German Currents – Gundermann – Andreas Dresen
The weekend before last, I was in LA for the “German Currents”, a German film festival presented by the Goethe Institut. Because I was an official member of the press, I was so fortunate to be able to visit Villa Aurora for the “filmmakers brunch” on Saturday. The occasion was a tribute to Andreas Dresen, the director of the movie Gundermann, which had been the feature film of opening night on Friday.
Cinema connects people. People watch movies together. You feel their presence and you see and hear the same things. It is a mutual experience that no Netflix in the world can create. That’s why we need the movies.
Andreas Dresen
A special place in LA
Villa Aurora is a special place for German-speaking and many other people from around the world. It is beautifully located in the hills of Pacific Palisades. But the house is not generally open to the public and only opens its doors for special occasions and for invited, long-terms guests.
The history of Villa Aurora
Villa Aurora is the former home of the German-Jewish author Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Martha. The house was landmarked by one of the Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments. After Lions death in 1958 the villa was left to USC (University of Southern California) , but Martha was allowed to live there until the rest of her life and she died in 1987. After Marta’s death USC was looking to sell the dilapidated property. A USC professor and the journalist and Feuchtwanger biographer Skierka launched an initiative to save the Villa Aurora. The association “Friends and Supporters of Villa Aurora” was founded in Berlin. It wants to preserve the house as only existing monument to European and German exiles to the West Coast of the United States. The non-profit organization secured public funding and was able to purchase and renovate the house.
Artists residence and venue for special events
Villa Aurora has been used as an artists residence since 1995. It offers fellowships for German-based writers, visual artists, composers and filmmakers selected by independent committees. Together with the USC Feuchtwanger Memorial Library, the organization awards an annual Feuchtwanger Fellowship to artists who are persecuted in their home countries in memory of the history of German emigration in the 1930s.
It is a very beautiful, almost magical place. Above all, so many interesting people have been at the villa and you feel it. I loved the courtyard and the interior with its wonderfully crafted wooden ceilings. The garden is stunning and has a few spots to rest, enjoy and to contemplate. Besides meeting some interesting new people like actors and the current resident artists, I really enjoyed just being there. Thank you to Gabi from Heimat abroad and Petra from German World who have made this visit possible for me!
