In a city with no shortage of cinemas, SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA has carved out a particular place for itself. Founded by Malve Lippmann and Can Sungu, the people behind Wedding-based cultural project bi’bak, it began as a cinema experiment at Haus der Statistik in 2020. Now with its own Wedding location on Lindower Straße, SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA brings films (all with English subtitles) to Berlin that have had little or no German distribution, alongside thematic programmes, forgotten works from film history and screenings shaped by local collectives and communities. Their work has made them prominent figures in Berlin’s alternative film and cultural scene, with a practice that stretches well beyond conventional cinema programming. Films here spill into conversations, performances, music, shared meals and community events, turning the cinema into a meeting place as much as a place to watch films. We sat down with Lippmann and Sungu to talk about their Berlin roots, the films and histories they want to bring back into circulation and why they believe cinema still works best when people actually gather in the same room.
How did SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA start out? How did you both begin collaborating?
Lippmann: We’ve been collaborating for a long time, since around 2010. In 2015, we moved to a studio in a storefront that had a big window looking out into the street. We called it bi’bak, which means ‘to have a look’ in Turkish. Everyone was looking in, so we began inviting them inside. We started experimenting with different kinds of events, one of which was film screenings. In September 2020, SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA started in this space.
Sungu: We saw this as a cinema experiment, to explore the possibilities of cinema: as a social space for discourse, a space where people can come together and encounter and exchange, and a space of hospitality and solidarity. This was an experiment that took two years. Then in the middle of the pandemic, we had lockdowns constantly and tried to find appropriate spaces for the climate of the time. That lasted until summer 2022. Then we had to move and look for another space.
And you found a spot back where you started – in Wedding?
Lippmann: Wedding is very important for us, and always was. That’s why we were so happy to go back. Because since the beginning, our projects have taken into account Wedding as a neighbourhood and community.
Sungu: The rents were cheap, but even before that, it was known as ‘Roter Wedding’. In 1933, when Hitler won the election in Berlin, it was the only district he wasn’t successful in. It had a labour stronghold. There are all these different things we were inspired by, so we were very happy to come back to Wedding in 2023 and continue ST. Since then, in the last three and a half years, we’ve established ST more as a transnational place dedicated to film culture, a space for art, knowledge, community, to create a bridge between this urban space in the neighbourhood and film as a cultural practice. We have a five-day weekly programme, and every time, there’s a different setting, expanding the film programme with other formats like performances, musical interventions and food offerings – a lot of dinners, lunches and cooking together. So it’s very much dedicated to this aspect of exploring cinema as social and discourse space. It’s more than a cinema. We’re a transnational space dedicated to film, art, discourse – a lively space that enables access, discussions and encourages and educates people. These are the aspects we highlight with ST.
Where did the name SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA come from?
Lippmann: It came from a migration researcher and sociologist, Erol Yildiz. He invented this term, ‘transtopia’. It means a space, like a heterotopia, where many transnational ties come together and intersect. This is the kind of space we imagine and want to create: something new that happens in a transnational society where all the people, content and histories come together in a space creating a new reality.
What’s behind your methodology when it comes to programming? It feels incredibly focused and varied.
It’s not just watching films; it’s sharing much more.
Sungu: On the one side, we dedicate our programme to progressive, young positions, mostly from non-European geographies and their diasporas in Europe. But also, we’re constantly looking back to the past, with our continuous work dedicated to the archive of film history. But we’re definitely not operating as a film heritage institution or archive. Instead, we prioritise activation of heritage issues. We do this by opening discourse and space around films that didn’t have space before within film history that they deserved. We look to decentre and challenge the power structures in film history, definitely with post-migrant and transnational perspectives. It’s a space for everyone; the aspects of openness, accessibility and hospitality are crucial to us. We want people to feel themselves: comfortable, safe and able to find inspiration. We believe in collaborations and active processes. That’s why we shape the space with different partnerships, initiatives, groups, community festivals and a lot of people we invite to curate programmes. We believe the future of cinema is social, collaborative and transnational. This is how we define the future of cinema for us and the idea of transtopia that guides us. We have SİNELECTION, an ongoing programme of films that we watched at festivals that we know. Some might have had very limited theatrical release in Germany. Some don’t have any possibility of German release as they’re unable to find a distributor.
Lippmann: Sometimes, it’s also international films that are recommended by our friends who have seen them in their home countries, but aren’t known here. Because distribution structures are mostly Euro-centric, it often depends on there being a European or German co-production connection for a film to find its way into the European circuit. Often very interesting films that have innovative approaches are neglected and not seen here. Another important programme is COMMON VISIONS BERLIN, where we invite collectives, activists and groups from Berlin that don’t have a space into ours, and we support them and work together on shaping the event. If they don’t have an idea for a film to screen, we help them to find a film which fits their perspective(s). Then they’ll shape the programme with their approach, sharing their knowledge, work and ethos, sometimes with food, performances and by bringing their community into the space. A lot of effort within the team goes into these evenings. They’re usually on a Sunday.
Where do you find the forgotten or hidden archival works?
Often very interesting films that have innovative approaches are neglected and not seen here.
Sungu: In terms of archive, the current series, The Past is not another Country, best encapsulates our mission. We initiated it together with the Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum Frankfurt, and it’s dedicated to asking questions about activation of the archive: who decides what’s in the archive and what to shelve, preserve, show? This relates to breaking down the power structures which have so far dominated film history, especially focusing on both East and West Germany, highlighting the different perspectives in Germany, digging in and finding films and filmmakers within the dusty shelves of these institutions that nobody cared about and bringing them back to the community to talk about them. We believe we need to show the films again, to the communities the films actually belong to, and to open discourse and space around the films. Also, to try to digitalise and secure them for the future.
So what can one expect at a day in the life of ST?
Sungu: Hand-picked programmes you can’t see in Berlin or Germany. That’s an important aspect. They’ll get inspiration, discover something new. Spending time before or after the screenings at our foyer is quite special, as well. We named our foyer as HANE, a word meaning ‘space’ in Turkish or Farsi, and it points out the flexibility of the space. It depends on the function that you assign to it. On Friday and Saturday throughout the year from 6pm, there’s food. The concept is mezze culture, from Mediterranean to Southeast Asia. People put food in the middle of the table, instead of an individualised mindset. Everyone shares, takes whatever they like on a small plate and shares the conversation, the food, the experience. So it’s not just watching films; it’s sharing much more. On Wednesday and Thursday, we have small snacks and, on the weekend, shared mezzes. Sunday, we’ll usually have a pot cook where people can sell more complex dishes to go towards fundraising for their projects or causes.
Lippmann: It’s live every day. We’re like a theatre in that sense. Everyone involved plays their role each night and makes it the best each night. The team is incredible, and it wouldn’t be possible without them. It’s exhausting, but after the summer break, everyone is back energised for this season. By keeping ourselves independent we can do what we do: work for communities. Things are being cut so much now. It’s important we stay together, support each other and show solidarity. We need to all keep our power up for Berlin and the Berliners! Keep Berlin how we love it!
Visit SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA at Lindower Straße, Wedding and keep up to date on IG @sinematranstopia
