Magical History Tour: 
Back to the Beginning – Directorial Debuts

On May 3, the Arsenal cinema will make its debut at its new location. Despite Arsenal's 63 years of cinematic experience, this reopening has the feel of a fresh start—complete with a sense of optimism, a spirit of experimentation and the thrill of breaking new ground. What could be more fitting than to use the cinema’s own history to take a look at the artistic beginnings of a number of filmmakers—at their brilliant, surprising, risk-taking, style-seeking or style-defining feature-length debuts? The Magical History Tour’s time-tested, diverse selection—spanning different eras, styles, and regions—presents “canonized” debuts alongside others waiting to be (re)discovered, all early works that continue to resonate to this day. (Milena Gregor)