Welt am Draht – New Master Copy

Film digitalisation

In 1973 Rainer Werner Fassbinder made a film adaptation of "Simulacron-3" - a novel written in 1964 by Daniel F. Galouye, one of the first writers to ever describe the phenomenon of virtual reality. His two-part science-fiction film "Welt am Draht" [World on the Wire] represented a new artistic direction for Fassbinder, who was supported by Michael Ballhaus's brilliant camera work. The film is an early example of their intensive and successful collaboration with all the essential elements that characterized their later joint projects.
Although the work still possesses social and political relevance, it is hardly ever shown because of the poor condition of the 16-mm original. Therefore, this project plans to digitalize the negatives to produce a new high-quality master copy. Following its restoration, the digital version will be adapted for cinema presentation and made available to international audiences on DVD and as a download. Following "Berlin Alexanderplatz: Remastered", funded by the Federal Cultural Foundation in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the director's death, the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation will now begin its new restoration project in order to preserve the epoch-making film "Welt am Draht" for future generations.

Artistic director: Michael Ballhaus
Artists: Rainer Werner Fassbinder (director, co-author, screenwriter), Michael Ballhaus (camera), Daniel F. Galouye (author of novel). Featuring: Klaus Löwitsch, Mascha Rabben, Karl-Heinz Vosgerau, Barbara Valentin, Gottfried John, Günter Lamprecht, Margit Carstensen, Eddie Constantine (F), Ivan Desny (F), Adrian Hoven (A), Rainer Langhans

Venues and schedule:
Premiere Berlin (Berlinale), 14 February 2010, 8 pm, Kino International, Karl-Marx-Allee 33, Berlin
US premiere New York (MoMa), 1 May - 8 May 2010