As part of the Abbas Kiarostami Retrospective, the Arsenal Filmatelier presents moderated film program for those in the 7th grade and upwards with two early works by the Iranian director. Adolescents in pre-revolutionary Tehran are at the heart of both films, who master their lives almost completely alone despite various adversities. The poetic feature TAJROBEH (Experience, 1973) shows a 14-year-old who works for a photographer. The small amount of dialogue, the observant camera, the black-and-white images, and the focus on one character allow the audience to look freely at a plot which only unfolds slowly. For its part, the color film LEBASSI BARAYE AROSSI (A Wedding Suit, 1976) narrates a dramatic conflict between three teenagers who work in the same building. The plot pivots on a tailor-made suit, which plunges the boys into a tense web of relationships. Please register in advance.

DE CIERTA MANERA describes life in a poor neighborhood in post-revolutionary Cuba. The values and role models of those living there haven’t changed since the construction of new housing; a new society cannot be created on demand. Yolanda, an elementary school teacher, and Mario, who works in an omnibus factory, become a couple. While Yolanda strives for a pedagogical approach that integrates marginalized students, causing a conflict with her colleagues and the parents, Mario finds it difficult to let go of patriarchal role models. Their contrary ideals also put the relationship to the test, while at the same time critically reflecting the process of social transformation.

Our next event for children aged 6 and up is on Sunday, October 3. Through the camera, the world becomes a laboratory for possible stories that can only be discovered by seeing and experiencing. This is how Helen Levitt, Janice Loeb, and James Agee approached depicting life on the street in a poor district of New York, calling their film simply IN THE STREET (USA 1948). Nearly 60 years later, Khaled Mzher did the same in a street in Jordan and came across STREET’S ANGELS (Jordan 2017). Like a detective, Milena Gierke finds starting points for possible mysteries and stories from her car in AUTOBLICKE / VIEWS FROM A CAR (Germany 1990). The children of EKT Regenbogen-Kidz use everyday objects to create a cinematic spell in KINOZAUBER (Germany 2020), that functions as an invitation to dream and to tell stories. We will be watching four films together in which random observation plays a role. Following the screening, we will be putting together our own joint world laboratory.

The 100th birthday of Amos Vogel (1921–2012), legendary pioneer of independent film and cinema culture, hasn’t just offered Arsenal an opportunity to honor his legacy, but many other institutions too. The joint retrospective being put on by the Viennale and the Austrian Film Museum examines Vogel’s values – polyphony, political awareness, explosive aesthetic and social power, and subversion – from a contemporary perspective and brings together programs by six international curators, including Birgit Kohler from Arsenal, under the title of "Film as a Subversive Art 2021".