As part of the Berlinale Spotlight: Forum Expanded, co-curator Ulrich Ziemons presents four programs of films from the Forum Expanded 2017 selection from March 26 to April 1 in Bucharest.

The following films are on display: TASHLIK (CAST OFF) by Yael Bartana, PURPLE, BODIES IN TRANSLATION - PART II OF A YELLOW MEMORY FROM THE YELLOW AGE by Joe Namy, TURTLES ARE ALWAYS HOME by Rawane Nassif, WHEN THINGS OCCUR by Oraib Toukan, STUDIES ON THE ECOLOGY OF DRAMA by Eija-Liisa Ahtila, DARK ADAPTATION by Chris Gehman, THE RAIN IS GONE by Noam Enbar, CAMERA THREAT by Bernd Lützeler, CONSTRUCTED FUTURES: HARET HREIK by Sandra Schäfer and HASHTI TEHRAN by Daniel Kötter.

In two films made by female directors in this year's program, new significance is given to video material shot during political upheavals: At the end of the 1980s, Kristina Konrad went out onto the streets of Uruguay to collect opinions about a referendum on a law that would guarantee amnesty to the former military junta. UNAS PREGUNTAS (One or Two Questions) examines a democratic process very closely. At around same time, the world’s attention focussed on the Nazi past of Kurt Waldheim, a former UN secretary general and Austrian president. Ruth Beckermann's WALDHEIMS WALZER is a documentary essay of shocking pertinence.

A long-term series entitled “Archive außer sich”, featuring research, event and exhibition projects, examines film heritage and its archives. At its basis is an idea from Living Archive: Research, digitalization and restoration of archives are part of an artistic, curatorial and/or academic practice.

What is a film archive today? What does the public expect from an archive and what present and future can archival constellations form? What new forms of navigation, including speculative ones, can be developed? Archives are laboratories for critical reflection in the “heritage” category, e.g. in relation to a past of colonialism and immigration or to political and aesthetic movements. Apart from yielding returns with regard to film history and theory, the project intends to contribute to the development of new prospects in cultural policy concerning film. Participating institutions: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, Film – Feld – Forschung gGmbH, Harun Farocki Institut, SAVVY Contemporary, pong GmbH, the “Film culture: Archiving, Programming, Presentation” MA program at Frankfurt’s Goethe University and the Seminar for Film Studies at FU Berlin.

The first events take place on 22nd February as part of the Forum Expanded event “Think Film No. 6 – Archival Constellations“.