9. – 30. June on arsenal 3.
In a programme with IN THE NAME OF SCHEHERAZADE ODER DER ERSTE BIERGARTEN IN TEHERAN.
Due to licensing reasons OCTAVIA’S VISIONS can only be seen in Germany.
It is February 24, 2056, fifty years to the day since the death of African-American writer and theorist Octavia Butler. A radio host asks Butler’s granddaughter what has changed since then. Her answer leads us into the past – to our 2020 present, that is, a period marked by environmental destruction, nationalism and the lingering aftereffects of Europe’s colonial racism.
Inspired by the multi-layered, multi-dimensional concepts and paradigms in Butler’s works, OCTAVIA’S VISIONS asks what a better future might look like for a world in ruins. “Intersectionality is the answer!” a queer Black figure shouts euphorically to the crowd. “We must create a world, a humanity, in which everyone and everything is allowed to exist, because we already do.” The universal character of these statements is unmistakable. Zara Zandieh’s film is also an incitement to move beyond Eurocentric discourse and open ourselves up to the utopia of a world without racism or discrimination. (Enoka Ayemba)
Zara Zandieh, born in 1980 in Berlin, Germany, studied gender, sexualities and ethnic studies as well as experimental film/new media art and then completed a degree in cinematography. Their work is shown at international festivals.
Production Stiftung Humboldt Forum (Berlin, Deutschland). Written and directed by Zara Zandieh. Cinematography Diara Sow. Editing Zara Zandieh. Sound Design Azadeh Zandieh. Sound Azadeh Zandieh. Set Design Klara Mohammadi, Sarah Mounia Kachiri. Costumes Milena Kraft. Make-Up Layana Flachs, Maiara Izabele Del Pino. Assistant director Joey Steffens. Production manager Diana Paiva. Producer Zara Zandieh. With Sandra Bello, Mandhla Ndubiwa, Nancy Andler, Martini Cherry Furter, Senami Zodehougan, Joey Steffens, Ifeatu Nnaobi.
Films: 2012: Fragments of Ava (12 Min.). 2013: under-construction; Video-Installation (2 Min.). 2015: Khoshbakhti /Happiness (6 Min.). 2018: The Sea Runs Thru My Veins (20 Min.). 2021: Octavia's Visions (18 Min.).
