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Today is the first part of our Bitomsky program: Arbeit am Bild. Working on the Image – Insights into the work of Hartmut Bitomsky

The first day of the show is dedicated to essayistic compilations of archive films, screening DEUTSCHLANDBILDER (FRG 1984) and REICHSAUTOBAHN (FRG 1986). National Socialist aesthetic, particularly in the genre of documentary „cultural film“, has to undergo a form of pictorial clarification. Combining these two film illustrates how Bitomsky’s work is shaped by reflections and cross referencies. Film scholar and cultural film expert Ramón Reichert will give an introduction, in which he will pursue Bitomsky’s method of processing archival footage artistically and relate it to other approaches of this kind.

[Working on the image | Insights into the work of Hartmut Bitomsky]

Mo 15.4 Luru Kino
19 Uhr	Einführung von Ramón Reichert Deutschlandbilder BRD 1982/83, R: Hartmut Bitomsky, Heiner Mühlenbrock, Dok, 60’, dOV, 35mm
21 Uhr	Reichsautobahn BRD 1984-86, R: Hartmut Bitomsky, Dok, 91’, OmeU, 35mm

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Deutschlandbilder

FRG 1982/83, D: Hartmut Bitomsky, Heiner Mühlenbrock, Doc, 60′, German version, 35mm

It starts as a montage of black and white scenes presenting all kinds of sportive activities, formal attractions and everyday cheerfulness. Among them are also images of a swastika-confetti shower and first uniforms; a flood of “Deutschlandbilder”. Subsequently, a tracking shot along spread film photos, the voice over soberly assesses: “The Nazis wanted to put a complexion on Germany that pleased them. They were decidedly drawn to aesthetic beauty. They appreciated films that depicted German culture – cultural films.“ These cultural films are concerned in this essayistic compilation film made of archival footage.

The construction principle seems simple: chronological panels mark the time of origin of the commented-on Nazi cultural film extracts from 1933 to 1945; occasionally interlaced are scenes that are staged divergently, showing photographic reproductions being flicked through or paced off by the camera, accompanied by a voice over. However, the question essentially driving the film is a complicated one that cannot be resolved conclusively: What do these images tell us today, and how are we to talk about about them in the present? There has been no iconoclasm: they are accessible, commonly used to prove how fascism was like, but they themselves are an immense pseudo-production. Pseudo-realities concealing more than they show. Yet they expose something. In the end, it is said: “An image is the mask of the other.“

With an introduction by Ramón Reichert (in German)

Reichsautobahn

FRG 1984-86, D: Hartmut Bitomsky, Doc, 91′, OV with English subtitles, 35mm

Already prior to 1933, the road- and automobile industry projected a German motorway. Only Hitler and his Inspector General for German road sector made them into a propagated showpiece. But what they created first and foremost, is its calculated aesthetics. Contemplation outshone its actual function. The autobahn was achieved through exploitative working conditions and was subsequently scarcely used. By no means, it can be regarded as a successful job creation scheme, neither did it serve as a strategic “military road“ at the beginning of the war. Nevertheless, countless films, photographs, poems, postcards, paintings and novels accompanying it never grow tired of praising it: “Books and images were the autobahn’s facade. Most of it is self-praise or reassurance. The autobahn is useful, and it is beautiful. It is proven to one what actually should have been evident. One senses the burden of the evidence.“

Repetetively, the enthusiastic worker is put into the frame, the individual bows to the big picture. It is emphasised how a modern street is in conformity with pastoral nature. An enourmous number of such produced Nazi-images is rescued from archives and compiled. Hartmut Bitomsky’s voice-over seeks to demythologise those images. Formally undogmatic on the one hand, REICHSAUTOBAHN classically gets contemporary witnesses and experts a chance to speak on the other.

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There are no trailers or videos to be found in the internet. But here is a taste of the NS Imagery which Bitomsky processes in his works.

