Gat’s Film Tour: Berlin in glorious Technicolor

Berlin has been the backdrop to some major events in recent history and several notable box office movies have been set here, too. The streets and squares reflect the drama and glamour of Berlin’s long film history.

Celia Martínez, the founder of Berlin & Film*, has designed a walking tour through the city’s streets on behalf of Hotel Gat Point Charlie. This exclusive itinerary recounts Berlin’s modern history through cinema.

As Martínez, who holds a doctorate in Music and Cinema Studies, explains, “For Berlin, cinema is almost everything.”

The seventh art has allowed us to get a feel for the history of 20th century Berlin, which coincided with the birth and boom of the industry, through films on Nazism, the cabaret or the underground world of espionage before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“The Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival, played a key role in the attempt to restore cultural and cinematic activity after the Second World War.” Martínez also points out that, along with the Museum of Film and Television, the Berlinale headquarters have been established on Potsdamer Platz, one of the city’s squares most portrayed in cinema history.

The walking tour has been designed with the aim of giving participants an understanding of how and where the events we have seen on the big screen took place, and includes visits to film locations and sets, old theatres and cabaret venues. “Most of all, we talk about cinema,” says Martínez, who also recommends it to anyone who wants to “discover the city in a unique, elegant way.”

To download the route click here, and for more information, visit www.berlinfilm.es, contact info@berlinfilm.es, check out Facebook or call +49 157 34715848.

Enjoy your Gat Tour!

*Berlin & Film is a platform for the diffusion of content on Berlin and its film industry: historical tours through the city, guided visits to the Museum of Film and Television, lectures, cultural activities and publications.

‘Weihnachten’ in Berlin: Christmas Markets

Berlin’s Christmas markets reflect the passion with which the city celebrates the Yuletide festivities. Stalls and stands loaded with traditional treats, soul-warming hot drinks and twinkling lights and decorations will fill you with Christmas spirit and make you forget the harsh winter temperatures.
There are more than a hundred Christmas markets in Berlin. Here is a selection of the ones we think everyone exploring this beautiful city at this time of year should make sure they visit, and they are all just a stone’s throw from Gat Point Charlie in the Mitte district.

The best: Gendarmenmarkt

@pepbonetvallverdu

When: Every day from 26 November – 31 December (including 24 and 25 December), 11:00 – 22:00.
On 24 December, open 11:00 – 18:00.
Where: Leipziger Strasse 65
Insider tip: Discover incredible arts and crafts and savour festive culinary delights such as a warm cup of hot white chocolate or fried apples.

The highest: Klunkerkranich

@Klunkerkranich

When: Every weekend from 26 November to 23 December.
Where: Karl-Marx-Str. 66
Insider tip: This is the highest Christmas market and has the best views over the city, so don’t forget your camera!

The greenest: Eco Christmas Market

@inyourpocket
When: The first 4 weekends in December. Saturdays 12:00 – 20:00 and Sundays 11:00 – 19:00.
Where: Sophienstraße
Insider tip: Check out the organic and fair trade products while you enjoy bratwurst, cakes, waffles or vegan dishes.

The coldest: Lucia Christmas Market

@luciachristmasmarket

When: 26 November to 23 December. Monday to Friday 15:00 – 22:00; Saturday and Sunday 13:00 – 22:00.
Where: Kulturbrauerei, Schönhauser Allee 36.
Insider tip: This market, named after the Nordic goddess of light, offers Christmas treats from Scandinavia. Revel in the festive enchantment of traditional Swedish fire logs and Nordic music!

CARCAJADAS. Lachen zum Empowerment

We are glad to present the event “CARCAJADAS. Lachen zum Empowerment” under the motto “laughter as an empowerment tool”, which will take place on the 17th of November, at 18h30, at Hotel Gat Point Charlie.

It will be an evening of performances with:
Silent Rocco – pantomime, StudioIN – video-essay, Valeria Schwarz – performance installation (DE), Berlin ES Impro – theatrical improvisation (ES/DE), Paul Salamone & friends Liliana Velásquez, Ben MacLean, Jonas Imam – Standup comedy (EN/DE/ES).


