Kent MOMI is pleased to announce a new eight-week programme of screenings at the museum. The screenings, collectively entitled CINEMA OF DESIRE will run every Friday evening from 16th August to 4th October.  See below for the intoxicating details!

WEEK SEVEN Friday 27th September

Angst essen Seele auf [Ali: Fear Eats the Soul]

Introduced by Natasha. Running time: 93 minutes

Our next screening celebrates the 50th anniversary of what is probably Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s most influential work, an unconventional love story that combines sharp social analysis with emotional intensity: Fear Eats the Soul (1974).

One evening in Munich, an elderly cleaning lady named Emmi (Brigitte Mira) seeks shelter from a rainstorm in a bar frequented by immigrants.  To her surprise, the jukebox plays a 1920s Schlager, and Ali, a handsome Moroccan migrant worker (El Hedi ben Salem), asks her to dance ... They unexpectedly fall in love and get married, to the shock of their families, friends and colleagues.  However, this brave, tender and fragile romance soon faces the harsh realities of racism and ageism.

Around 1971, when he was already a cinephile and prolific filmmaker, Fassbinder discovered Douglas Sirk, a German émigré known for infusing classy Hollywood melodramas with hard-hitting criticism.  Fear Eats the Soul harnesses the same emotional power to reveal the fascist thinking still underlying German culture: indeed, it was conceived as an interpretation of Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows (1955).  The film also reflects Fassbinder’s tumultuous romantic relationship with the actor who plays Ali – El Hedi ben Salem, a Moroccan immigrant who met Fassbinder in 1971 at a gay swimming pool in Paris.

This direct and courageous love story was urgent and important in 1974 and remains so in 2024. 

To reserve places, please hit the button, below, or email info@kentmomi.org

First come, first served with a limited capacity of 30 places.

Doors open 5.30, for drinks, nibbles & classic cocktails by Dr. Natasha.

Films commence 6.30pm sharp.

Screenings are FREE to Kent MOMI yearly ticket holders, but a £5 donation is suggested, to help us keep the lights on. Museum tickets can be bought at the door, and are valid for a year.