Goethe-Institut Los Angeles

10/29/2026

Sun, 11/08 - Tue, 11/10/2026
Re:publica Los Angeles
Conference | Festival for a digital society
English language, Free admission

Exciting news for Los Angeles! Our friends from re:publica are bringing their prolific festival to Los Angeles for the very first time. Join us, the Villa Aurora - Los Angeles, the Thomas Mann House, and our partners re:publica from November 8-10, 2026, for the launch of re:publica Los Angeles.

From 8 to 10 November 2026, re:publica Los Angeles launches a new festival and networking format that brings people from Europe and the United States together in Los Angeles. Its aim is to foster dialogue between representatives of different industries and disciplines and to bring creatives, companies, institutions and civil society actors from both continents into conversation with one another – as a deliberate statement in times of great uncertainty and social polarisation. The goal is to initiate new collaborations, discuss shared challenges and build lasting transatlantic connections.

The program of the first re:publica Los Angeles comprises talks, discussions and roundtables and creates space for exchange, networking and new perspectives at the intersection of media, film, politics, technology and culture. Special venues such as the Thomas Mann House and Villa Aurora provide a unique setting for these debates.

The 2026 edition marks the starting point for building a sustainable network and establishing re:publica Los Angeles in the long term over the coming years – in particular for the 60th anniversary of the Berlin–Los Angeles sister city partnership in 2027.

About re:publica Berlin
re:publica Berlin is the festival for the digital society and thus the largest conference of its kind in Europe. Since 2007, renowned speakers have been discussing the most important issues of our time here. The programme includes talks, discussions, workshops, performances and much more on topics relating to the internet, its communities, and the opportunities and challenges of a digitised society. re:publica's participants represent a cross-section of our (digital) society: bloggers meet politicians, scientists meet entrepreneurs, artists meet activists. In 2026, re:publica Berlin counted more than 29,000 visits over its three festival days

More info, venue details and RSVP: https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los/ver.cfm?event_id=27375305

10/28/2026

Thu, 10/29/2026, 7:30 PM-10:00 PM
NOSFERATU
Silent Film + Live Music | Live Score by the Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble at the Gardena Cinema, Gardena, CA

Silent Film with Live Music + English intertitles / Tickets: $30

Join us and our partners at the Gardena Cinema on Thursday, October 29th, for a special screening of F.W. Muranu's classic 1922 silent horror film NOSFERATU (EINE SINFONIE DES GRAUENS), accompanied by an original score performed live by theJack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble.

This live performance is presented with the support of the Goethe-Institut.

More fo and ticket link: https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los/ver.cfm?event_id=27373527

SCHEDULE
6:30 PM Doors open
7:30 PM NOSFERATU with Live Score by the Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble.

Free parking is available in the parking lot adjacent to the Gardena Cinema on the north side.

NOSFERATU
Germany (1922), 95 min. B&W, Silent with English intertitles
Director: F.W. Murnau, Screenplay: Henrik Galeen, Kamera: Fritz Arno Wagner, Set Design: Albin Grau, Cast: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder, Georg Heinrich Schnell, Ruth Landshoff, John Gottowt, Gustav Botz, Max Nemetz, Production: Prana-Film GmbH (Berlin).

An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, NOSFERATU is the quintessential silent vampire film, crafted by legendary German director F. W. Murnau (Sunrise, Faust, The Last Laugh).
Rather than depicting Dracula as a shape-shifting monster or debonair gentleman, Murnau's Graf Orlok (Max Schreck) is a nightmarish, spidery creature with a pointy, rat-like face and teeth, a bulbous head, and taloned claws -- perhaps the most genuinely disturbing incarnation of vampirism yet envisioned.
Nosferatu was an atypical expressionist film in that much of it was shot on location. While directors such as Lang and Lubitsch built vast forests and entire towns within the studio, Nosferatu's landscapes, villages and castle were actual locations in the Carpathian mountains. Murnau was thus able to infuse the story with the subtle tones of nature: both pure and fresh as well as twisted and sinister. Despite the film adaptations that would follow, Murnau's NOSFERATU remains an undeniable landmark in the evolution of the horror film. Accompanied by a hauntingly beautiful live score composed and performed by the Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble, this presentation of Murnau's classic is certain to wake the dead.

Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble (JCDE) sparks new life with original scores to classic silent films including Nosferatu, The Golem, The Phantom Carriage, Sunrise, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and The Mark of Zorro, for which they released a soundtrack album ZORRO in 2017. A team of top players led by composer and conductor Jack Curtis Dubowsky, JCDE combines intricately composed material and structured improvisation.

