Rembrandt has strongly influenced art over centuries. Not only through his masterpieces but also through his work as a teacher. The knowledge he taught his students was adopted by them. They incorporated it into their own art and passed it on to those who came after them. In this way, the universal messages inscribed in his paintings have also been passed on. Art that directly or indirectly bears Rembrandt‘s influence can therefore be found in every epoch of art history – until today. But why was Rembrandt such a great teacher for human kind? What makes the old master still so relevant in the 21st century? And what can we still learn from him today? Together with the world‘s largest collector of Rembrandt and his pupils, Thomas Kaplan, contemporary artists and art experts, the film goes on the trail of Rembrandt – from Leiden to Amsterdam, to London, Paris and New York – and tells the story of the great master and those who followed him. Script & Direction: Frauke Schlieckau. A Bottega Berlin Production. In cooperation with The Leiden Collection.
ON SCREEN: CASPAR DAVID FRIEDRICH. WANDERER BETWEEN THE WORLDS. ON VIEW AT THE MUSEUM GEORG SCHÄFER
Caspar David Friedrich is considered one of the greatest landscape painters ever. Almost forgotten after his death, his fog-shrouded landscapes and lonely mountains were able to unfold an unimagined effect in the 20th century. The one-hour Arte documentary “Caspar David Friedrich. Wanderer between the Worlds” by Nicola Graef and Frauke Schlieckau tells of the painter’s life in Greifswald and Dresden and searches for traces in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and on the Baltic Sea. Now the film can be seen in the exhibition “Caspar David Friedrich and the Harbingers of Romanticism” at the Museum Georg Schäfer.
IN PRODUCTION: PARALLEL WORLDS. WHAT IS REALITY? Friday, 13 January 2023, ZDF aspekte
A “truth”, a “reality” has not existed for a long time. If there ever was one. Putin, vaccination deniers, Mark Zuckerberg and his Metaverse – since digitalisation, it’s easier than ever to build new worlds, find approval and confirmation for one’s own worldview and simply block out the rest. But what are the consequences for our lives when reality feels increasingly surreal? When one can no longer agree on and rely on truths, values and norms? What does this mean for togetherness in the global community? And can culture help us to successfully counter this development? Written and directed by Frauke Schlieckau. A Bottega Berlin production for ZDF aspekte. 43 min.
PRESS: “THE PAINTER ALICE NEEL. FACES OF AMERICA” IN THE MONOPOL ART FILMS WORTH WATCHING IN NOVEMBER
The art journal Monopol writes in its “11 Art Films Worth Watching in November” about Frauke Schlieckau’s documentary “The Painter Alice Neel. Faces of America”: “The film is a sensitive approach to a chronicler of her time and an appreciation of her (late-discovered) art.” You can find the full Monopol article, here.
The painter Alice Neel: Faces of America”, to be seen in the Arte Media Library, until 6 January 2023.
ON SCREEN: MUSIC OF THE FUTURE – HOW CLASSICAL MUSIC IS REINVENTING ITSELF. 21.08.2022, 7.10 p.m, 3Sat
Opera and classical concerts are out. Audience numbers have been declining for years. Young audiences simply don’t want to hear anything more about classical music. It almost seems as if the industry has lost touch. What must the industry do to successfully save classical music through the 21st century? And if so, how? Written and directed by Frauke Schlieckau. A Bottega Berlin production for Neue Zürcher Zeitung / SRF / 3Sat. 30 min
ON SCREEN. STOLEN YOUTH. CAN WE MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME? 12.08.2022, 11 p.m. ZDF aspekte
In the face of current crises, Generation Z sees its future melting away. What does it mean to lose one’s youth? aspekte asks: What happens to people who lose the most important years of growing up? Written and directed by Frauke Schlieckau and Johannes Nichelmann. A production of Bottega Berlin Productions and Studio Jot. 44 min.
ON SCREEN: FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE. 13.06.2022, 7 p.m. 3sat Kulturzeit
“Would you take up arms for your country if the worst came to the worst?” For Maksym Rokmaniko, architect and founder of the Ukrainian Center for Spacial Technologies, this is no longer a theoretical question. He may have left his country, but he still fights for its liberation – with the tools and methods of architecture and forensics. Together with Eyal Weizman and the renowned research agency Forensic Architecture, he investigated the Russian attack on the TV tower in Kiev. Their goal: to counter Putin’s narrative with the truth. A production by Bottega Berlin Productions for ZDF aspekte/3Sat Kulturzeit.
ON SCREEN: MUSIC OF THE FUTURE – HOW CLASSICAL MUSIC IS REINVENTING ITSELF. 19.06.2022, 23.00, SRF
Opera and classical concerts are out. Audience numbers have been declining for years. Young audiences simply don’t want to hear anything more about classical music. It almost seems as if the industry has lost touch. What must the industry do to successfully save classical music through the 21st century? And if so, how? Written and directed by Frauke Schlieckau. A Bottega Berlin production for Neue Zürcher Zeitung / SRF / 3Sat. 30 min
ON SCREEN THE END OF INDIVIDUALISM. DO WE NEED MORE PUBLIC SPIRIT AGAIN? 10.06.2022, 11 p.m. ZDF aspekte
The consequences of Corona, war, migration and climate change are unmistakable. Our society is in the midst of a process of active upheaval. ZDF aspekte asks: Do we have to limit our individuality in order to exist as a community? With Forensic Architecture, Oscar Murillo and Norbert Bisky. Written and directed by Frauke Schlieckau & Johannes Nichelmann. A production of Bottega Berlin Productions & Studio Jot.
PRESS: MONOPOL STREAMING TIPS. ART FILMS WORTH WATCHING IN FEBRUARY.
The art magazine Monopol has this to say about “Rembrandts Century: Art, Market and Business”: “For her documentary, the film’s maker Frauke Schlieckau looked over the shoulder of Rembrandt collector Thomas Kaplan, among others, as he opened a box containing the smallest of Rembrandt’s paintings. She zoomed in on paintings that are usually hidden from public view. She also spoke with Baukje Coenen of Sotheby’s about the (metaphorical and literal) complexity of the paintings – and about how restorers bring their secrets to light. The result is a tribute to the Dutch golden boy, sustained by the interviewees’ love of his paintings. It’s a film that paints a picture of the era that produced Rembrandt, contrasts him with other painters of his own time like Jan Vermeer, and illuminates what is still admired about him today.”