Cinema Metropolis: The Prototype City | London, Rome, Paris, Berlin (Prologue)

Although Europe's major cities were left in ruins after World War II, a thrilling architectural vision emerged from the ashes. It sought to reshape both space and society, leaving the dark years behind. Thus, these great metropolises were reborn, creating the prototype for the urbanity we know today. Alongside these changing streets, the cinematic medium was also reinvented—pushing its own aesthetic boundaries and documenting urban transformations in real time.

In this session, we will journey through four major cities rebuilt after World War II—London, Rome, Paris, and Berlin. Through the cinematic lens, we will explore how architectural movements like Brutalism and the International Style offered visions of a hopeful future after years of hardship. At the same time, we will examine the warning signs that cinema held up against the alienation of modernistic spaces and the emerging new city.

Following the lecture, we will screen Four Nights of a Dreamer (Robert Bresson, 1971), which follows a dreaming young man and a heartbroken young woman drifting through the streets and bridges of Paris across four consecutive nights.

Event Schedule:

• 19:00 Hangout with Anan Records & drinks by Cafe Lev

• 20:00 Lecture – The Prototype City

• 21:00 Film Screening: Four Nights of a Dreamer (Robert Bresson, France, 1971, 87 mins) 

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Notes:

• Unassigned seating; alternative seating arrangements

• Early arrival is recommended to secure a spot when doors open

• Registration is available for individual events; sessions can be attended independently

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Speaker: Shani Kiniso, Film Researcher and Critic

Content Development: Moran Navon, Content Manager at Liebling Haus

This event is a collaboration between the Liebling Haus (one of the Bialik Square cultural centers), The Intangible Cinema Project, Devek and Anan Records.

Cinema Metropolis is an event series exploring global cities at critical turning points and times of crisis: from wars and political or religious tensions, through social and economic hardships, to eras of prosperity and peace. Each session examines different cities through the medium of film, revealing how historical crises shaped urban landscapes—both in reality and on screen. By looking at other cities during times of crisis and change, we hope to re-examine our own local space and contemplate the future we wish to shape here. Image: Isabelle Weingarten as Marthe and Guillaume des Forêts as Jacques

courtesy of Janus Films.