Gardena Cinema is the last family-operated single-screen stand-alone vintage neighborhood movie theater in southwest Los Angeles. Built in 1946 and operated by the Kim family since 1976, Gardena Cinema has been part of making memories for the South Bay Los Angeles community for decades. With a capacity of over 800 total seats, many families have shared some quality time together under its roof. The Gardena Cinema remains a community-based venue that continues to support exhibition of films and movies, whether new and current or older revival titles, long and short format, and especially those created by filmmakers living in the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area.

This screening is presented with the support of the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles.

10/28/2026

Wed, 10/28-Wed, 11/04/2026
B-LA-M 2026
Art + Gallery Exchange | Berlin, LA, Mexico City Art Exchange

Various Locations in Los Angeles
Free admission

B-LA-M is a three-year art exchange deepening ties between the independent art scenes of Berlin, Los Angeles, and Mexico City.
he city-wide exhibitions include screenings, performances, readings, and tours. Explore schedules, interactive maps, and past catalogs at:
https://www.b-la-m.org/

B-LA-M is presented in cooperation with and with the the support of The City of Torrance, The Hirsch Collective, The Goethe-Institut, The Torrance Art Museum, The Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, The Bendix Building, Artbug Gallery, and Art/Space 114.

B-LA Connect

Discover international contemporary art exchanges between Berlin, Los Angeles, and Mexico City, featuring upcoming events and collaborations for 2026.

10/15/2026

Coming up today, 2:00pm!
Annett Scheffel w/ CAVA – The Year Was: 2018
Thursday, October 15th, 2026, 02:00 PM to 04:00 PM

"The Year Was" takes you on a journey through time. In each show, Annett travels back to explore a different year. What did music sound like around the world and across different genres and pop culture scenes? What else was happening at that time? And how does that resonate today?

Episode 3 of our four-part radio series, produced in partnership with dublab and resident DJ Annett Scheffel for the "Alle gegen alles – Punk@50" project. The series weaves together music and voices from both sides of the Atlantic to shed light on punk's significance, impact, and legacy in different historical contexts and its connections to today.

Tune in to dublab!
https://www.dublab.com/schedule/2qf04df19jkskfi64gee7c44b2_20261015T210000Z/annett-scheffel-w-cavathe-year-was:-2018

10/13/2026

The 20th anniversary edition of our filmmaker brunch as part of GERMAN CURRENTS was a huge success! With Tim Cogshell (FilmWeek, CineGods) moderating the panel discussion featuring Laura Laabs, Michael Kofler, Florian Baron and Bernd Sahling. Thanks everyone for joining us at the Goethe-Institut project space in LA!

Photos by Lukas Maier - Los Angeles Photo & Film



The GERMAN CURRENTS Film Festival 2026 is a co-production of the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and the American Cinematheque with the support of The Friends of Goethe, ELMA (European Languages and Movies in America), Condor, the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco, the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles, the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, Paulaner USA, Paulaner Sunset, Tupetz W**e Connection, KRUU, and in cooperation with the German Consulate General in Los Angeles, the Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V., the German Film Office, the Wende Museum, and DEFA Film Library as well as our media partners Deutsche Welle, KPFK Radio, Campus Circle, and our educational outreach partners ELMA and Creating Creators.

10/11/2026

GERMAN CURRENTS 2026 is in full swing!

Following an incredible Opening Night, yesterday’s screenings at the Wende Museum were an absolute highlight! A huge thank you to everyone who joined us.

We are now headed into the final two days of our 20th-anniversary celebration of German cinema in L.A.

Don’t miss your chance to catch the rest of our screenings!

Link in bio for tickets and the full schedule.

Photos by Lukas Maier - Los Angeles Photo & Film



The GERMAN CURRENTS Film Festival 2026 is a co-production of the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and the American Cinematheque with the support of The Friends of Goethe, ELMA (European Languages and Movies in America), Condor, the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco, the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles, the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, Paulaner USA, Paulaner Sunset, Tupetz W**e Connection, KRUU, and in cooperation with the German Consulate General in Los Angeles, the Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V., the German Film Office, the Wende Museum, and DEFA Film Library as well as our media partners Deutsche Welle, KPFK Radio, Campus Circle, and our educational outreach partners ELMA and Creating Creators.

