October 2013: DW's culture calendar

NIHRFF - this rather obscure acronym stands for the Nuremberg International Human Rights Film Festival, which runs from October 2 - 9. The festival is a forum for documentary, animation and feature films that deal with the theme of human rights. It takes place every other year after the presentation of the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award, which goes this year to Ugandan LGBT rights activist, Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera. The film festival aims to address the situation of gays and lesbians in order to "set an example," said the event's director, Andrea Kuhn. The city of Nuremberg was a center of National Socialism in Germany, which makes it a particularly fitting location for a human rights festival.

Day of the Open Mosque

October 3 is Unity Day in Germany, a national public holiday celebrating the country's reunification in 1990. Since 1997, Islamic communities in Germany have also used this date to hold a nationwide Day of the Open Mosque. Many mosques around the country will be offering tours and lectures, as well as exhibitions and opportunities to mingle. The event usually generates broad interest, attracting around 100,000 visitors. Organizers hope to break down prejudice by giving Muslims and non-Muslims the chance to meet, come together in conversation, and exchange ideas. Since 2007 the Day of the Open Mosque has had a different annual theme. This year's chosen focus is "Environmental protection - mosques are committed."

Calling all bookworms

Book-lovers from around the world are expected to flock to Frankfurt am Main for the 65th annual Frankfurt Book Fair (October 9 - 13). Around 7,100 exhibitors from 100 countries are expected to attend. "We are more international than ever before," said book Fair director, Jürgen Boos. The number of events has also increased to more than 3,500 this year. All in all, it promises to be a lively affair with interesting discussions about issues like the global transition to digital products, which affects industries around the world, including the book publishing sector. Brazil is the guest of honor at this year's fair, themed "A land full of voices." Many of these voices will be heard in Frankfurt, with more than 90 Brazilian authors expected to present their work.

"Dance! Moves that move us"

Dance isn't often the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of German culture. But an exhibition at the German Hygiene Museum in Dresden (October 12 - July 20, 2014) shows how dance plays an important role in German society. The focus of "Dance! Moves that move us" isn't primarily on dance as an artform to be performed on stage, but as a movement that occupies an important place in everday culture. It explores how dance can be a way of showing emotion or expressing protest - not just in Germany, but in other countries as well. One focus of the exhibition revolves around dance rituals and ecstasy, which for many cultures has always played a role in religious practices and continues to exist in rave or techno parties today.

Georg Büchner turns 200

Ocrober 17 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of poet and dramatist Georg Büchner, a man revered as a genius in Germany. He produced famous plays such as "Dantons Tod" (Danton's Death), "Leonce und Lena" (Leonce and Lena) and "Woyzeck". His birthplace is a small village in Hesse, a pilgrimage site for many tourists and scientists from around the world. In his short life - he died at age 23 - Büchner was committed to exploring the social problems of the time in a language that remains modern to this day. That's one of the reasons the famous German poet is still in demand, according to researcher, Jan-Christoph Hauschild, who has just written a new Büchner biography. Incidentally, the most important literary award in Germany is also named after the poet. Each year, the German Academy for Language and Literature awards the Georg Büchner Prize to authors who have emerged as essential contributors to the shaping of contemporary German life. This year's award will be presented to the writer Sibylle Lewitscharoff in a special ceremony on October 26.

Music in the Black Forest

The idea of "new music" may bring to mind strange sounds that could be difficult to digest. But those who don't shy away from unusual sound experiences will find themselves in good hands at the Donaueschingen Festival (October 18-20), the oldest festival of new music in the world. It was founded in 1921 and prides itself on being an international place of sound art and experimental music. Last year around 10,000 visitors from 19 countries descended on the small town in southern Germany's Black Forest. There are several world premieres on the program this year, as well as public talks, an awards ceremony, and a student project. Festival organizers have already made an early announcement about next year's event. While preparing for a sound project that will be part of Donaueschingen Festival 2014, Danish composer Simon Steen Andersen recently shattered a grand piano by letting it fall from a height of 8 meters. A radical idea with a precise concept behind it, bound to generate interest.