Il ne nous a pas fallu longtemps pour devenir des afficionados
confirmés de la Berlin Film Society : la première fois que nous nous
sommes rendus à une de leurs projections, était diffusé The Holy Mountain au Katerholzig ; et il y avait du Strongbow à boire. Autant dire que nous
sommes tombés immédiatement sous le charme. En très peu de temps (puisque n'existant que depuis 1 an et demi), la jeune association a su s’imposer comme une valeur sûre de l’événement
cinématographique : tous les mois, un thème spécifique est sélectionné et exploré de manière très intelligente et ludique, à travers un film et sa sphère gravitationnelle (réalisateurs, témoignages…).
Préférant une approche globale où cinéma, littérature et lieu se mélangent, l’association
présente une sélection d’œuvres très hétéroclite et de fait, adaptée à une
vision melting-pot de Berlin. Nous avons eu la chance et l'honneur de rencontrer son jeune (et
joli) créateur, ça donne ça :
When did you move to Berlin? Did you
know the city before moving there?
I moved to Berlin at the very
beginning of 2011, having only once visited the city for a weekend the year
before.
Why did you move originally?
I studied literature at the
University of Manchester and didn’t feel finished with my studies at that
point, so I had intended to do an MA in one of three cities: New York, Tokyo,
or Berlin. For numerous reasons, Berlin made the final cut!
Did you plan from the beginning to
stay for a while, or did the city just get into your skin?
The MA programme here is 2 years, so
I knew I’d be here at least that long.
Hard to choose, but what do you prefer
about the city?
The architecture, wide open streets,
designated cycle lanes, cafe culture, and late night bars with no last orders!
And 24hour transport at the weekends!
The “Berlin Film Society” and Berlin
Where did the idea to create the
Berlin Film Society come from? Was it something you had in mind for a long
time?
For me, there’s very little
difference between literature and films. Both are narratives which aim to relay
a story or make a point. Just as reading books has evolved over time, so too
has watching films. With Video on Demand and piracy being an ever-increasing
threat to cinema-going, I wanted to create cinematic experiences that were
worth leaving the house for. In an age of “social” media and so-called
increased “connectedness”, we have become tragically disconnected from each
other. The idea behind the Berlin Film Society was driven by a sense to
re-connect people through films, through social events that bring together
people who share a common interest.
Is the Berlin Film Society directed
to a particular kind of audience (neophytes, “cinema educated” people…), or is
diversity something you are looking for?
There’s never a target audience in
mind when I curate the films we show; in fact, the more diverse the audience
the better!
The treated topics are very varied,
from classical and worldwide acclaimed films to rare cinematographic pearls:
how do you choose them?
The programming is sporadic and
instinctive; there’s no real logic, just a sense of what films might spark up
intrigue and anticipation.
Berlin is not the first place that
comes to my mind when I think about epicenters for cinema. Is the city
interesting for movie lovers? How?
Berlin may not currently be the
first place you think of, but in fact the city is home to the famous Studio
Babelsberg, which is the world’s oldest large-scale film studio (1912) – which
is still alive and kicking with recent big budget productions from the likes of
Quentin Tarantino and George Clooney! Berlin and cinema have been allies since
the birth of film.
The movies you show are not all
related to Berlin. Is the city an important part of the work anyway? Does it
inspire you in finding your subjects? How?
We’re currently working on a new
project which will highlight representations of the city in film, so watch this
space! There’s just too many Berlin films to choose from, so we’re dedicating
an entire programme to this project.
The places in which the events took
place so far are pretty amazing (Katerholzig, churches…) How do you choose
them? Do they play a part in the projection itself?
Every aspect of the events are
curated, from the sponsored brands to the venue itself. The idea is to subtly
illuminate different aspects of the film through the context of the location we
use. So our next event (Alejandro Jodorowsky’s ‘Santa Sangre’) will take place
in an old circus arena with live performances, imported Mexican mezcal, Latin
American chocolate, and a surreal after party to reflect the film we’ll be
showing (which is set in a gringo circus in Mexico).
If you had to pick one, which event
did you prefer so far? Why?
Last year, we showed Fellini’s
masterpiece, ‘La Dolce Vita’ in a disused neo-Gothic church in Kreuzberg, with
Martini cocktails and Italian canapés. The film was originally banned by the
Catholic church and condemned as a sin to watch when it came out in the 1960s –
so it was quite apt that we were now showing it in such a setting!
What are your plans next?
We plan to venture abroad to other
film-focused cities, such as London, New York, Toronto, and Vienna. As the
Berlin Film Society, we want to represent Berlin and showcase significant new
and archive German films.
Useless part:
Your favorite Berlin neighborhood?
My Kiez – in between Kreuzberg and
Schöneberg.
Your favorite German movie?
Veronika Voss – Fassbinder
Your favorite German actress/actor?
Christoph Waltz
Your favorite German dish?
Anything with süßkartoffeln.
Your favorite Berlin club/bar?
I like the nondescript bars with
mismatched furniture and large windows to look out from.
Your favorite German expression?
Man tut was Mann kann.
Something in French ?
Saucisson
Nb: la Berlin Film Society s’occupera de la clôture
de la Fashion Week, et surtout, proposera une projection sans précédent de l’œuvre
de Jodorowski Santa Sangre, avec DJ et ballet à la clé… Plus d’info sur leur page
Facebook (et sur la nôtre). Stay tuned Frenchies.
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