10/11/2026

GERMAN CURRENTS 2026 is in full swing!

The Opening Night with FATHERLAND at the Aero was a huge success.

Join us for the last two days to conclude the 20th anniversary of the German Film Festival in LA!

Link in bio for tickets and schedule.

GermanCinema GoetheInstitut

10/08/2026

We're there! The Festival of German Film GERMAN CURRENTS starts today, October 8th and runs through the 13th, 2026!
Come celebrate German films with us.

This 20th-anniversary edition of GERMAN CURRENTS presents a captivating selection of films, including:
• the LA Premiere of FATHERLAND as our Opening Night film
• BERLIN HERO as our Closing Night Film
• A LAND WITHIN, the LA Premiere

We are also honored to welcome special guests including acclaimed filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski, Bernd Sahling, Laura Laabs, Michael Kofler and Florian Baron.

For the full festival schedule, ticket links and more details, please visit: www.germancurrents.com

Trailer: https://youtu.be/qttRWWWk3-8?si=tve1hDdS-vExmpCW

American Cinematheque Aero Theatre German Film Office German Currents Film Festival German Films Condor Airlines ELMA - European Languages & Movies in America Thomas Mann House German Consulate General Los Angeles

German Currents 2026. The 20th Annual Festival of German Film in Los Angeles, produced in Partnership by the Goethe-Institut and the American Cinematheque.

10/04/2026

Punk documented itself before anyone else did. 📸

Last Wednesday, Music Media Collective attended the Goethe-Institut Goethe-Institut Los Angeles’ multimedia listening session on punk as a culture of self-documentation: what happens when a local underground becomes cultural history, and whether archiving a scene preserves it or turns it into myth.

A huge thank you and congratulations to our very own MMC Board member Lorraine Petel, Lorraine Petel (NTS Radio Radio, CREEM) for a sharp, funny, and genuine conversation alongside filmmaker, photographer, and musician David Markey (We Got Power, SIN 34) and Thomas Venker of . Hearing their personal histories with records, zines, film, radio, and independent journalism was a reminder of how DIY media once connected scenes across cities and generations, and what that means now that everything can be captured instantly.

Thanks to the Goethe-Institut and Denise Brown Punk Museum for presenting this as part of Alle gegen Alles. Punk@50, marking 50 years of punk. 🤘

Swipe for photos from the night ➡️

📷 Rich McKie

09/30/2026

GERMAN CURRENTS 2026
Saturday, October 10th @ 4:00 PM at the American Cinematheque's Los Feliz 3 Theatre.

THE FROG AND THE WATER | DER FROSCH UND DAS WASSER

Director: Thomas Stuber
Germany, Switzerland (2025) 113 min.
In German and Japanese with English Subtitles

Presented with the support of the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco and in cooperation with Sign With Me Inc.

Screening will be followed by a discussion on Inclusivity in the Arts with artist, speaker, and American Ambassador on Disability, TL Forsberg, and journalist, podcast host, and moderator, Rosie Knight.

Young Stefan "Buschi" Busch (Detlefsen) lives in an assisted group home in Cologne, where his structured daily routine leaves little room for surprises. Nevertheless, he longs for change. Setting out on his own in an unexpected act of self-determination, Buschi seizes the chance to leave an organized outing and casually joins a Japanese tour group. Having lived his entire life without speaking, Buschi discovers new ways to express himself and connect with others on this unusual trip. Along the way, a tentative, silent friendship develops between Buschi and the Japanese traveler Hideo Kitamura (Kanji), a man on his own personal journey. As this extraordinary road trip unfolds across Germany, Switzerland, and Japan, a bond develops between these unlikely friends that transcends words.

Admission is free with RSVP via Link in Bio.
Capacity is limited RSVP holders will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.
In the case of SOLD-OUT screenings, a STAND-BY line will form in front of the theater.

Swiss Consulate San Francisco Thomas Stuber The Match Factory American Cinematheque

The GERMAN CURRENTS Film Festival 2026 is a co-production of the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and the American Cinematheque with the support of The Friends of Goethe, ELMA (European Languages and Movies in America), Condor, the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco, the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles, the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, Paulaner USA, Paulaner Sunset, Tupetz W**e Connection, KRUU, and in cooperation with the German Consulate General in Los Angeles, the Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V., the German Film Office, the Wende Museum, and DEFA Film Library as well as our media partners Deutsche Welle, KPFK Radio, Campus Circle, and our educational outreach partners ELMA and Creating Creators.