Night and Fog at Lichtwerk Bielefeld: Film art against forgetting
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Night and Fog: A cinematic remembrance against forgetting
On November 9, 2026, Lichtwerk in Bielefeld will show Alain Resnais’ haunting documentary Night and Fog from 1956. The special screening commemorates the Night of Broken Glass on November 9, 1938, and connects the film presentation with an introduction by film critic, author, and curator Michael Girke.
A key work of cinematic remembrance culture
Alain Resnais’ approximately half-hour documentary is one of the most significant early cinematic confrontations with the Nazi concentration camps and the extermination of European Jews. In a deliberately restrained visual language, contemporary images from Auschwitz-Birkenau meet documentary material from the Allies. The aesthetic experience emerges from the interplay between quiet, desolate places and the historical images, whose significance unfolds only in thoughtful reflection.
Between color, black-and-white, and linguistic precision
The montage of present and past creates a suffocating spatial effect. Abandoned tracks, buildings, and landscapes initially appear calm, but the camera images bear the traces of an erased history. Resnais’ painting of the cinematic space does not work with dramatic staging but with contrast, rhythm, and deliberate restraint. The German version is closely connected with the poet Paul Celan, who contributed to the sensitive translation of the text.
Art historical classification and cultural education
Night and Fog marks an important position in the European documentary film of the post-war period. The film refuses a simple dramatization of the Holocaust and instead develops a form of considering the work that understands remembrance as an open, responsible task. Its impact extended far beyond cinema and influenced filmmakers, artists, poets, and political activists. The composer Hanns Eisler was also involved in its creation.
Introduction with Michael Girke
Before the screening, Michael Girke contextualizes the film in its history of creation and impact. As an author and film critic, he writes for Freitag, Neues Deutschland, and Film-Dienst, among others. In addition, he has curated for the Filmmuseum Düsseldorf and taught at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg. His introduction opens paths to cinematic form, memory culture, and the political significance of the work.
An evening of remembrance at Lichtwerk
The event takes place as a collaboration between Filmhaus Bielefeld and Lichtwerk cinema. The artistic experience combines concentrated film reception, historical reflection, and cultural education. The proceeds from the event will be donated to the Stolperstein Initiative Bielefeld e. V.
Conclusion: Remembrance as an aesthetic experience
The special screening of Night and Fog offers an intense evening between film art, historical responsibility, and shared culture of remembrance. Those who want to experience the impact of this quiet, uncompromising documentary live in the cinema and deepen its visual language in discussion will find an important place for remembrance and engagement at Lichtwerk.
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