VIDEONALE ON TOUR

Kyiv Short Film Festival
September 12 – September 18, 2024

Cracks in the Mirror
The works selected for this program all deal with the cracks in the mirror when we face our own identities and realities, corrupted by memories and traumas, technologies and media, political powers and historical shifts. In “Ink in Milk”, Gernot Wieland takes a very personal look back on his childhood in the Austrian provinces and the traumas left behind by the physical and psychological violence in this society. In his work „Freeroam À Rebours, Mod#I.1“, Stefan Panhans delves into the digital realm and takes as its starting point the 'failed behaviors' by game avatars to reflect on the contemporary strive for self-optimization and total body control. Julia Scher looks at this topic from a different perspective: her video work “Lip Sync 2015” shines a light on the contradictory feelings that arise in the face of 21st century surveillance – from voluntary posing in front of the camera to the desperate and hopeless attempt to flee back into the private sphere. In their work “Tiefenschärfe / Depth of Field”, Mareike Bernien & Alex Gerbaulet delve into another territory of uncertainty, unveiling a highly political case of Germany’s recent past and document public places that struggle with their memory. These thoughts are also relevant in “Walls Have Feelings” by Eli Cortiñas who is shedding light on the multiple processes of silencing and concealment pursued by history in favour of the dominant economic system with its limitless pursuit of productivity and profit. Stéphanie Lagarde’s work “Minimal Sway While Starting My Way Up” continues these reflections: from the point of view of a high-tech elevator the film investigates vertical structures as a symbol for this economical system and its diverse mechanisms of exploitation.

More information about the program at the Kyiv Short Film Festival