United States 1916Language:Silent with English intertitlesDirector:Lois WeberMusic:Eunice MartinsWith:Mary MacLaren, Harry Griffith, Mattie Witting60 min, Black and white

The young woman Eva has to support her entire family on her meagre salary. She urgently needs a new pair of shoes ... “Produced by that master genius Lois Weber” is stated on the film poster for SHOES (1916). Once commercially successful with her social dramas that challenged the societal status quo, Lois Weber (1879-1939) has been largely forgotten today. SHOES is a gripping plea for equal rights, salary justice and the right to sexual self-determination. 109 years after its premiere, Weber's masterpiece has lost none of its topicality. Maja Roth, M.A. (HBK), will provide an introduction to the film. Eunice Martins will interpret SHOES on the piano.

Director's Biography:Pianist's biography:Eunice Martins, born 1965 in Berlin, is Germany’s leading silent-film-music specialist. She studied at Berlin University of the Arts and at the Wiesbaden Academy of Music. Since 2000, Martins has been the in-house pianist at the Arsenal cinema in Berlin. She also regularly performs at festivals and cinematheques around the world. In 2013, Martins was a guest in Braunschweig within the framework of the BIFF series “Kino der Widersprüche: Der frühe Film um 1913 (Cinema of contradictions: Early film around 1913)” with Asta Nielsen films.