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Frauen in Berlin (12*) + Introduction by Neelesha Barthel

Cinema Restored

,Cinema 3
A hand holds a piece of paper with a face drawn on it.

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.

 

Tagged with: Cinema Cinema Restored

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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Over 60s £11

Under 18s £6

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Biography

Neelesha Barthel, born in 1977 in Potsdam-Babelsberg as the daughter of Chetna Vora and Lars Barthel, is a German director and writer. She has established a notable career in both documentary and fiction filmmaking. Before formally studying film, she produced the documentary films, Bling Bling (2001) and Fifty Fifty (2002). In 2002, she began her directing studies at the HFF "Konrad Wolf" film school, focusing on fictitious storytelling, and graduated in 2007 with the short film Two into Three.

Her first feature film, Marry Me!, premiered in German cinemas in 2015. Since 2016, Barthel has directed various crime and comedy TV movies, including episodes of the popular German series Tatort. Beyond her work in directing, she is also actively developing original concepts, including a comedy that explores the experiences of women during menopause.

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