FILM STILLs – Berliner Kinos im Lockdown
Eine Reise zum Kino. Ein fotografisches Portrait der Berliner Kinolandschaft während des ersten Lockdown 2020. Der Schweizer Fotograf Beat Presser und die Bildhauerin Danit laden zu einem Streifzug durch die Film-Metropole ein. Lichtspielhäuser, Straßenzüge und Hinterhöfe charakterisieren die Vielfalt des kulturellen Lebens im Stillstand.
Buchumschlag und Buchdesign: Vera Pechel, Basel. 192 Seiten. 15 €. Mit Zitaten aus der Filmgeschichte. Deutsch und Englisch. Verlag Zweitausendeins, Leipzig.
film stills (€15) presents 170 photographs of dormant cinemas, taken by the duo during last year’s three-month lockdown. The pair spent four weeks zipping around the city on their bikes, stopping in empty streets to capture the still, unlit exteriors of 77 picture houses. The result is a 192-page love letter to a city with one of the highest concentrations of movie theatres
Berlin and cinema go together like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers – there’s a reason they call it the Kinostadt. But when the pandemic forced cultural venues to close on March 14 last year, 266 screens went dark and countless employees were left fearing for their jobs. A year later and with the industry still in crisis, famed Swiss photographer Beat Presser (the man behind those iconic photos of Klaus Kinski) and mononymous sculptor Danit have teamed up to remind us of what we’ve been miss- ing. The postcard-sized book FILM STILLS presents 170 photographs of dormant cinemas, taken by the duo during last year’s three-month lockdown. The pair spent four weeks zipping around the city on their bikes, stopping in empty streets to capture the still, unlit exteriors of 77 picture houses. The result is a 192-page love letter to a city with one of the highest concentrations of movie theatresin the world. Flick through and remind your- self of the sheer diversity of the Berlin film scene: besides famed landmarks like the Zoo Palast and Kino International, you’ll find a whole host of smaller screens like Bali Kino in Zehlendorf and the charming Lichtblick Kino in Prenzlauer Berg. Interested in the history behind these facades? Too bad, since the book gives little context to the photos; as such, this collection might satisfy photo enthusiasts rather than die-hard cinephiles. A deeper dive is planned at an exhibition in Bikini Berlin, due to open in spring. For a preview of that, look out for the pair’s posters in the window of your local Kino. Rumour has it that the pictures will be exhibited in cinemas as well, and when they do we’ll be first in line… — BH
Article by Benjamin Haughton
EXBERLINER 203. April 2021
Vor der Klappe ist Chaos
Eine Hommage an den Neuen Deutschen Film
Der Neue Deutsche Film hat für Furore gesorgt, doch wer sind die Akteure, die das hiesige Kino geprägt haben? Der Fotograf Beat Presser, bekannt geworden durch seine Zusammenarbeit mit Werner Herzog und Klaus Kinski, hat die Protagonisten abseits der Kamera meisterhaft in Szene gesetzt. Regisseure, Kameraleute, Tonmeister, Drehbuchautoren, Ausstatter, Kostümbildner, Produzenten – entstanden sind 55 Portraits in Wort und Bild, die einen Blick hinter die Kulissen gewähren und von Freud und Leid des Filmschaffens erzählen.
The New German Cinema has caused a furore, but who are the actors who have shaped the local cinema? The photographer Beat Presser, known for his collaboration with Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, has masterfully staged the protagonists away from the camera. Directors, cameramen, sound engineers, scriptwriters, set designers, costume designers, producers – the result is 55 portraits in words and pictures that provide a glimpse behind the scenes and tell of the joys and sorrows of filmmaking.
DIE IM BUCH PORTRAITIERTEN UND INTERVIEWTEN PROTAGONISTEN: EINE AUSWAHL
