Modern Languages and Cultures to host two unique German events
The Hanover College Modern Languages and Cultures Department is set to host two unique events in the German-speaking world. Both events, open to the public, free of charge, will be available for in-person and virtual patrons.
German comic artist and author Illi Anna Heger will be the featured guest for a virtual question-and-answer session at 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 26. The department will host a screening of the German short film “Masel Tov Cocktail” at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 9, at Classic Hall, room 102. The screening will be followed by a special virtual conversation with award-winning director Arkadij Khaet, which begins at 8 p.m.
Both interactive sessions with the special guests will be in English and available online.
Heger, who focuses on nonfictional graphic storytelling, will discuss their interest in history, structures of society, language change, identity and LGBTQ+ issues, among others. They write and draw their own research-based comics (available in English and German), often using different genres and visual approaches to explain or analyze. In addition to autobiographical comics, Heger publishes theoretical visual storytelling and journalistic comic documentations.
Free lunch will be available for individuals who gather in the J. Graham Brown Campus Center to participate in the discussion.
Note: Heger’s question-and-answer session is co-sponsored by the Haq Center for Cross-Cultural Education and the LGBTQ+ Center. The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Participants can come and go, as desired, during the time period.
Heger question-and-answer registration
“Masel Tov Cocktail” portrays a day in the life of a Russian-speaking Jewish teenager who lives in Germany. The film comically examines how German people grapple with their history and current views of Jewish people in their society.
“Masel Tov Cocktail” will be presented in German with English subtitles. The dark comedy has earned more than 20 awards at film festivals around the globe, including the audience award for best short film at the 2020 Anchorage International Film Festival, 2020 Moscow Jewish Film Festival, 2020 Unabhängiges FilmFest Osnabrück and 2021 Florida Film Festival. In 2020, Khaet received the Civis Media Prize, which honors projects that promote peaceful coexistence within the European immigration community.
Note: “Masel Tov Cocktail” will be presented in German with English subtitles. For advanced viewing opportunities, the film is available for online viewing through Nov. 9.
“Masel Tov Cocktail” and Khaet discussion registration
These interactive events with Heger and Khaet are sponsored by Hanover College’s Modern Languages and Cultures Department with support from the Hanover Enrichment Series.