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Thank you to all the people who made yesterday possible and special! The musicians, the people of UT Connewitz, the cooking crew, and all the others now forgotten. And: Thank you to Wilhelm Hein for being our guest and sharing his exhilarating personality!
Today, the programme is split – one half is at UT Connewitz coming up at 2pm – Moomins and the Comet Chase (in German) – an afternoon adventure for GEGENkids of all shades: bring some GEGENkids with or be a GEGENkid yourself. In the evening at 9:30, we switch to lovely Luru Kino in der Spinnerei, which we have equipped with digital 3D-technique to cherish LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT in an appropriate manner. Let’s finish our weekends together with noirish tales, vivid colours and lucid dimensions still being in our minds when we will be floating home tonight. It’s a kind of a dreamy GEGENsunday.

Sun 14.4 UT Connewitz
2 PM	Moomins and the Comet Chase FI 2010 • D: Maria Lindberg • 75’ • deutsche Fassung • Blu-Ray
Luru Kino 9:30 PM	Long day‘s journey into night CHN/F 2018 • D: Bi Gan • A: Tang Wei, Huang Jue, Sylvia Chang, Lee Hong-Chi, 138’ • OmeU, DCP, 3D

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Trailer – Long Day’s Journey into Night

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After two lovely screenings and one lovely guest yesterday at Luru Kino in der Spinnerei, it is day three of the festival. We are slowly getting into some kind of GEGENrhythm, our hearts beat fast, stop suddenly, then continue fast. Quite fitting for tonight’s solid lineup at UT Connewitz. We are happy to welcome drum wizard Andrea Belfi, I T O E and Flying Moon in Space to add live scores to films of underground luminaries Birgit and Wilhelm Hein. Alongside that, we are happy to have Andrea Marinelli from Milan as our guest, showing the German Premiere of SECRET SHOW, an audio-visual performance using overhead projectors. Being visually stimulated, while listening to sounds and beats. Quite a reasonable way to start into your Saturday evening we think.

here is more to read:

Sat 13.4 UT Connewitz	LIVE SCORE
before	Andrea Marinelli: SECRETSHOW
9 PM	Andrea Belfi, I T O E & Flying Moon in Space play live score for MATERIALFILME by Birgit and Wilhelm Hein Materialfilme BRD 1976, 35’, 35mm Reproductions BRD 1969, 34’, digital  625 BRD 1968, 28’, digital

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Impression – B & W Hein

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Today with the new film by Angela Schanelec ICH WAR ZUHAUSE, BUT… which won the Silver Bear for Best Director this year at the Berlinale.
Afterwards we have a very special treat. A film double in the presence of director Ted Fendt. We show both of his previous 60-minute feature films: SHORT STAY (2016) and CLASSICAL PERIOD (2018). Both on analogue film! Then we will have a Q&A with Ted Fendt.

Fri, 12.4 LURU
8 PM	Ich war zuhause, aber… D/SRB 2019 • D: Angela Schanelec • A: Maren Eggert, Franz Rogowski, Alan Williams, Jakob Lasalle, Lilith Stangenberg • 105’ • OmeU, DCP
10 PM	TED FENDT DOUBLE Short Stay USA 2016 • D: Ted Fendt • A: Mike Maccherone, Elizabeth Soltan, Mark Simmons • 61’ • engl. OV, 35mm Classical Period USA 2018 • D: Ted Fendt • A: Calvin Engime, Evelyn Emile, Sam Ritterman, Christopher Stump • 62’ • Original with german subtitles, 16mm in presence of Ted Fendt

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Extract – I was at home, but…

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Finally the time has come! The GEGENKino opens its doors again to provide you with new cinematic experiences.

We start the evening at 8pm at UT Connewitz with GULYABANi and LA CASA LOBO. Then we move on to the East of Leipzig to the PRACHT. There we will experience the STORIES FROM THE DUMPSTER KID.

Thu 11.4 UT Connewitz
8 PM	OPENING FILM Gulyabani NL/TR 2018 • D: Gürcan Keltek • Doc 35’ • Original with english subtitles • DCP La Casa Lobo CL 2018, R: Cristóbal León & Joaquín Cociña, 75’, Original with german subtitles, DCP In presence of Cristóbal León € 6,5 (5,5 red.)
Pracht 10 PM	Stories of the Dumpster Kid BRD 1971 • R: Ula Stöckl, Edgar Reitz • D: Kristine de Loup, Bruno Bendel, Alf Brustellin • 22 Episoden • Gesamtlänge: 220’ • OmeU, digital free entry

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La Casa Lobo – Trailer