The Goethe Institute in Cairo will host a screening of the dark German film Phoenix on 22 January.

Directed by Christian Petzold, the 2014 drama is loosely adapted from Le Retour des Cendres, the 1961 French novel by Hubert Monteilhet.

Set in Berlin post-World War II, the suspenseful thriller follows German-Jewish nightclub singer Nelly, who has survived the Auschwitz concentration camp but has undergone reconstructive surgery afer being shot in the face.

She seeks out her husband, who she suspects may have betrayed her to the Germans. In the process of attempting a reunion, she discovers that he no longer recognizes her, and her identity remains a secret.

Nevertheless, the husband asks if she will impersonate his wife, who he believes to be dead.

Phonenix has won dozens of festival awards, including: best supporting actress for Nina Kuzendorf from the German Film Awards; best foreign language film and best actress for Nina Hoss from the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards; and best foreign film from the Australian Film Critics Association Awards.

Programme:
22 January at 7pm
Goethe Institut in Cairo, 17 Hussein Wasef St., Dokki, Cairo

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