Science fiction is one of the most popular film genres and has featured some of the most powerful images in the history of cinema. These visions of technology, spectacular future worlds, and extra-terrestrial encounters have negotiated questions of human identity, social visions, and collective fears. This potent mixture explains the attraction of the genre and lends the films their contemporary relevance.
This volume, published on the occasion of the Retrospective at the Berlin International Film Festival, presents essays by contributors from around the world that explore the science fiction genre beyond the world of American cinema. Taking the long American tradition and the particularities of the genre as a point of departure, the essays in this volume explore the heyday of East European science fiction film, the place of science fiction film in German film history, and the positioning of the European auteur film in relation to the genre.
Contributors: Mark Bould, Tobias Haupts, Aidan Power, Matthias Schwartz, and Sherryl Vint.
The volume is richly illustrated with select "behind the scenes" photographs and film images.
