Screening of DAVID WANTS TO FLY
Information
Film and Q&A
Dir. David Sieveking, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, 2010, 96 min., German and English with English subtitles, digital.
On his search for enlightenment, young filmmaker David Sieveking follows his idol David Lynch on the path of transcendental meditation laid out by the spiritual guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. But in doing so, he comes a little too close to some of the sect’s well kept secrets. Sieveking manages to tell the story of his detective-like search for meaning in a way which is both light-hearted and deeply personal. On his adventure-packed odyssey from the Teufelsberg hill in Berlin to the Himalayas, via Hollywood, he connects spiritual experiences and bizarre observations with exciting and intelligent documentary research.
With this film the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles continues its collaboration with the Villa Aurora’s artist-in-residence program. Under the label “Villa @ Goethe”, artists residing at the Villa Aurora have the opportunity to showcase their projects (past, present, and future) with the friends, patrons and guests here at the Goethe-Institut.
Discussion with David Sieveking and reception following the screening.
Participant
David Sieveking was born in 1977 in Friedberg, Hesse. After finishing school and completing a year of civilian service, he worked as a television editor and made short films and documentaries. In 2000, he began working as a director’s assistant and small-part actor. That year, he also won the Hesse prize for young talent with his short film Nachdreh.
In 2003, he began studying directing at the German Film and Television Academy (DFFB) in Berlin, and one year later his piece Mr. Singh was broadcast on 3-Sat as part of the film anthology Asyl. In 2005, his short film Die Amerikanische Botschaft was awarded two prizes for young talent at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2007, his graduation film Senegallemand premiered at the Munich International Film Festival. In 2010, David Wants to Fly was shown in German cinemas with great success.