Profound Transformations
In the current transformation of our networked societies, the audiovisual media are going through a series of profound transformations. New media forms and technologies, new ways of distribution and reception are changing the filmic arts and their professional profiles. New digital possibilities put the classic cinema space into perspective.
Filmic narratives and imageries are shaping reality under new auspices. Artistic research in the medium of film reflects and co-designs this change in its relationship to social politics and economics, science and tech development.
The conference aims to discuss forms and topics of filmic artistic research.
- How do questions and researching approaches look like in the medium of film?
- How do the procedures, contents and methods vary in the various filmic forms and technologies?
- Which experiments, thought processes and propositions shape the world of possibilities?
- What is the specific knowledge of the cinematic media forms and how does it differ from the knowledge of the sciences and technologies but also of the other art forms?
- How do discourses, narratives and imageries in film and its expanded media forms build on technological innovations? And how do they continue these developments artistically?
- What does research thought and practice mean for the actors in the various crafts in film?
- And how is artistic research in film shaping up for analog and digital spaces "after the cinema" (Godard)?
Artistic Research in Film
Artistic research is an independent way of research by means of the arts. It works in its own languages, employs its own tools and procedures and follows its own criteria. It combines discursive and non-discursive processes and results and it initiates new dialogues between the knowledge cultures. In a broad European discourse over the last 30 years, profiles and processes of artistic research have been discussed as well as its institutional framework.
At many art and film schools in Europe, artistic research is already being systematically expanded, while at others first programmes are currently being established. „Against the backdrop of this dynamic the IKF Institute for Artistic Research at Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF in cooperation with GEECT, the Erich Pommer Institute, VG Bild-Kunst and the UNESCO Creative City of Film Potsdam organized the international conference Transversal Entanglement – Artistic Research in Film.
The IKF is the center for artistic research at the Babelsberg Film University. As an active discourse platform, the IKF takes on an integrating and impulse-giving role. It supports artistic research in audiovisual media and strengthens the development of a transdisciplinary research culture. The IKF actively contributes to the networking of researchers at the film university and, with its external partners, is an interface to international fields of discourse and practice. It captures and promotes the potential of film and media arts for development and innovation. With its activities, the IKF aims at the future viability of the cinematic disciplines in the digital and societal transformation.
The Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF is a place where film comes alive, a school representing a wealth of different stories and artistic forms, genres and formats, specialization and exchange. Our unique craft-oriented and interdisciplinary education enables creative people to develop their own filmic language. In research and teaching, we focus on both artistic and scientific approaches and thus actively contribute to the development of media, art, science, and society. Film University annually hosts Sehsüchte, the largest student film festival in Europe. Sehsüchte, das größte studentische Filmfestival Europas.
GEECT is the European section of the worldwide umbrella organization of film and television schools CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision). CILECT members are 180 institutions with more than 10,000 teachers from 65 countries on all continents.
GEECT represents 93 institutions in 34 countries. The association strengthens teaching and research in the field of audiovisual media, film and television. It fosters the cooperation between film schools and the dialogue with the film and media industry.
The EPIis one of the leading providers of advanced training in the German and European media landscape and a recognised industry-specific think tank. With its expertise in media law and management and with a variety of formats and publications, the EPI supports the on-going process of digital transformation in the media industry. The Erich Pommer Institute was founded in Potsdam-Babelsberg in 1998 as an independent non-profit limited company and is an institute affiliated with the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF and the University of Potsdam.
The Stiftung Kulturwerk fulfils the cultural mandate of the VG Bild-Kunst, an association for the collective administration of copyrights. It promotes projects in the field of visual arts, awards grants to photographers, illustrators, graphic artists and graphic designers and supports culturally relevant projects in the field of film. The funds of Stiftung Kulturwerk come from the revenues of the VG Bild-Kunst. Due to the Copyright Administration Act (Wahrnehmungsgesetz), the VG Bild-Kunst is bound to make a certain percentage of its revenues from the administration of copyrights available to its members for the promotion of cultural purposes.
The UNESCO Creative City of Film Potsdam is part of the broader UNESCO Cities of Film Network. Potsdam is the first German city to be designated a UNESCO Creative City of Film. Since its founding in 1912, the studios in Potsdam Babelsberg have been the oldest large-scale film studio in the world and the cradle of German cinema. World classics such as METROPOLIS by Fritz Lang and THE BLUE ANGEL with Marlene Dietrich were filmed here. Today, international feature films such as INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS and GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL are produced on the studio lot.
Artistic Processes and Discourses
The focus is on Case Studies, in which renowned filmmakers present their artistic research work. Moderated plenary discussions will reflect on work processes and discourses, and break-out rooms will also offer to smaller groups of participants the opportunity to exchange views and build networks.
The research group Site-Specific Film under the direction of Prof. Marlis Roth consists of 15-20 students and staff of Film University. The group regularly creates cinematic and installative works for major public art exhibitions.
Conference Stand

