Hartmut Bitomsky

Hartmut Bitomsky (*Bremen, 1942) enrolled at the FRG’s pioneering film school, the German Film and Television Academy (dffb), at its inception in 1966, together with other now renowned figures such as Harun Farocki and Helke Sander. In 1968, he and other students were expelled after engaging in political protests against the university administration. Bitomsky repeatedly collaborated with Farocki and specialised in essay and documentary films, including works on Humphrey Jennings, John Ford or the German film studio UFA and, most famously, the three documentaries that have been labelled the “German Trilogy”. In the 1970s and 80s, he heavily contributed to the seminal magazine “Filmkritik”. After lecturing at the California Institute of the Arts, Bitomsky returned to dffb as its director (2006-09).