Luc Nancy, Bernard Stiegler, and filmmaker Hans-Jürgen Syberberg.
THE ISTER invites the viewer to participate in some of the most provocative questions facing Europe and the world today.
Force of Nature
Special Thanksgiving Documentary Screening
Thursday, November 24 - 7 p.m.
Free Admission – Donations Welcome
In FORCE OF NATURE, 74 year-old David Suzuki looks back on his life in a heart-felt distillation of his life's work, which offers up a blueprint for sustainability and survival.
Documentary. 93 minutes. Directed by Sturla Gunnarsson.
In Canada, David Suzuki is pretty much an icon: a household name synonymous with nature and science, best known as the host of the long-running CBC TV show “The Nature of Things” and as a pioneering and passionate environmentalist. Although he is a tad less well known here south of the border, he may be the most inspiring, charming, eloquent, compelling voice for environmental sanity in the world today. At the age of 75, he shows no signs of slowing down. This engrossing documentary guides us through his life and reveals the key events and people that shaped him. Director Sturla Gunnarsson interweaves Suzuki’s stirring and insightful address with candid interviews to create a captivating portrait of a man whose essential decency speaks volumes about the beauty of the planet he’s trying so hard to save.
Click here for more info and to see trailer.
