As usual, Cinemateket is showing a diverse mix of films that gives you a great alternative to the Hollywood run-of-the-mill dross on offer at the bigger movie theatres.

One of the themes this coming month is the early films (1923-38) of British film director and producer Alfred Hitchcock. Besides being raised as a strict Catholic and attending a school run by Jesuits, Hitch had a pretty regular upbringing. In 1920, he managed to secure a job as a title designer. In 1923, he got his first chance at directing when the director of Always Tell Your Wife fell ill and Hitch completed the movie.

Impressed by his work, studio chiefs gave him his first directing assignment on Number 13; however, before it could be finished, the studio closed its British operation.

Hitch was then hired by Michael Balcon to work as an assistant director for the company later to be known as Gainsborough Pictures. In reality, Hitchcock did more than this – working as a writer, title designer and art director. After several films for the company, he was given the chance to direct a British/German co-production called The Pleasure Garden (1925). Hitchcock’s career as a director finally began. He went on to become the most widely known and influential director in the history of world cinema with a significant body of work produced over 50 years.

In March, you will be able to see some of his earlier masterpieces, including Blackmail (1929), Sabotage (1936), The Secret Agent (1936) and The Lady Vanishes (1938).

Also at Cinemateket this month: the Turkish film festival CinemaTurca. Turkish films have been winning numerous international awards of late, signalling the begining of a triumphant new golden era for Turkish cinema. Pandora’s Box (2009), which tells the story of an old woman who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, won the Best Film and Best Actress Awards at the San Sebastian Film Festival. CinemaTurca was created in collaboration with the National Film School of Denmark and the Turkish Embassy.

And for those of you who can understand Danish, there will be a series of films by the Danish film director Johan Jacobsen, who would have turned 100 on March 14.
 

Cinemateket in March

Cinemateket
Danish Film Institute
Gothersgade 55, 1123 Cph K
www.dfi.dk
40kr for members
65kr for non-members