About the Festival
Dear Audience,
For a long time, Berlin was considered a place where exiles from all over the world could find refuge, where artists in particular and with them the city itself could continue to reinvent themselves. In the first edition of “Performing Exiles” in 2023, Berlin was still able to claim to be a capital city for exiles, however, this status is currently being eroded. The last two years have been dominated by conflict, political polarisation and different sides boycotting each other. People who have settled in Berlin in search of freedom and made their livelihoods here, are now asking themselves whether the city can go on offering them freedom. And how can anyone work as an artist if they are constantly having to fight to be accepted within society?
“Performing Exiles” addresses these questions. The festival offers more than an answer: it creates a platform for diverse perspectives – for the voices, stories and visions of diasporic artists who may occupy contradictory positions while simultaneously giving each other hope:
The film director Mohammad Rasoulof, a refugee from Tehran, will develop a world premiere for the festival, “Destination: Origin”. The theatre-maker Tamara Trunova will present her new play “Confronting the Shadow”, which she is producing between Kyiv and Berlin. The director Mario Banushi, who was born in Tirana and grew up in Athens, presents his internationally acclaimed non-verbal production “Goodbye, Lindita” and in the new theatre work “Four Walls and a Roof”, the directing duo from Beirut/ Berlin Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué link their own experiences of exile with those of Bertolt Brecht.
With the performance marathon “100° Diaspora” we will present 45 works by diasporic artists on three successive days. The many responses to the open call for “100° Diaspora” can be viewed as an important sign of the importance of this platform as they make clear just how urgently artists need performance opportunities.
“Performing Exiles” remains a festival that delights in experimentation, a home for encounters and artistic exchange and negotiation. At the present time we especially look forward to your curiosity and your openness and to sharing experiences of an intensive and exciting festival.
Your Performing Exiles Team