In collaboration with Goethe-Universität Frankfurt
Sep 2, 2021 9:30–17:15 silent green Kulturquartier
Free admission, a registration is requested at archive(at)arsenal-berlin.de.
The symposium will be streamed live on YouTube and remain available afterwards (link to YouTube).
The symposium "After the Archive" brings together international scholars, archivists, curators, artists, and students to discuss relevant topics related to archiving, curating, and the presentation of film culture, with the aim of bridging theories and practices and building networks across diverse cultural and educational institutions.
9:30–9:45 Introduction with Sonia Campanini (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt), Stefanie Schulte Strathaus
9:45–10 Greeting: Andreas Görgen (Director General for Culture and Communication at the German Federal Foreign Office)
10–11:30 Transnational Cooperation and Decolonial Strategies in Film Culture Institutions
With: June Givanni (Pan African Cinema Archive), Giovanna Fossati (Eye Filmmuseum, University of Amsterdam), Erica Carter (King’s College London), Tom Rice (University of St Andrews), Brigitta Kuster (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Rebecca Ohene-Asah (National Film and Television Institute [Accra, Ghana]), Moderation: Stefanie Schulte Strathaus
Topics of the panel include the colonial heritage of institutions, approaches for decolonizing the archives, and possible restitution policies for films related to colonial pasts. Guests will discuss the relations between institutions in the Global North and the Global South, and future forms of transnational cooperation, taking into account recent initiatives such as the “Call for Action and Reflection on Decolonising Film Archives”, which is presented in more detail during the festival.
11:45–12:45 Transnational Cooperation and Decolonial Strategies in Film Culture Institutions – Project „Film Culture and Archival Studies“ Master’s Program (University of Jos, Nigerian Film Corporation)
With: Chidia Maduekwe (Nigerian Film Corporation), Jeremiah Methuselah (National Film Institute, Nigeria), Tanko Ishaya (University of Jos), Nancy King (University of Jos), Ellen Harrington (DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum), Didi Cheeka (Lagos Film Society), Stefanie Schulte Strathaus. Moderation: Vinzenz Hediger (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt)
This focus is informed by the Master Program in Film Culture and Archival Studies at the University of Jos and the Nigerian Film Corporation, the first degree of this kind on the African continent which was established in 2019 through a cooperation with the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, the Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art, and the Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum.
14–15:30 What Do We Train for? Future Roles in Film Archiving and Curating
With: Ellen Harrington, Michael Loebenstein (Austrian Film Museum), Nancy King, Juana Suárez (New York University), Pablo La Parra Pérez (Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola), Simone Venturini (Università degli Studi di Udine) Moderation: Sonia Campanini
Placing directors and curators of film archives and cultural institutions in dialogue with professors and teaching staff of academic programs in film archiving and curating, panelists will discuss future professional developments within the broader occupational field. Tackling questions related to the circulation of film culture in present times such as large-scale digitization projects and the continued proliferation of streaming platforms, participants will reflect on the breadth of potential roles for film archivists and how to train students to face contemporary changes and future challenges.
15:45–17:15 Film Curatorship Between Theory and Practice
With: Janet McCabe (Birkbeck University of London), Marc-André Schmachtel (Goethe-Institut), Stefanie Schulte Strathaus, Madhusree Dutta (Akademie der Künste der Welt Köln), Aboubakar Sanogo (Carleton University, African Film Festival of Ottawa), Jihan El-Tahri (Dox Box), Moderation: Erica Carter
Curators, filmmakers, and scholars will address issues related to film exhibition and audience engagement in the contemporary media landscape. Discussions will explore the various impetuses and methods guiding the art of film curation, including the need to inscribe work within larger histories, create meaningful contexts, place different films in dialogue, and encourage dynamic forums for critical reflection.
Funded by:
