Forum and Forum Expanded are independent programs curated and organized by Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art as part of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale). Forum and Forum Expanded stand for reflections on the medium of film, socio-artistic discourse and a particular sense for the aesthetic. In August 2023, Barbara Wurm took over as director of the Forum section. Ulrich Ziemons has been directing Forum Expanded since September 2021 (until 2024 together with Ala Younis).
The programs of Forum and Forum Expanded aim to expand the understanding of what film is, to test the boundaries of convention and open up fresh perspectives to help grasp cinema and how it relates to the world in new ways. The programs can include anything that serves these ends: contemporary and historical, analogue and digital film, installation art, performance and music.
What fits into the program is defined by the filmmakers’ stance towards their medium rather than the question of what commercial potential a film may have. The cinematic form is never subordinate to the content. Both selection committees see their selections as a laboratory and a workshop.
The Forum and Forum Expanded also publish comprehensive material on the Arsenal website comprising information on all the films and works in the program as well as further in-depth reading and background information. The types of texts included to this end are as heterogeneous as the films in the program, ranging from interviews, essays, analyses and poetry all the way to illustrations and commentaries.
Last year's festival program including bonus material can be found here for the Forum and here for Forum Expanded. You can access previous years in the archive. The program of the upcoming Forum and Forum Expanded will be published at the beginnging of February.
You can also find our podcast “Bilder Denken” on this page, as well as current news and events related to the Forum and Forum Expanded.
