The Austin College German Program will host Austin-based filmmaker Cassie Hay for a lecture and a documentary screening Tuesday, October 25. Her lecture, “The Art of the Steal: How a Priceless German Treasure Ended up in Texas, and How a Texan Told the Tale,” will be presented at 11a.m. in Hoxie Thompson Auditorium of Sherman Hall. The screening of her film, The Liberators, on the same topic will be at 6:30 p.m. in IDEA Center, Room 127. Both events are free and open to the public.
The presentation is made possible through funds received upon Austin College’s selection as a project partner by the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., for the “Germany Meets the U.S.” campus weeks program. The campaign seeks to raise awareness among students, faculty and community members of the many close ties that exist between Germany and the United States. “The cultural, economic and political exchange between the two countries fosters democratic principles, increases cultural understanding, and contributes to a need for prosperity and safety not only between the two countries but also globally,” said Wolfgang Lueckel of Austin College’s German faculty and coordinator for the campus events.
Hay wrote, directed, and produced The Liberators, a film that follows Willi Korte on his quest to track down a stolen collection of medieval treasures valued at more than $300 million, taken from a cave near Quedlinburg in former East Germany at the end of World War II. Korte began his search in the United States, then in Texas to Whitewright in Grayson County. From World War II-era Germany to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., the film takes the audience on a journey that leads to Whitewright. The film had its worldwide premiere this year at the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas.
A Denison, Texas, native, Hays earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film and television from New York University (NYU) and a Master of Fine Arts in creative non-fiction writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Hay has a special connection to Austin College; her grandfather Monroe David “Bud” Bryant was a professor of biology at the College from 1947 to 1972. She now lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two sons. She has been involved in other film and television work, including Law & Order, Bored to Death, The Wolf of Wall Street, and most recently, The Leftovers.
“Germany Meets the U.S.” at Austin College also includes sharing German foods. German House students of Jordan Family Language House will host a baking contest October 19 from 4:30 to 6 p.m., with the top six bakers receiving prizes. The campus community is invited to the coffee and cake event.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.