ILfest-off 2025
Join us for the small autumn edition of the festival dedicated to Italian-German cultural exchange!
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 17:00
Location: Fraunhofer Theater, Fraunhoferstr. 9, 80469 Munich
17:00 - Operazione Tokio - Narrative/Performance with Davide Schenetti and Hubert Hohlbein. This performance delves into one of the incredible stories from the time of Germany's division. Operazione Tokio is a podcast recognized as one of the top three podcasts of 2024 in the "Indie informazione" category at the IlPod 2025, the most prestigious award in Italian podcasting. For those who did not experience it, the construction of the Berlin Wall is part of history; for many Berliners, it is a tragedy that defined their lives, as it did for Hubert Hohlbein. In their performance, Davide Schenetti (in Italian) and Hubert Hohlbein (in German) take us back to that time: August 13, 1961, when Berlin was divided; November 21, 1963, when Hohlbein made a daring escape from East Germany; and October 1964, when he returned to help another 57 East Berliners flee at great personal risk. Hubert Hohlbein was recognized with the Federal Cross of Merit for his efforts as a smuggler. He currently resides in Munich.
19:00 - Maddalena Fingerle, Pudore, Mondadori / Mit Deinen Augen, Luchterhand Verlag, translated from Italian by Viktoria von Schirach. The Italian author tells a tumultuous and absurd story of the aftermath of a breakup. Gaia has just been left by her great love, Veronica. Thanks to Veronica, Gaia felt she could finally break free from her family. Her affluent parents, who have lived in Munich for decades, celebrate their Italian heritage with lavish weekend lunches featuring meat from the Viktualienmarkt and well-heeled male guests. Now, after the breakup, Gaia feels more constrained than ever and struggles to rediscover her own identity. As her yearning for Veronica's carefree nature grows each day, she decides to transform herself into her ex. She shaves her head, acquires a wig, sells her heirlooms, and buys cheap costume jewelry. Upon learning that Veronica will marry a man, she also forces herself to pay attention to an old admirer. But who will she become once her transformation is complete? Impulsive and angry, yet overwhelmed and obsessive, Maddalena Fingerle showcases her literary talent and paints a vibrant portrait of a young woman.
Maddalena Fingerle, born in Northern Italy in 1993, studied German and Italian studies in Munich and currently works as a research associate at LMU. Her debut novel, Lingua madre (translated as Mother Tongue, Folio Verlag), has won several awards. Fingerle lives near Munich.
Moderation: Viktoria von Schirach in Italian and German.
The ILfest - Italian Literature Festival Munich is organized by Elisabetta Cavani/ItalLIBRI and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, under the patronage of the Italian Consulate General in Munich.
For more information, visit www.ilfest.de