Chetna Vora's ethnographic portrait of East German women living in Berlin in the early 80s, a film which was almost destroyed.
In 1982, Indian born filmmaker Chetna Vora was studying at the Academy of Film and Television in Potsdam-Babelsberg, and set out to create her diploma project. However, after refusing to cut her film down to 40 minutes, the only working copy was confiscated by the University and destroyed.
What remains is a secretly recorded VHS, an imperfect document of what it would have been. Its raw and unfinished state adds an additional layer of poignancy and reflects an intimate engagement with the domestic lives of women in the GDR.
Her ability to capture the quiet resilience and everyday lives of East German women offers a rare glimpse into a world rarely seen through such a nuanced and foreign perspective.
This screening is part of Film Undone – Elements of Latent Cinema.
GDR 1982 Dir Chetna Vora 140 min DCP
Film Undone – Elements of a Latent Cinema is curated by Philip Widmann, and features contributions from Alejandro Alvarado, Concha Barquero, George Clark, Olexii Kuchanskyi, Léa Morin, Bunga Siagian and Mathilde Rouxel. Organised in partnership by Open City Documentary Festival, Goethe-Institut London, Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image and ICA.
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Cinema 3
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Barbican Cinema 2 & 3 are located on Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican’s Silk Street entrance. From Silk Street, you’ll see a zebra crossing that will take you across the road to the venue.
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