Living and Growing in the Stasis of the Pandemic – A Transnational Filmproject
August 4 @ 7:00 pm CEST – Free
The year 2020 is one that most of us would probably prefer to forget. Corona hit hard, but the restrictions to contain the virus have not affected everyone equally. Existing structural problems mean some people have more to fear in a pandemic than others. The pandemic has also highlighted human helplessness against the power of nature: confusion, uncertainty, panic about this existential threa; all set against the backdtop of an environmental crisis.
Over the course of 30mins, the short film Living and Growing in the Stasis of the Pandemic presents the experiences of eleven protagonists from Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Tunisia, Egypt, Uganda, Rwanda and Peru. It is a participatory and transnational documentary looking at the complexities of isolation. Participants speculate about a supposed new normality, presented in short biographical excerpts, visual diary entries, artwork and musical contributions.
Beginning in Spring 2020, the audience follows the story of Perschya, a young filmmaker, who describes his biographical experiences during the first lockdown – having just moved from Darmstadt to Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg for his Master’s degree. The short film follows his personal struggles in a new city that seems far removed from nature. Juvilsu, a young Venezuelan woman living in Peru, talks about homeless people and also tells of her work recycling in Lima. In another story, Nora, a trans* woman from Egypt, explains the difficulties experienced by people from the LGBTQI* community who, for example, can no longer access AIDS medication due to Corona overload in hospitals. Other stories of the effects if Corona on everyday life look at individual growth, despite the realities of struggling for mental, physical and social survive.
Contributions/Protagonists: Aaron Niyonsenga, Yu Rim Kim, Roua Beyda, Perschya Chehrazi, Patricia Heizal Nagginda, Joss Aress Dzomo, Cristina DeGamboa Pérez, Paula Curtis, Peigi Curtis, Nora Noralla, Juvilsu Loyo, Lina Schelcker, Sabine Schmid, Bernhard Raehme, Cordelia Marsch
Producer: Sophie Raehme and Perschya Chehrazi
Editor: Georgmaria Prock
Music: Simon Scharf (IG @simonsimonsch) and Gustavo Sepulveda
Panel Discussion
Moderator
Phoebe Tobien (she/ her) works at the intersection of communication, politics and human rights.
Panelist
Nora Noralla (she/ her), is a egyptian LGBTQI* activist and exectuive director at Cairo 52 Legal Reserach Institute. She lives in Vienna and works as a consultant and researcher on sexual and bodily freedoms in the MENA region.
Panelist
Georgmaria Prock (they/ he) studied art history and has been working as a set designer in various film productions since 2015. They are the chairperson of the kino 5 association, which promotes independent filmmaking by organising so-called cinema cabarets, screenings and workshops. In this context, a great passion for film editing developed over the years. Georgmaria Prock has officially been a film student in Vienna since autumn 2020. They are also involved in queer activism.
IG: @ sparkle_georgy
Panelist
Sophie Raehme (she/ her) studied sociology and philosophy in Frankfurt am Main, Glasgow and Medellín and began doctoral studies in Vienna last year. She is involved in a queer- and intersectional feminist project in Frankfurt and music, book and movie projects in Berlin and Vienna. In spring 2020, Sophie started the free Corona documentary project MitOhneTakt/ WithOrWithoutBeat with Perschya Chehrazi.
IG: @sophi__lewis
19:00 – 19:05: Welcome
19:10 – 19:45: Film Screening
19:45 – 20:00: Break
20:00 – 20:05: Panellists Introductions
20:05 – 20:40: Film Discussion
20:40 – 21:00: Q&A