Laughter involves movement, changing one’s state, a journey that the body cannot avoid once it has begun. While we laugh, we detach ourselves from any spiritual and mundane burden: the body that laughs experiments the freedom within it. Laughter is contagious, it expands itself and spreads to other bodies in which solidifies the eco of what made them laugh at first. Moreover, it is a tool with which we can shape something of our inner world and of the world surrounding us.

With “CARCAJADAS. Lachen zum Empowerment” we aim to spread awareness about the capability laugh has to empower each other, to find freedom in a moment, to create links with those who are surrounding us, whether we know them or not. And we will do so by laughing!

*“CARCAJADAS. Lachen zum Empowerment” is a project developed by Studio IN (Carla Isern, Cristina Navarro) with the collaboration of the Embassy of Spain in Berlin and Hotel Gat Point Charlie.

17th of November 2018
Admission at 18:00
Gat Point Charlie (Mauerstrasse 81-82 10117 Berlin – Mitte)

Free entrance
Limited capacity
Please confirm attendance by email: hotelgatpointcharlie@gatrooms.com
Check the event on Facebook!

Halloween in Berlin: enough to make your hair stand on end!

@freestocks

At Halloween, ghosts and ghouls return to earth to teach us all about things that go bump in the night. We have prepared a selection of the best ideas for a spook-themed adventure in Berlin surrounded by the spirits of All Hallows’ Eve. There’s something for everyone to enjoy some terror-filled fun!

For younger spirits

Family day at the Botanical Garden

@julesrsh

Where: Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Museum (Königin-Luise-Strasse 6-8, 14195 Berlin).
When: Sunday 28th October from 11:00 – 18:00.
Insider tip: Wear your spookiest costume for a day of scary stories, theatrical performances, workshops and tons of pumpkins and candy!
Event page: https://www.visitberlin.de/en/event/halloween

Terror at the zoo

@tierpark

Where: Tierpark Berlin (Am Tierpark 125, 10319 Berlin).
When: Wednesday 31st October from 12:00 – 21:00. The park will be closed to visitors from 19:00.
Insider tip: Don’t miss the family-friendly Familienroute walk for smaller kids at 12:00 or the bone-chilling Gruselroute at 17:30.
Event page: https://www.tierpark-berlin.de/en/tierpark-experience/events-calendar/event/calbase/program/event/2018/10/31/schaurig-schoene-schreckmomente-halloween-im-tierpark-berlin

For sporty spirits

Halloween-Run Berlin 2018 (5-10 km)

@halloweenrun

Where: Jungfernheide (at the water tower), (Heckerdamm 260, 13627, Berlin).
When: Wednesday 31st October at 17:30.
Insider tip: Get all the inspiration you need to run faster by picturing a huge spider or a menacing jack-o’-lantern chasing you along the way!
Event page: https://www.myraceland.com/en/germany/halloween-run-berlin/

For adult spirits

Legends, Lights & Art

Where: Osthafen Berlin (Alt-Stralau 1-2, 10245 Berlin).
When: Friday 26th October from 23:00 to 07:00.
Insider tip: Lights, ghosts and…action!
Event page: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/halloween-berlin-2018-legends-lights-art-tickets-49809513596

The Mystical Island

Where: Insel Berlin (Alt-Treptow 6, 12435 Berlin).
When: Saturday 27th October from 23:00 to 07:00.
Insider tip: This event is just the thing for anyone who loves art and terror. Enjoy the light show and glowing art installations in an old abandoned house on the river Spree.
Event page: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/halloween-2018-the-mystical-island-tickets-49788166747

The Real Halloween – Ghosts of a Lost Club

Where: Osthafen Berlin (Alt-Stralau 1-2, 10245 Berlin).
When: Wednesday 31st October from 22:00 to 08:00h.
Insider tip: Come to a “spooktacular” event at this renowned club and boogie the night away with the dancing zombies!
Event page: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/the-real-halloween-ghosts-of-a-lost-club-tickets-49887868959?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Tr(a)ümmerfrauen – art exhibition

Tr(a)ümmerfrauen exhibition
Concha Argüeso, Lucila Bristow y Maru Carranza
Vernissage: Friday, 21 September at 19h
Gat Point Charlie, Mauerstrasse 81-82
10117 Berlin

We are glad to invite you to the Vernissage of Tr(a)ümmerfrauen exhibition with Concha Argüeso, Lucila Bristow y Maru Carranza at Gat Point Charlie.

