Culture calendar

To the delight of film buffs everywhere, March kicks off with the Oscars. The prestigious film prize, formally known as the Academy Awards, will be awarded March 2 in Los Angeles. Contenders in the category Best Film include "Gravity," "American Hustle," and "12 Years a Slave."

German filmmakers scored only a few nominations this year. German-Irish actor Michael Fassbender was nominated for his supporting role in "12 Years a Slave," and German directors Max Lang and Jan Lachauer were nominated for their animated film, "Room on the Broom." For the category Visual Effects, the German firm Pixomondo could reap laurels for its collaboration on the special effects in the science fiction film, "Star Trek: Into Darkness."

Nolde and Malevich in Frankfurt und Berlin

Modern and contemporary art lovers can celebrate new exhibitions in March. The Städel Museum in Frankfurt is featuring the masterpieces of expressionist Emil Nolde (1867-1956) in a retrospective from March 5 to June 15. About 140 works will be shown chronologically in the exhibition, including scenic landscapes, Pacific Ocean portrayals, Berlin nightlife scenes and works with religious motifs. In addition to paintings, the collection features watercolors and prints.

The Art and Exhibition Hall in Bonn (Bundeskunsthalle) will be hosting an exhibition called "Kazimir Malevich and the Russian Avant-Garde." Kazimir Malevich (1879-1935) is considered the founder of abstract art. His goal was "to liberate art from the burden of the figurative world." He created abstract forms, but in a later creative period also returned to figurative painting, the style he'd employed as a young artist.

From street art to 'Divine Comedy'

In Baden-Baden, the Frieder Burder Museum is offering its own walls as a canvas for street artist JR, whose monumental works will also appear on various buildings throughout the city from March 1 to June 22. Although street art is considered by many an artistic genre in itself, it often blurs the lines between what is illegal and what isn't. In fact, the artist himself still keeps his identity a secret. JR prints black and white portraits on massive, oversized posters - among them, residents of slums - and hangs them in public spaces, such as on building walls and train cars.

The German Hygiene Museum in Dresden will be addressing the topic of a "new Germany" an exhibition called "Project: Migration." The creators interpret "new Germany" as a country of immigration and ask, "Where can our society can continue to develop its social and cultural diversity?" Part of the exhibition will include roundtable discussions about the meaning of home, the issues of religion and migration, the sense of community, and racism in eastern Germany.

The Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art is dedicating a special exhibition to "The Divine Comedy," from March 21 to July 27. "Heaven, Hell, Purgatory Revisited by Contemporary African Artists" features artists' work interpreted through the lens of Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265 - 1321), who raised theological, philosophical and moral questions. A collection of paintings, photography, sculptures, video art, installations and performances is spread across 4,500 square meters (15,000 square feet) of space.

Literature festivals in Leipzig and Cologne

After Frankfurt, the Leipzig Book Fair is the largest event of its kind in Germany. From March 13-16, visitors can expect a diverse array of literary offerings. At the same time, Europe's largest literary festival, Leipzig Reads, will feature about 3,200 different events.

One of the main thematic focuses will be politics. The 100-year anniversary of the outbreak of World War I and the peaceful revolution in East Germany 25 years ago, culminating in the fall of the Berlin Wall, will be commemorated. This year's guest country is Switzerland, which will bring along 80 of its top authors. National and international writers will unveil contemporary works, as well as children and youth books.

New in Leipzig this year is the Manga Comic Convention. For the first time, fans of anime, mangas and comics get their own sections - both at the book fair, as well as at Leipzig Reads.

Smaller but no less charming is lit.COLOGNE 2014, Cologne's own literature festival. About 200 separate events will take place from March 12-22. For 10 days, German and international authors - including Büchner Prize winner Sibylle Lewitscharoff, Yasmina Reza, Hakan Nesser, Roger Willemsen, Frank Schätzing and Cornelia Funke - will conduct readings at various locations in the city, including museums, the Philharmonic, the police headquarters, and on the Rhine River.

Jazz sessions in Burghausen

This month of culture concludes with the 45th International Jazz Week in Burghausen. From March 25-30, stars of the jazz scene and newcomers alike will show off their musical talent. Singer-songwriter Jamie Cullum will kick off the festival. Other star performances include Esperanza Spalding, Jack DeJohnette, Patti Austin, Nils Petter Molvær, Bill Frisell und Terry Lyne Carrington.