This film programme includes some of the most important political works shown in the Oberhausen Film Festival (one the oldest short film festivals in the world) and have won awards there. In these films, dating from 1961 to 2010, filmmakers intervene, take a stand and protest on behalf of human rights, freedom and life. 

The programme includes a recent film from internationally recognised British artist John Smith.  Mostly documentaries, the films will all be shown on 35mm.

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FULL PROGRAMME (6 shorts):

Sunday (USA 1961, 18', b/w, English, by Dan Drasin)

For the past 17 years folk  singers have been gathering in Washington Square Park in New York City on Sunday afternoons to sing and play. All of a sudden the folk singers were forbidden by New York authorities to sing or play in the park anymore. One summer Sunday, folk singers and students gathered to protest.

Gratinated Brain of Pupilija Ferkeverk (Yugoslavia 1970, 11', colour, no dialogue, by Karpo Godina)

Five young men – Slovene  avant-garde artists – stand in the sea in different  weather conditions in a fixed shot. A young woman is  swinging in the swing. Time and action pass.

"Plotless and wordless, beautifully edited shots of young (often naked or semi-naked) people in various positions, illustrating different emotions, actions and situations, underlined by rock music. "—IMDb

Slaughterhouse (Belgium 1987, 10', b/w, no dialogue, by Thierry Knauff)

A poetic evocation of the slaughterhouse, the walls divulge their  memories. The animals' waiting. Their disappearance and the traces of their passing. Their departure from this place of life and death. It's permanence. A film without commentary.

Majorettes in Space (France 1996, 7', colour, French with English subtitles, by David Fourier)

Dimitri, a Soviet Cosmonaut of Soyuz 27,  likes majorettes. Catherine and Laurent like making  love. John Paul II likes airports. Vincent likes boys.

This film is a comedy, and won many prestigious awards, such as the Cesar (French BAFTA) for best short film.

Bitch (Russia 2001, 19', colour, Russian with English subtitles. by igor Voloshin)

Endless war and death in Chechnya… This film is a journey to hell. It is based on the experience of an ordinary serviceman. The film culminates in a real scene where Russians kill Russians.

Flag Mountain (UK 2010, 9', colour, no dialogue, by John Smith)

In Nicosia, the divided capital of Cyprus, a display of nationalism is taken to its logical conclusion. Moving between macro and micro perspectives, 'Flag Mountain' sets dramatic spectacle against everyday life as the inhabitants of both sides of the city go about their daily business.

"Impressively simple, spot on and as exact as a mathematical formula, Flag Mountain by John Smith draws an accurate caricature of nationalism" - International Jury statement, Oberhausen Short Film Festival 2010

Winner of the ARTE Prize for a European Short Film, Oberhausen 2010

TICKETS:

£5 / £3.50 (CONCESSIONS)