The IFI will be screening the lesbian cult-classic Mädchen in Uniform as part of their August season that focuses on films made during the Weimar Republic; The period of time between 1919 and 1933 when Germany adopted a new constitution and cultural creativity bloomed, particularly in cinema. A generation of filmmakers emerged whose use of new narrative and technological techniques produced some of cinema’s most formative works.

Leotine Sagan’s cult classic was ground-breaking at the time of its release. Its lesbian themes lead to it being banned from screening in the USA, and heavily-edited versions of the film being released in England and France. The all-female cast and radical queer storyline and innovative cinematic techniques pushed the boundaries of what cinema could be.

Hertha Thiele stars as Manuela, a young girl who is sent to a strict, all-girl boarding school run by the militant Mother Fräulein von Nordeck zur Nidden (try say that 3 times fast). There she meets the compassionate teacher Fräulein von Bernburg, played by Dorothea Wieck,  and romance ensues. Together they must face the reality of their student-teacher relationship and the secrecy that surrounds it, as well as the rigorously strict conditions of the school and the iron-fisted headmistress.

Mädchen in Uniform is one of the IFI’s first screenings to feature an F-Rating. The new scheme has been implemented by the cinema with the aim to highlight work written, directed by or heavily featuring women. With a female director, an all-female cast and the central relationship revolving around two women, Mädchen perfectly encapsulates what the rating is all about. Films being screened this month that also feature the rating are Kathryn Bigalow’s Detroit and Aisling Walsh’s Maudie. 

The screening will take place 24th August at 18:30 in the IFI, Dublin 2.

For more information check out the IFI’s Website.