CORVALLIS, Ore. - German filmmaker and artist Stefan Roloff will visit Oregon State University on Tuesday, April 3, for a workshop on his documentary film from 10 to 11:20 a.m. in Owen Hall Room 103.

That same night in downtown Corvallis, he will screen the film, "The Red Orchestra," which chronicles a resistance group of ordinary citizens who fought the Nazis, and paid the price. Roloff's father, Helmut Roloff, was a member of this resistance group.

The screenings will begin at 6 p.m. and at 8 p.m. at the Darkside Cinema, 215 S.W. 4th St. The filmmaker will introduce his film and answer questions after the showings. All events are free and open to the public.

In the workshop, Roloff will talk about the historical background of the group, his motivations to make this film, and will give insights into how to approach making a documentary. He will also demonstrate his technique of computer-assisted picture photo-shopping; Roloff is considered a pioneer of manipulating images digitally.

"The Red Orchestra" features the stories of surviving members of the resistance group. Their tales are imaginatively re-created by a pioneering animation technique that resembles moving black and white drawings. The reenactments are used for scenes that were described in interviews but could not be documented, such as the Gestapo agents interrogating the resistance fighters.

The Red Orchestra was a resistance group that fought against the Third Reich within Germany from 1933 to 1942. The Gestapo labeled them as Communists and traitors for their efforts to put an end to Hitler. Historians now officially recognize their work as that of one of the largest and most efficient anti-Nazi resistance efforts. Together, the resisters represented a broad range of German society with diverse political beliefs and backgrounds.

The review of the film in the New York Times can be viewed here: http://movies.nytimes.com/2005/03/02/movies/02red.html

Stefan Roloff is an independent artist and filmmaker working in Berlin and New York. In 1984, he was invited to experiment on prototypes of digital video and imaging computers at the New York Institute of Technology where he produced videos with Peter Gabriel and Suicide. He received a 1989 fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts for his pioneering digital work.

The workshop and screenings are sponsored by the German Program in the School of Language, Culture, and Society and the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs.

Source: 

Sebastian Heiduschke, 541-737-3957

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