‘What remains of a film-viewing experience? The stars, the story or a stirring scene? Perhaps for many, it is the music that makes the deepest impact.’
(Albrecht Dümling: ‘Die richtige Konstellation’, in: Kino. Movie. Cinéma. 100 Jahre Film. 24 Bilder einer Ausstellung, eds. Jacobsen/Prinzler/Sudendorf, Berlin 1995)
This project explores the triad of seeing music films, talking about music films and actually making music (in films). The impressive achievements of artists and groups and the diverse experiments of innovators and audio-visual researchers in the area of music films are explored over a period of fourteen days in vertically and horizontally structured thematic blocks.
There is more to the term ‘music film’ – a hybrid species per se – than meets the eye. Films, as we understand them, don’t want to overpower their viewers or manipulate them. They are authentic, honest, not corrupt. That is why they are timeless. And they show that all over the world there are top-class artists – directors, screenwriters, composers – who try to congenially fuse musical content and film, which sometimes means counterpoising them.
Areas of upheaval and aesthetic renewal, which are highlighted in this programme; the formulation of new approaches; the coming together of material from different periods and hemispheres that have not yet been presented in a single context: this is an experience to which the 11th Berlin Music-Film Marathon would like to contribute.
Selected feature films and documentaries, e-films (experimental films), Art Brut films, ‘cursed’ films (films maudit), outsider films and art-house films will provide an insight into the creative achievements of those who set standards with their work.
A comprehensive programme block with works by and about the pioneer of electronic Oskar Sala has been prepared by Daniel Meiller, Oliver Rauch, Ingo Rudloff, Wolfgang Seidel and myself.
Our guests: Peter Badge (photographer and book author), Frank Behnke (film maker and musician), Albrecht Dümling (musicologist and author), Bettina Ehrhardt (director and screenwriter), Rudi Flatow (Cinecontract), Fuzzy (composer and electronic music pioneer), Folkmar Hein (engineer and previously head of the Electronic Studios at the Technische Universität Berlin), Frank Hentschel (musicologist and book author),Theo Janssen (film maker), Andree Korphys (media artist), Markus Löffler (media artist), Henning Lohner (director and composer), Juliane Lorenz (film maker and president of the Fassbinder Foundation), Daniel Meiller (film maker and technical head of the film department at the Deutsche Kinemathek), Elfi Mikesch (tbc, camera woman and director), Heiner Mühlenbrock (photographer and film maker), Hugo Niebeling (director, screenwriter and producer), Oliver Rauch (film maker and lecturer), Ingo Rudloff (film maker and lecturer), Ulrich Rützel (music producer and publisher), Frank Scheffer (music film director), Carsten Schmidt (Musical Instrument Museum Berlin), Irmin Schmidt (composer and producer),Dieter Schnebel (composer and writer about music), Wolfgang Seidel (musician, graphic designer and writer about music), Christian Braad Thomsen (film maker and producer), Costis Zouliatis (musicologist, composer and film maker). I would like to thank the Capital Cultural Fund in Berlin, our host the Martin-Gropius-Bau, our sponsors and the whole team for all their support.
Helma Schleif / 2012
Organizer: Take Off Productions