“Film in the present tense” symposium is coming up

In spite of claims of its obsolescence, analog film is still alive. It continues to exist as an inimitable artistic medium, put to use in myriad forms around the world. Nonetheless, in the context of our ever-expanding digital landscape, analog film faces new challenges that have forced it into a process of deep transformation. What steps do we need to take to guarantee that analog film will remain as a living-breathing medium? What are the alternatives to the idea of film as an obsolete, historical object? What new forms will film take and what will that mean for the culture that surrounds it? How do we keep analog film in the Now?

Organised by LaborBerlin in cooperation with the Film Institute of the Berlin University of the Arts, Film in the Present Tense will bring together filmmakers, artists, programmers, technicians and representatives from museums, independent film labs and cinemas to address these questions and formulate ideas, possibilities and plans of action for keeping film current and alive. The symposium, a part of the Re:Mi project, is set to happen in Berlin between October 20th and 22nd, 2017. In addition to six panel discussions, there will be screenings and expanded cinema performances presenting some of the ways in which film continues to exist “in the present tense”.

A panel entitled “Eye for the machine” will focus on the question of photochemical film exhibition specifically, with Dr. Erika Balsom (King’s College, UK), Katia Rossini (Kino Climates, Belgium) and Christopher Mondt (Filmprojektion Mondt, Germany). The discussion will be moderated by Shai Heredia (Experimenta India / Srishti Institute of Art Design & Technology, India).