We’ve just celebrated International Women’s Day when it is customary for our social media feeds to start filling with messages of female empowerment. But obviously, celebrating being a woman should not happen merely on an annual basis. And what is more, the joy over how far we’ve come should not eclipse the work that still has to be done. We need more awareness about issues of intersectional feminism in our day-to-day lives. One such issue is the fact that womxn still cannot always feel safe in the streets of Berlin. “I’M BORED”, a short film by Chelsea Herbert and Alex Newton, is an honest and ultimately hopeful reflection on street harassment by a girl who’s grown tired of it.
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by Michalina | Videos
It’s Sunday, we got nothing much to do, we’ve been stuck at home for weeks, we’re bored, and to be honest, we’re kinda horny. So we thought it might be about time to give you something juicy to occupy your mind (and potentially other parts). We haven’t had a lot of kinky blog posts in a while, and you know we’re quite sex-positive here at iHeartBerlin, so we wanna offer you a bit of entertainment here, and possibly on the following Sundays. The “Short Sunday” used to be a category on iHeartBerlin many many years ago where we presented short films and video clips we found extra cute, so now might be a good time to get back to this tradition.
We wanna start something with a little bit more depth, we thought. A friend of ours sent us a relatively new short film about the obsession of a certain type of masculinity. The film is not really related to Berlin, but it’s an interesting watch nonetheless. We did a bit of research and found four more short films (some of which are actually related to Berlin) that all deal with the topic of complex sexuality in different ways and we thought this would make a great little short film program. To our delight, these five films even cover a wide spectrum of sexual orientations, from straight to gay, lesbian and bi. Hurrah! So without further ado, we let you dive right into it:
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by Frank | Videos
You might remember the works of Alex Soloviev from previous features on iHeartBerlin, including his video titled ”Everyday Berlin” and another one called ”Berlin – the inner layer”. This time, the filmmaker and traveler featured Berlin in a short film that’s a part of a project offering breathtaking insights into cities across the globe.
After including places such as Florence, Stockholm, and Moscow in his recent project, Alex Soloviev has posted a short film with the title ”BERLIN moves”. Indeed, the title is a bit self-explanatory – the video takes you on a dynamic journey across the city. From strolling pedestrians to various modes of transportation, the new film captures Berlin’s diversity in constant motion. You’ll probably recognize plenty of familiar corners and classic Hauptstadt settings. The masterful shifting of perspective will give you the impression of truly observing the metropolis and its inhabitants.
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by Michalina | Videos
This city has always gone hand in hand with artistic creation, being generous in providing artists with a safe space to freely express themselves, as well as serve as a major aesthetic inspiration. Film makers in particular, often use Berlin’s diverse setting as their canvas upon which they unfold their stories, each one triggered by a different aspect of life in this Wonderland. We are excited to present you these Berlin-themed short films, which capture Berlin’s unique vibe perfectly, and speak to all of us that are hypnotized by the city’s magic spell.
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by Stella | Videos
Don’t let yourself be fooled by the November clouds transforming Berlin into desaturated place. Our city is full of colors, but you might not see them at the first sight.
What might help you is this stop motion collage short film Berlin Classified by Julien Patry. Step by step he collected footage of small and maybe unappealing objects and connected them by their colors, shapes and functions. It makes up a perfect narrative about the colors and shapes of Berlin.
The french Berliner AXL OTL contributed a very nice electronic track to this piece of art! Read on…
by Claudio | Videos
How can an artist be totally underground (whatever this means) and internationally famous at the same time? What might seem like a contradiction in Los Angeles, London, New York and Paris, is totally possible in Berlin. It is not unusual to meet pop star Peaches eating a snack at Kotti or stumble upon the world’s most famous doorman Sven Marquardt in a small gallery at an opening of an exhibition. So far, all these underground stars have been working in different fields. Of course, some of them have collaborated already, but the project I am about to present to you is more than that.
Initiated by the Audi Zeitgeist Project, dedicated to support experimental art and creative disciplines of all genres, an alliance of exceptional artists from Berlin has come together for a creative masterpiece called Black Mountain. In this experimental short film the artist collective Like a wild beast’s fur, composer Moritz von Oswald and Artistic Director Jan Engel reinterpreted Richard Wagners Opera Parsifal. On the 3rd of July the whole short film was released online on Audi-City starring famous Volskbühne actors like Alexander Scheer, Volker Spengler and Jasna Fritzi Bauer and famous performers like VER.u.s.c.h.k.a., Peaches, Sven Marquardt and many more.
This contemporary take on the opera is revitalizing the traditional piece, setting it inside a dark Berlin techno club. Apart from the movie there was an immersive exhibition open to the public at Gallery Ebensperger. There you could walk through the installation of Hauke Odendahl, which offered a deep immersive experience into the concept of the art piece. During the shooting of the film, one of our favorite Berlin photographers, Florian Kolmer, took individual portraits of the actors and performers.
Check out the full short film and some pictures of the exhibition after the jump.
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by Claudio | Art, Movies
In the light of recent events there was a lot of talk about the struggle of LGBT people all over the world. It seems that somehow a lot of people have forgotten how unfairly trans, lesbian, bi and gay people are still being treated. Even though on a superficial level it appears LGBT people have reached a certain level of acceptance and integration (in some places) they forget how difficult it is growing up being different (and that applies not only for LGBTs). This heart-warming short film from Berlin-based director Kai Stänicke finds a beautiful way to explain exactly that: what it means to be different.
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by Frank | Videos
Lately I noticed movie posters for a weird looking new film called Pixels all over town. It reminded me of a short film by Sergej Hein that was commissioned by SZ Magazine a few years ago. It’s a fun little clip with two guys turning into Pacman characters and chasing each other through town. I wonder if this was the inspiration for this new Pixels film… 😉 Enjoy the clip after the jump!
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by Frank | Videos
photo: DryHundredFear
When is someone truly German? In “Past Present Tense,” filmmaker Christa Joo Hyun D’Angelo creates a discourse on racism that provokes us to examine the question of German identity and its relationship to racism of the past and present. Through the years of social and political transitions, Germany’s identity has been shaped into the contemporary society we know. This film encourages the audience to analyze their perception of class, race and privilege on a national scale, though I couldn’t help but notice how prevalent the issue was in Berlin alone. Through the intimate stories told from the perspectives of Germans of minority descent, I found both solace and frustration in hearing about their experiences and opinions, much of which often go unheard and unseen in Berlin, as topics like racial discrimination may be too fragile for conversation when our society has been working to repress the past. So are we still infatuated with past ideals? Click on to examine the question of racism in contemporary Berlin and see some of the film highlights. Read on…
by Skylar | Movies, Videos
So many stories about the East and the West are now exploding in the media because of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall. I personally got the chance to hear so many great stories around it, that I wish I would have been old enough to participate mentally in the celebrations happening back then. To get yourself in the nostalgic mood for the big event tonight happening all over Berlin we want to present you this very well done short film by Airbnb.
Wall and Chain is telling the true story of two former border guards from the East and the West sides of the border who met through a chance encounter on Airbnb in 2012. The meeting was life changing for Joerg who had never got closure on his experience guarding the West side of the border. Meeting Kai, who had guarded the East side, and hearing that they had the same experiences helped him to break down the mental barriers he still had towards Germany.
Usually I would be a little skeptical about a company using a political event for marketing goals. But I have to say that the short film is very genuine and does not come off as trying to sell something. It simply tells the story behind the two men very intensively and you should not miss to watch the clip.
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by Claudio | Art, Videos
