Vol. XIII (2007), no 20 - The International Newsletter of Communist ...

The International Newletter of Communist Studies Online XIII (2007), no 20 200
New Film on the Katyn Massacre by Andrzej Wajda in Production.
The internationally acknowledged film director Andrzej Wajda is currently working on a new
movie under the title "Post Mortem - Opowiesc Katynska". The filming of this movie,
dedicated to the massacre of Polish officers by Soviet troops in Katyn, has started in October
2006, the release has been announced for 2008. More information at
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0879843/.
Movie on Malayan Communist Leader Gets Banned in Malaysia.
"Lelaki Komunis Terahkir" ("The Last Communist") is described by director Amir Muhammad as
a "semi-musical documentary". It deals with the exiled leader of the Malayan Communist
Party Chin Peng and the Malayan Emergency, the communist insurrection in Malaysia which
lasted between 1948 and 1960. The movie, following Chin Pengs life and interluded with
propaganda-styled songs, had its premiere at the 2006 Berlin Filmfestival and was screened
on various other festivals worldwide. In Malaysia though, the film was banned by the
government's Home Affairs ministry. The official homepage for the movie is reachable under
http://www.redfilms.com.my/lelakikomunis.htm.
"Das Leben der Anderen". Movie about the Stasi Receives an Oscar.
The 2006 German movie "Das Leben der Anderen" ("The Life of the Others") tells the story of a
Stasi officer who is ordered to surveil cultural activities in East Berlin in the 1980s and gets
drawn to the world of cultural dissent. The film, after having a enormous acclaim by critics
and the general public, and after having received various awards including the Golden Globe,
won the 2006 Oscar as „best foreign language film of the year“.
Opera about Karl Radek Premiered in Austria.
At the "Bregenzer Festspiele" festival on August 12th 2006, the composer Richard Dünser and
the librettist Thomas Höft presented the opera "Radek", based on the biography of the famous
Soviet and Comintern activist. For some scenes, Höft has quoted various archival documents
to reconstruct the dialogues of Radek, Lenin, Trockij and others.