The Site-Specific Film research group built a physical centre for the digital conference, the Conference Stand. It presents - on site and online - 17 filmic works created specifically for this setting. The installation takes up core ideas of the conference and creates a place for relaxed thinking and focusing/defocusing on artistic research in film. The Conference Stand serves Transversal Entanglement as main stage, showcase and break room.
... and here the Moderators.

Elisabeth Brun
Elisabeth Brun is a media researcher and filmmaker, working in the intersection between philosophy, cinema and art/design. Brun holds a PhD in media studies from the University of Oslo and has a background as a documentary director in Public Service Broadcasting TV (NRK 2001-2014). Her current work takes different forms (academic texts, films, video installations) and explores questions of form, of human/environment and the potentialities and limitations of image technology, for perception and knowledge creation. Of recent awards/grants she received The Ivan Juritz Prize for Creative Experiment 2020 and currently she is a guest researcher at Filmuniversität Babelsberg.

Jeanne Faust
Jeanne Faust works as an artist with different media, so there are film and video works, installations, photo series, texts. Her films are shown at short film festivals (e.g. Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, International Filmfestival Rotterdam, Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival, Berlinale) as well as in exhibition contexts (e.g. Biennale Sao Paulo 2006, Manifesta4, Preis der Nationalgalerie für junge Kunst 2007, Kunsthalle Hamburg, K21 Düsseldorf, Camera Austria Graz, Kölnischer Kunstverein, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Taxispalais Innsbruck). Since 2009 she is professor for Mixed Media in the department of Time-based Media at the HfBK Hamburg University of Fine Arts.

Sirko Knüpfer
Sirko Knüpfer studied at the Glasgow School of Art and Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design. With the artist collective Henry VIII’s Wives he exhibited widely, including the Stedelijk, PS1, The Slade and more. He worked with Sasha Waltz & Guests and collaborated with many Berlin artists. Since 2009 he collaborates with choreographer Paula E. Paul in the collective KOMBINAT. At the Film University Babelsberg he teaches in the editing department. His research at the Film University focuses on modes of expressions in time and space observed in media and live.

Christine Lang
Christine Lang is author and dramaturge, filmmaker and cultural scientist. She works, researches and teaches in theory and practice, in contexts of film as well as theater. Numerous publications on dramaturgy and aesthetics, as a contribution to practice-based film and narrative research. It is also about making artistic knowledge productive for scientific discourse. She teaches at at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Leipzig and at the Film University Babelsberg.

Gesa Marten
Gesa Marten is an editor, dramatic advisor and professor at Film University Babelsberg who has edited over 60 films with a focus on documentaries. Her background is media studies and video art practice. She was nominated for Best Editing at the German Television Awards and for Best Editing at the German Camera Award for three films. She received the Filmplus Editing Prize for WAS LEBST DU? in 2005 and for PERESTROIKA in 2009. Gesa is a member of the Oscar Academy, the European Film Academy and the German Film Academy.

Karen Pearlman
Dr. Karen Pearlman writes, directs and edits screen productions. She researches creative practice, cognition and feminist film histories. The films of her trilogy about Soviet women editors have, between them, won 3 best editing awards, and 5 best documentary awards from guilds and festivals around the world. Karen’s book ‘Cutting Rhythms’ is a widely used textbook on editing now in its 2nd edition. She is a senior lecturer in Screen Production and Practice at Macquarie University in Sydney, and a recipient of the 2019 Australian Award for University Teaching Citation.

Christine Reeh-Peters
Christine Reeh-Peters is a film director, author and philosopher; junior professor for theory and practice of artistic research in digital media at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF; many years producer and founder of the film production company C.R.I.M. (Lisbon). As a filmmaker and thinker, she explores the complexity of "reality" and the connections between philosophy and art, narrative and image. Internationally acclaimed documentary films and publications in the field of film philosophy.

Marlis Roth
Marlis Roth is Professor of Nonlinear Forms at the Babelsberg Film University. Since 1990 her audiovisual and installation work focuses on stillness and the onset of movement. A central interest is the observation of the presence and positioning of moving images in space. 2016, she initiated Site-Specific Film, a research group that exchanges filmic ideas in selected spaces.

