AIA UK FILM NIGHT - OLYMPIA : FESTIVAL OF NATIONS | 16 MARCH 2016
Fiona Mckay
This being an Olympic year, we finished the first half of the 2016 Movie series with the screening of ‘Olympia – Festival of Nations’ documentary. This is a historical documentary about the controversial 1936 Olympics, and the very first documentary feature film of the Olympic Games ever made. Many advanced motion picture techniques, which later became industry standards but which were ground-breaking at the time, were employed. The techniques employed are almost universally admired, but the film is controversial due to its political context. The documentary was a slight break from the traditional architecture films we screen, but nevertheless the grand architecture of the Olympic Stadium (Olympiastadion) built for propaganda purposes is clearly visible, as well as the historical context of early Olympics with no sponsors and amateur athletes to name but a few. The Olympiastadion Berlin has gone through some renovations since, and is still in use today.
Many thanks to all those who attended! We look forward to seeing you at our next screening this Autumn when the movie series resumes!