The title arises from the figure of the Trümmerfrauen (literally translated as rubble women) and the word in German „Träume“, which means dream.

Trümmerfrauen is the name for women who, in the aftermath of World War II, helped clear the debris and reconstructed the bombed cities of Germany and Austria.

With this idea, the exhibition shows the works of three Spanish artists, in their different styles, means and energy on their dreams. Migrant women who have been living in Berlin for more than 15 years and whose identities and practices are taking part of the ongoing multicultural formation of the city.

Curated by Ana Sanchez de Vivar and Lucila Bristow

Please confirm your attendance to the Vernissage via email to sales.berlin@gatrooms.com before 19.09.2018.

More info about the event at: https://www.facebook.com/events/230036847865002/

 

About Concha Argüeso
www.conchaargueso.eu

Abstraction is for Concha Argüeso a metamorphosis of objectivity through a physical and emotional creative process. Visible are the constant repetitive gestures with brush, pen and drippy candle wax. They follow the artist’s current perception, who works slowly and concentrated until the work of art gains its own meaning. In her works the essence of a form is carved out. Their forms seem to breathe slowly and, in the pulse of passing time, bring the observer to the essence of being. Concha Argüeso succeeds, in different spatial situations and with different materials, taking a substantial look at the things that spread in front of us, both poetically and questioningly.
Text by Suzzanne Wagner 2018

About Lucila Bristow
www.lucila-bristow.com

Lucia Bristow works with different media like illustration, photography, silkscreen, collage and head pieces. She takes advantage of the informative forces of the images. That is the reason why she is concerned about the cultural aspects and meanings transforming them into symbols.
Bristow converts the original photographic models and elements into minimalistic and colorful digital illustrations, in which the viewer is nearly forced to discover details in order to appreciate the metaphoric interpretations inside each image.
Themes like nature, social issues and pop culture are the basis of her work.

About Maru Carranza
www.marucarranza.com

Maru is a mixed media artist, illustrator, photographer and filmmaker, with an extensive background developing videos, animations, and web content for clients in art, architecture and fashion.
She arrived at her practice with an aesthetic sense in the art of challenge the perception of tenderness, solitude, nostalgia, seduction and desire.
Her artworks often show the privacy of the loneliness in relationships between women and places. Architectural and film backgrounds strongly influenced her approach to spatial concerns, surrounding and reflecting her self-image. Lately she focuses more on textile art, inspired by traditional crafts and fashion. She also works on commissioned projects and hosts embroidery, quilting, textile printing and weaving workshops in her studio in Berlin, Germany.

 

   

6 Berlin bookshops

@Caroline Kurze

Do you tend to lose track of time browsing along the shelves in a bookshop? Do you love nothing more than spending an entire afternoon with your head in a book? Do you like discovering a country’s history and literature through its authors and books?

If you are a die-hard bookworm, this article on Berlin bookshops is just the thing for you. Some of them even have a cafeteria for sustenance during your readathon!

The Friedrichshain district is home to Shakespeare and Sons, an establishment that sells books in English and serves delicious bagels at their in-shop café.

@Caroline Kurze

Poor and Literate, located in Prenzlauer Berg, is also a café by day and a bar by night, with a film club and a gallery. The entire space is dedicated to literature, whisky and art. Enjoy a Scottish malt whisky after browsing the bookshop section, which is called “Virginia Woolf’s Library”.

@phillipbogle

Another Country, in Kreuzberg, offers books in English and second-hand bargains, which you can either buy or rent for €1.50. Don’t miss their regular events, such as readings or film nights.

@Philipp Külker

Ocelot, in Mitte, is a hip and unusual bookshop managed by a team of bibliophiles that are mad about design and love passionate discussion, great coffee and food.

@awesomeberlin

At Tasso, every book costs just €1.50, making it impossible not to treat yourself to some good literature! They also serve great food – we highly recommend the weekend breakfast for two!

@diewahlberlinerin

Bücherbogen in Savignyplatz is the ideal place to lose yourself among its books on fashion, design and photography. You will find some of them in the huge section of English editions.

@visitberlin

We’re convinced that you will be unable to resist temptation at these intriguing bookshops in our book-loving city of Berlin! Why not bring your purchases back to the Room Room Bar at Hotel Gat Point Charlie and dive into them while you enjoy a drink before lunch?