I Am Sitting in a Room

Freeze: But is it Art?(en)

In 1988, art student Damien Hirst and a group of like-minded associates mounted an exhibition in a building in the East End of London. Entitled Freeze, it was a huge critical and commercial success, propelling Hirst and the group into the spotlight of the avant-garde. More than five years later, Hirst exhibits to international acclaim and is regularly derided in the tabloid press. This portrait of Hirst, which resumes the Omnibus season, is presented as a drug-induced nightmare after Hirst has been put to sleep by a sinister dentist, played by Donald Pleasence. In between interviews with fellow Freeze artists including Angus Fairhurst , Sarah Lucas and Tracey Emin , Hirst is seen preparing Mother and Child Divided, his work for last year's Venice Blennale. The piece consists of a cow and a calf, each sawn in half, pickled in formaldehyde and exhibited in four tanks.

Looking Back Before You Leap(en)

A collection of memories from a tumultuous time at University.

Peace and Silence(fi)

Leevi Pienihäkkinen’s tight experimental short documentary Peace and Silence dives into the Helsinki night, exploring the darkened city with fresh eyes. The familiar spots of the city centre flash in the images, but something is different. The everyday becomes weird, details vanish, lights shine taking over everything around them. Humans remain anonymous and faceless, silhouettes against the backdrop of the dark city.

Let Me Do No Harm(en)

A short documentary and character study about a woman's complex relationship with religion and family.

Lindsey Stirling: Brave Enough(en)

Beginning on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, “Brave Enough,” documents violinist Lindsey Stirling over the past year as she comes to terms with the most challenging & traumatic events of her life. Through her art, she seeks to share a message of hope and courage and yet she must ask herself the question, “Am I Brave Enough?” Capturing her personal obstacles and breakthrough moments during the “Brave Enough,” tour, the film presents an intimate look at this one-of- a-kind artist and her spectacular live performances inspired by real-life heartbreak, joy, and love.

Metropia(es)

Clara Rockmore: The Greatest Theremin Virtuosa(en)

Quite simply the finest theremin player who has ever lived, Clara Rockmore began her performing life as a violin prodigy at the age of 5 years old, still the youngest person ever admitted to the prestigious Imperial Conservatory of Saint Petersburg where she studied under the great Leopold Auer. Due to childhood malnutrition causing bone problems in her teen years, she was forced to give up the violin and moved to New York City in the mid 1920's where she met and became involved with Russian electronics genius Leon Theremin and helped him to refine and perfect his new instrument, giving advice from the standpoint of a musical performer to make the theremin more playable and developing her own hand techniques and exercises for playing the instrument.

Vietnam Story(en)

A cinematic impression of Vietnam, told through the eyes of Vietnamese immigrants.

The Song of the Years to Come(es)

On the island of La Gomera, children imagine stories while they examine archeological remains. An ethno-fictional journey in which past and present coalesce, creating resonances between the volcanic landscape and Silbo, the whistled language of the island.

I'm in Love with Pippa Bacca(it)

Giuseppina Pasqualino di Marineo, better known as Pippa Bacca, was a 34 years old Italian artist. She crossed 11 countries involved in wars, hitchhiking with another Milanese artist, Silvia Moro, both wearing a wedding dress. This was a performance for peace, trust and hoping to prove that if you rely on others, you’ll receive good things only. After travelling many roads, the two artists decided to split for a while in Istanbul, planning to meet again in Byblos. Pippa left then, alone, and nobody heard from her again.

Pictures for Charis(en)

In Pictures for Charis, American photographer Kelli Connell reconsiders the relationship between writer Charis (pronounced CARE-iss) Wilson and photographer Edward Weston through a close examination of Wilson’s prose and Weston’s iconic photographs of the Western landscape and the female nude. Connell weaves together the stories of Wilson and Weston with that of her own relationship with her partner at the time, Betsy Odom, enriching our understanding of the couple from her contemporary queer and feminist perspective. Using Weston and Wilson publications as a guide, Connell and Odom created portrait and landscape photographs at sites where Wilson and Weston lived, made art, and spent time together. - Cleveland Museum of Art

Alpenglow(en)

Seven actors are brought to an isolated house where they must stay in character for three days under constant surveillance.

Ottimismo democratico(it)

FASCISM(s): A Film in Six Parts(en)

Six sequences about Fascism and its segments throughout history.

Björk: Minuscule(en)

This documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at Björk and her touring entourage for the 2001 Vespertine tour. It includes interviews with harpist Zeena Parkins, the Inuit choir from Greenland, electronic duo Matmos, and an ongoing conversation with Björk herself about her recordings and her tours. The documentary is interspersed with live footage of songs from the tour shot by Ragnheidur Gestsdóttir, which themselves correspond to the performances chosen for the Vespertine Live album.

Trapline(en)

Ellie Epp’s 12-shot study of a soon-to-be-demolished public bath in London, which “maps another way out of structural film toward a cinema of delicate implication".

The Garden Cadences(de)

Jone is ready to fly. She finds herself at the beginning of something new, but before she moves on, there needs to be a closure. Jone is one of Mollies, the queer-feminist collective that had been living for a decade at a trailer park next to Ostkreuz, Berlin.

Notes of Resistance and Erasure(en)

This experimental short traces the lifespan of the graffiti and murals present at the occupation of NYC’s City Hall in June and July of 2020. The encampment formed to demand the abolishment of the NYPD and the reallocation of its resources to housing, education, and other social programs.

Romantic Warriors IV: Krautrock (Part 2)(en)

Romantic Warriors IV: Krautrock (Part 2) is the 2nd film of the Krautrock Trilogy, and explores eminent Krautrock bands from the South of Germany. Part 2 focuses on bands from Munich, Wiesbaden, Ulm, and Heidelberg, and highlights a more recent band from Aachen.

Reflections of a society(es)

In this 21st century, under the cloak of capitalism, governments, and other systems by which society is governed, this short film shows the true social reality of many people “on the street”.