WORLD PREMIER:
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
Kino Lux am Zoo, Halle (Saale)
8:15 p.m.
Can the birthplace of Baroque-Era composer George Fredric Handel benefit from its rich cultural heritage while shaking off past mistakes? In the first international documentary about Halle on the Saale made in decades, filmmaker Troy J.S. Goffin shows how cities can redefine their identities to stay viable.
In Halle: Handel's City on the Saale (2011, Infinnitor Films, 70 minutes), Goffin takes viewers on a cinematic odyssey from the city's colorful history as one of the region's top-producing salt hubs up to its turbulent present as it struggles to reclassify itself.
The wide appeal of the film involves the idea that towns all over the world must regularly refocus efforts and better coordinate resources to remain competitive. Recent socio-economic upheavals clearly demonstrate that previous achievements do not always guarantee future victories.
The film's intended audiences are municipal leaders, community activists, and residents of towns like Halle with longstanding cultural merits. The peculiar connections Goffin finds between such topics as George Fredric Handel and Halle's French immigrants will surprise many viewers:
- How Halle can rightfully claim to be the city of Handel against formidable competition from Rome, Hamburg, and London
- An ancient guild of salt workers, known as the Halloren, and its rich traditions from which the city continues to prosper
- Renown humanitarian and Handel contemporary August Hermann Francke's legacy in Halle and what it means to the city's future
One highly controversial aspect of Goffin's film is the suggested demolition of a raised city thoroughfare from the communist era whose removal would allow the Francke Foundation to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Towns everywhere with cultural distinctions face similar tough choices when deciding their futures.
The film uses dynamic metaphorical animated sequences to highlight significant passages in the storyline, rather than the static "talking head"-style commonly found in such programs. Using highly detailed archival material, Goffin's film comes to life in ways not typical to documentaries.
Following the film's October 2011 world premier in Halle, the film goes onto the international film festival circuit.