Goethe-Institut Washington

10/11/2026

Stream this German punk movie for free: 🌃 B-MOVIE: LUST & SOUND IN WEST-BERLIN, now on .
B-MOVIE: LUST & SOUND gives you a raw and riotous tour through Berlin in the heyday of punk.
gegenuber.goethe-on-demand.de


German Film Office German Films

10/07/2026

Congratulations to Shida Bazyar, winner of the 2026 German Book Prize for her novel Die Lücken (English: "Omissions")!
Her novel follows a village in the Hunsrück region across several generations, from the N**i era to the present. It shines a light on the silences in Germany’s past that still reach into today.

Die Lücken stood out on a shortlist that reads like a distillation of our times, with novels on war, memory, the climate crisis, migration, and visions of the future.

📖 Read more about the six shortlisted books: https://www.goethe.de/prj/geg/en/sni/27359121.html

Snippets The Frankfurt Book Fair and the German Book Prize  A Distillation of the Times Understanding the Present: The six shortlisted books offer different perspectives on the crises, conflicts, and debates shaping our time. | © Lena Everding When the literary world gathers at Frankfurt Book Fair...

10/07/2026

Film|NEU 2026,
The film festival presenting new German-language films from Austria, Germany and Switzerland!
fF
Oct 8, 6.30 pm, No Hard Feelings (Futur Drei) with filmmaker Faraz Shariat at Eaton DC

All films, venues, dates, and times: https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/wsh/ver.cfm?event_id=26179129
Austrian Cultural Forum Washington Embassy of Switzerland in the United States of America

09/30/2026

For International Translation Day, we’re looking at the story behind the numbers: Since 1974, more than 7,000 German-language books have been translated into other languages with the support of our translation funding program. The most translated genre? Contemporary German fiction. And for 20 years, the Goethe-Institut’s Litrix program has been helping authors reach readers around the world. Want to learn more? Check out https://www.new-books-in-german.com/

09/29/2026

Punk was supposed to be forever. Then punk started arguing with itself.
On one side: old guard bands like Die Kassierer, still selling out beer-soaked shows with lyrics that would've felt edgy in 1985 — and increasingly feel like your uncle's Facebook posts today.
On the other: a new generation — Pogendroblem, Akne Kid Joe, Team Scheisse — writing anthems about consent, gender-inclusive bathrooms, and FLINTA-only mosh pits.
Same three chords. Completely different fight.

Are these generational growing pains, or is punk finally catching up to its own ideals?
Linus Volkmann explores both sides in goethe.de/gegenuber/punkculturewars

This article was commissioned and produced in punk collaboration with Kaput - Magazin für Insolvenz & Pop and GEGENÜBER, the transatlantic Magazin of the Goethe Institut North America

09/25/2026

What a special evening at the Goethe-Institut Washington with a discussion about 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗖: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝘂𝗻𝗸/𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼-𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀, exploring how DC’s punk and hardcore scene helped create connections that reached far beyond the city.

And yes, among our guests were DC punk legends Guy Picciotto (Rites of Spring and Fugazi) and Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, Dischord Records). Thanks to everyone who came out and made the evening so amazing!

The discussion featured Banned in DC co-author Cynthia Connolly, KAPUT Magazine's Thomas Venker, and Fire Party's Natalie Avery and was part of the event series: Punk@50: Alle gegen Alles. https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/ueb/prs/pun.html

You can see Thomas Venker from Kaput - Magazin für Insolvenz & Pop live on September 30 at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles project space Tequila Mockingbird's Punk Museum, together with radio host, music programmer, producer, and writer Lorraine Petel (NTS Radio, CREEM), filmmaker, photographer, and musician Dave Markey (We Got Power, SIN 34).
Register: https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/ver.cfm?event_id=27355443

Glory Punk

photo 1: Ian Mackaye and Andrea Zell (Director of Cultural Programs North America).

photo 2: Left to right: PC Punk Archive’s Katie Lichtle-Mullenix, Teddy Rodger (Goethe-Institut Washington's Cultural Program Curator), VV, and Fire Party’s Natalie Avery.

photo 3: Left to right: Joe Lally (Fugazi), Guy Picciotto, Eddy Janney (Rites of Spring).

09/24/2026

It was a pleasure to welcome a group of interns from the German Embassy Washington to the Goethe-Institut Washington!

We enjoyed a lively exchange about the Goethe-Institut's work, our current cultural projects, and the many ways cultural exchange can strengthen German-American and transatlantic relations. Together, we also visited our current exhibition featuring Victor Ekpuk's work.

Thank you to our colleagues and friends at the German Embassy for the visit, the thoughtful conversations, and your continued commitment to fostering connections between Germany and the United States. We look forward to many more exchanges! 🇩🇪🤝🇺🇸

Photo, from left to right:
Melina Weigand (Goethe-Institut intern)
Vincent Schmidt-Hollburg
Raika Lampe
Nils Bertsch
Magdalena Grimbs
Lene Rügamer
Larissa Harder
Maximilian Pukies
Photographer: Nils Martin (Language Program Officer at the Goethe-Institut)

09/23/2026

Filmmaker, photographer, chronicler of a scene: In our latest article in GEGENÜBER, Robert Matthies looks back on the life and work of the late Peter Sempel, whose films and photographs captured decades of German punk and counterculture. Full story: goethe.de/gegenuber/psempel

This article was commissioned and produced in punk collaboration with Kaput - Magazin für Insolvenz & Pop — and Gegenüber, the transatlantic magazine of the Goethe Institut North America

09/21/2026

Ａｒｔｉｓｔ Ｔａｌｋ： Ｖｉｃｔｏｒ Ｅｋｐｕｋ
Learn more about the vibrant public sculpture that greets you just outside the doors of the Goethe-Institut Washington. Nigerian-American artist Victor Ekpuk installed Dancer at the corner of 14th and R Street NW, a 10-foot, bright red steel figure inspired by the human form in motion. Dancer celebrates the universal language of dance as a metaphor for freedom, resilience, and joy.
Visit the exhibition "Dancer, Still Moving" at the Goethe-Institut Washington and join us for a discussion with the artist on
Sep 29, 6.30-8pm
Enjoy complimentary w**e and cocktails, courtesy of Jane Jane.
Please register for this free event:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/artist-talk-victor-ekpuk-tickets-1995982900586?aff=erelpanelorg

Tue, 09/29/2026 – Hear about Ekpuk’s solo exhibition “Dancer, Still Moving,” before it closes

09/16/2026

Banned in DC: How a local punk/hardcore scene co-initiated a global network of like minded cultural activists
Discussion with "Banned in DC" co-author Cynthia Connolly, Kaput Magazin’s Thomas Venker & Fire Party’s Natalie Avery. They will they explore how the 1980s DC punk scene helped shape a nationwide and international network of underground culture.
Sep 24, 7.30-9pm at the Goethe-Institut Washington
Please register for this free event:
https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/ver.cfm?event_id=27339797

Thu, 09/24/2026 – With Cynthia Connolly, Thomas Venker & Natalie Avery