Rays of Light

Film and Cinema in Styria 1896-1945

28.02.-02.11.2014 10:00-17:00

Opening: 27.02.2014, 7 p.m.

Curated by: Maria Froihofer

The history of cinema and film at a regional and local level, beginning with the first uncertain phase up to 1945, resembles a cinematographic search for clues. Of the films produced in Styria at the time only a fraction have been preserved.

In the competition with and against time, this exhibition would like to develop visitors’ sensibility for the one medium that has shaped the culture of the 20th century like no other. In the context of a broader history of film, technology, culture and the times we live in, what is shown is not a complete history, rather the exhibition shifts to centre stage individual aspects and facets of Styrian film production and reception. It tells of historical events and mentalities, continuities as well as fractures, and questions or emphasises the validity of films as documents.