Cynthia Beatt: Böse zu sein ist auch ein Beweis von Gefühl

With a Conversation between Cynthia Beatt and Florian Wüst

Cynthia Beatt, Böse zu sein ist auch ein Beweis von Gefühl, 1983 © Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art

Cynthia Beatt’s film Böse zu sein ist auch ein Beweis von Gefühl (Fury is a Feeling Too) (1983) is a confrontation with the filmmaker’s status as a non-German in 1980s Berlin.

“One layer of the film is the spoken language, in this case German and English, with the awareness that for a foreigner to speak German does not yet mean to be understood. A second layer is the language of architecture, understood as a text that exposes the soul and history of Berlin.“ — Cynthia Beatt

Beatt shot Böse zu sein ist auch ein Beweis von Gefühl at Potsdamer Platz, in the immediate vicinity of Gropius Bau. At the time, the location was characterised by war ruins, post-war architecture and the close proximity to the Berlin Wall.

The screening is a collaboration with the Arsenal– Institute for Film and Video Art. It will be followed by a conversation between Cynthia Beatt and film curator Florian Wüst in English.

Film: 25 min

Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art is a research and education centre, archive, distribution, festival and cinema. With its relocation from Potsdamer Platz to silent green Kulturquartier, Arsenal will not have its own cinema until the new one is completed in early 2026. The collaboration with cultural institutions in Berlin such as Gropius Bau, arthouse cinemas and partners of the Arsenal on Location project will help to continue and further expand the cinematic dialogue, especially during this time.

Cynthia Beatt grew up in Jamaica and the Fiji Islands, attended art academy in Britain and worked with experimental cinema in London before moving to Berlin. Currently she is completing HEART OF LIGHT, a hybrid essay feature shot in Fiji with the participation of Tilda Swinton, Simon Fisher Turner and Peter Knaack.

Florian Wüst is a Berlin based film curator, publisher and lecturer. He has curated film programmes and exhibitions for international art institutions, cinemas and festivals. In 2016, he co-founded the Berlin Journals – On the History and Present State of the City.

During the event, photographs and video recordings may be made in which you may be recognisable. By attending, you consent to these recordings being used to communicate the event or exhibition.