Archival Assembly is back for its third edition, this year under the theme: ‘Resounding Archives: The Politics of Listening to the Moving Image’. From 17 – 22 September, you can experience a packed programme of international films, shorts and documentaries – as well as workshops and panel discussions. These are the screenings and events you can’t miss at Archival Assembly #3.
Tuesday, Sep 17
Opening programme
The third edition of Archival Assembly kicks off with an ambitious opening programme. Welcoming remarks from Arsenal artistic director Stefanie Schulte Strathaus will be followed by a screening of Maria Thereza Alves’ Bruce Lee in the Land of Balzac, an imaginative short melding together the martial artist’s iconic sucker-punch screams and Honoré de Balzac’s poetic descriptions of the French landscape.
Another highlight of the event is Kassieren. Directed by Amelie Vierbuchen, Franca Papa and Lea Sprenger, this documentary follows the three filmmakers as they track down the remaining archival material about a defunct chemical factory in Cologne. Archival Assembly’s opening programme includes eight short film screenings in total, so be sure to check the online programme to find out what you can expect.
- Arsenal 1, Das Center am Potsdamer Platz, Potsdamer Str. 2, Mitte, starting 18:30, details.
Nightshift by Robina Rosa
Shot over five nights at the Portobello Hotel in West London, Robina Rose’s 1981 Nightshift follows a hotel receptionist (punk icon Jordan) through a single night-long shift behind the front desk. Shifting back and forth between moments of mundanity and dreamlike sequences featuring eccentric hotel guests, Nightshift is a cult piece of early 1980s indie cinema.
- Arsenal 1, Das Center am Potsdamer Platz, Potsdamer Str. 2, Mitte, starting 21:00, details.
Video installation: Whose Voice is This?
For the video installation Whose Voice is This?, Dana Iskakova immersed herself in the Central Asian collection of Arsenal’s archive. Exploring sound, speech and music in locally-produced cinema from the 1960s to the 1990s, Iskakova traces the impact of Soviet ideology in the region and how sound can reflect broader societal transformations.
- Arsenal 1, Das Center am Potsdamer Platz, Potsdamer Str. 2, Mitte, opens 16:00 on Tues, runs through Sunday 22 (free admission), details.
Thursday, Sep 19
Badnam Basti by Prem Kapoor
Released in 1971, Badnam Basti shocked audiences at its first screenings. The original 132-minute cut, which is now lost, was given an “Adults Only” rating by India’s Central Board of Film Censors. It’s often described as India’s first gay film, and explores complex themes around human trafficking, queer identity and modernity.
- Arsenal 1, Das Center am Potsdamer Platz, Potsdamer Str. 2, Mitte, starting 21:00, details.
Found Futures II: Political Archives
ARchipelago: Clarissa Thieme, Kaya Behkalam, Nafis Lokvica and Bengi Muzbeg
For the second part of the Found Futures series, you’ll have the chance to experience two expert talks, free of charge. Together with a team of researchers, filmmakers and archivists, the cross-media archival project ARchipelago has designed an engaging augmented reality experience and accompanying talk focusing on the war and postwar periods of former Yugoslavia.
- sinema transtopia, Lindower Str. 20/22/Haus C, Wedding, 15:00 – 16:30, (free admission), details.
A Future for AIDS Film Archives: Björn Koll, Marc Siegel
Dedicated to depictions of AIDS in film history, this discussion takes a look at how new dimensions of social exclusion were reflected in filmmaking in the 1980s under the AIDS epidemic.
- sinema transtopia, Lindower Str. 20/22/Haus C, Wedding, 16:30 – 17:30, (free admission), details.
Friday, Sep 20
Ciné-Concert & Fragments from Fi Al-Dar Ghariba by Youssef Fahdeh
An underappreciated hero of Middle Eastern cinema, Youssef Fahdeh made a number of major contributions to filmmaking. Despite creating a specialised camera lens known as the Libanoscope, developing technology used for underwater cinematography and his early career at Lebanon’s Baalbeck Studios in the 1950s, little is known about Fahdeh today. As part of the Archival Assembly programme, you can watch his 1958 debut film Fi Al-Dar Ghariba, a dramatic and mysterious work set against the backdrop of a historic shipwreck.
- Arsenal 1, Das Center am Potsdamer Platz, Potsdamer Str. 2, Mitte, starting 21:00, details.
Sunday, Sep 22
Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti by Maya Deren
Made up of footage shot on Haiti between 1947 and 1951, Maya Deren’s Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti chronicles the filmmakers’ journey on the island, documenting ritual practices and customs.
- Arsenal 1, Das Center am Potsdamer Platz, Potsdamer Str. 2, Mitte, starting 21:00, details.
Resonance Spiral by Filipa César & Marinho de Pina
In Resonance Spiral, filmmakers Marinho de Pina and Filipa César document the construction of Mediateca Onshore, a community screening space built to celebrate Guinean cinema. But beyond that, the film takes an intimate look at how Guinea-Bissau’s history can be made accessible through interactive audiovisual materials.
- Arsenal 1, Das Center am Potsdamer Platz, Potsdamer Str. 2, Mitte, starting 21:00, details.
