Event: The “Odyssey” From Antiquity to the Modern Age

07/07/2026

The film "The Odyssey" brings Homer’s eponymous literary work to the big screen. Würzburg researchers will introduce the characters of the ancient epic before three screenings in July and August 2026 at the Kino Central.

Homer's epic tells of the adventures of King Odysseus on his journey home after the Trojan War, which turns into a ten-year odyssey. (Image: Fotokon / Adobe Stock)

With his film "The Odyssey", director Christopher Nolan reinterprets one of the oldest epics in world literature for the big screen. But what is Homer’s ancient original, on which the film is based, actually about?

Researchers from the Institute of Classical Philology at the University of Würzburg will give introductions to the characters of the epic ahead of three screenings of “The Odyssey” in July and August at the Kino Central im Bürgerbräu. The following topics await those interested in ancient world and cinema enthusiasts:

Why does Odysseus take so long to return home?

Friday, 17 July 2026, 5.00 pm (film in the original language with subtitles)

Speaker: Anton Glüer

How would Penelope tell the story of the "Odyssey"?

Monday, 27 July 2026, 5 pm (film in German translation)

Speaker: Dr Julia Jennifer Beine

Circe – a femme fatale?

Tuesday, 4 August 2026, 4.45 pm (film in the original language with subtitles)

Speaker: Johannes Kern

Further information

The introductions will be held in German. Those interested can attend the introductions with valid cinema tickets. Tickets can be booked via the website of Kino Central im Bürgerbräu (Frankfurter Straße 87, 97082 Würzburg).

The event series ‘The “Odyssey” From Antiquity to the Modern Age’ is the result of a collaboration between the Institute of Classical Philology, the early-career research group ‘Sustainability in Translation’ and Kino Central im Bürgerbräu.