Szilvia Ruszev
Szilvia Ruszev is a film editor, media artist and scholar working across different media. Her research interest focuses on sensuous knowledge, expanded montage theories and the politics of post-cinema. Her award-winning work has been part of numerous international film festivals and exhibitions such as Karlovy Vary IFF, Toronto IFF, Berlin IFF, Siggraph and Codame. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Media Arts + Practice in the School of Cinematic Arts at the USC University of Southern California.

Katja Straub
Katja Straub is an artist, writer, and award winning filmmaker whose work has screened internationally including the Museum of Modern Art NYC, the Images Festival Toronto, Viper Basel, the Internationale Hofer Filmtage etc. She holds an MFA in Film from the University of Texas in Austin and graduated in Experimental Media from the Berlin University of the Arts. Exploring different art forms over the years, from painting to video installation to film, Katja seeks to find images to represent the invisible. She currently teaches Film Acting at Film University Babelsberg.

Stefan Winter
Stefan Winter is a philosopher, author, Honorary Professor for Artistic Research at Film University Babelsberg and Visiting Professor for Artistic Research at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He did his research and teaching as Senior Lecturer and Visiting Professor at universities and art schools in Basel, Berlin, Braunschweig, Düsseldorf, Helsinki, Perugia and Potsdam. Numerous publications on all epochs in the history of knowledge and on present-day questions across the disciplines.
Graphic Recording

The Art of Listening. Throughout the conference, Christiane Büchner draws inspired by the presentations and discussions. Go to the gallery where you can view and download the drawings.
Conference Team
If you have any questions about the conference, please email us

Prof. Gesa Marten
Chair
Gesa Marten is an editor, dramatic advisor and professor at Film University Babelsberg who has edited over 60 films with a focus on documentaries. Her background is media studies and video art practice. She was nominated for Best Editing at the German Television Awards and for Best Editing at the German Camera Award for three films. She received the Filmplus Editing Prize for WAS LEBST DU? in 2005 and for PERESTROIKA in 2009. Gesa is a member of the Oscar Academy, the European Film Academy and the German Film Academy.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Winter
Chair
Stefan Winter is a philosopher, author, Honorary Professor for Artistic Research at Film University Babelsberg and Visiting Professor for Artistic Research at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He did his research and teaching as Senior Lecturer and Visiting Professor at universities and art schools in Basel, Berlin, Braunschweig, Düsseldorf, Helsinki, Perugia and Potsdam. Numerous publications on all epochs in the history of knowledge and on present-day questions across the disciplines.

Jun.-Prof. Dr.
Christine Reeh-Peters
Christine Reeh-Peters is a film director, author and philosopher; junior professor for theory and practice of artistic research in digital media at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF; many years producer and founder of the film production company C.R.I.M. (Lisbon). As a filmmaker and thinker, she explores the complexity of "reality" and the connections between philosophy and art, narrative and image. Internationally acclaimed documentary films and publications in the field of film philosophy.

Prof. Marlis Roth
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Marlis Roth is Professor of Nonlinear Forms at the Babelsberg Film University. Since 1990 her audiovisual and installation work focuses on stillness and the onset of movement. A central interest is the observation of the presence and positioning of moving images in space. 2016, she initiated Site-Specific Film, a research group that exchanges filmic ideas in selected spaces.

Dr. Juliane Schiffers
Management
Juliane Schiffers is managing director of the Institute for Artistic Research, Film University Babelsberg. After studying philosophy and theatre studies, she researched and taught at the Institute of Philosophy, FU Berlin, where she received her PhD with a study on thinking passivity in Aristotle, Leibniz, and Heidegger. She worked as acquisitions editor at De Gruyter publisher, was responsible for the biennial theme ‘Leibniz: the task of visions’ at Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and coordinated a collaborative research proposal on the intervening force of contemporary arts.

Angelina Urbanczyk
student support
Angelina Urbanczyk studies her Masters in screenwriting/dramaturgy at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. Apart from occasional engagements in the field of production or directing, her main interest is writing for feature and animated films, radio plays, music, experimental or installation projects. In 2019, together with her team, she received the IKF Artistic Research Award for her project "In Blue".

Klara Otto
student support
Klara Otto is a Master student in Film and Television Production at Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf. After her Bachelor's degree in International Business and a second BA one in media and communications science, Klara returned to her hometown of Potsdam for her Master's degree. Visits to the Potsdam Film Museum in an early age sparked the wish to be part of the magic of film making.
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