SALLY SHAMAS

“A State in a State” is an experimental documentary film that follows the construction, disruption, and fragmentation of railroads in the South Caucasus and Caspian region. It looks at the ongoing wars and conflicts through the lens of transport infrastructures, observing how railways came to materialize the fragile political borders that have reemerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Revolving around the scenes of delay and waiting that constitute cargo mobility, the film reads the optimistic narratives about the New Silk Road against the grain. It observes how the iron foundation of connectivity can be used as a weapon of exclusion and geopolitical sabotage. Dotting the same lines, other forms of sabotage are deployed by workers to disrupt the political violence. Looking at historic and current practices of resistance A State in a State explores the potential of railroads for building a different, infrastructural consciousness and the lasting, transnational, kinship among the people who live and work around them. --- Awarded with Golden Prometheus for the Best Documentary Feature Film at the 23rd Tbilisi International Film Festival

Experimental film | documentary, 11 min Screenplay, director, cinematography, editing: Dan Dansen Starring Joshua Lerner, Zafira Vrba Woodski, Dan Dansen What if we lived in a society in which people who harmed and people who were harmed could heal simultaneously? “Survivor Manifesto – The Art of Making Kin” is a video essay on survivorhood in which trauma survivors cast a wild vision of a utopian society. The experimental film unfolds a hypnotic undertow that pulls the spectator into a journey from despair to self-love. The documentary narrates dealing with trauma as a sophisticated skill. Poetic and multi-layered imagery of traveling create a metaphorical space in which narration and imagination melt into a unique story. Different voices of trauma survivors tell about a survivor collective they have formed and they invite the viewers to join them. They encourage an emotional journey to the viewer's very own abyss. Trauma is often related to speechlessness and isolation, but the film provides collectivity and the idea that healing is a continuing process. The film creates the restlessness that is typical for surviving through imagery and music. But it also makes clear that the transition from surviving to living is characterized by hope: the chorus of survivors shares their skills and their ideas on dealing with violence, the art of making kin and on queer love. “Survivor Manifesto” is a political essay that will change your perspective on trauma.

Film by Tekla Aslanishvili and Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze Producer Tamar Qeburia Camera by Nikoloz Tabukashvili / Music by Nika Pasuri / Sound recordings by Irakli Shonia / Voice actors - Sarah Kivi and Tornike Bziava / Color grading by Sally Shamas. Stone of Hell AVCHD Digital film; Archival and found footage / 24:00’ / English, Georgian / 2021 The starting point for the experimental documentary film is a small town in the republic of Georgia, Chiatura, whose economy has historically been heavily dependent on mining activities. Following the raw materials extracted on site through all stages of processing and distribution, we zoom out from the local context of the town to scrutinize the geopolitical and economic interrelations that link this peripheral site of extraction to a vast network of places, subjects and processes across the globe, exploring the new modes of war production engendering our present. Supported by the Senate of Berlin - Department for Culture and Europe, Salzburger Kunstverein and Heinrich Böll Foundation.

English Subtitles via the CC Button Bitte unbedingt Kopfhörer benutzen. Please be sure to use headphones. Kontakt: swooshlieu@gmail.com „Eine Frau muss Geld und ein eigenes Zimmer haben, um schreiben zu können.“ so Virginia Woolf 1929 in ihrem Essay „A Room of One’s Own“. Über 90 Jahre später ist diese Allegorie auf finanzielle und räumliche Unabhängigkeit aktueller denn je. Während wir in der Corona Krise einen feministischen Backlash erleben, verschließen sich für Frauen* immer wieder Türen, werden ihre Räume immer kleiner gemacht oder ganz weggenommen. In einer audiovisuellen Bearbeitung der Thesen von Woolf fragen Swoosh Lieu danach, wie die Räume aussehen müssen, in denen wir uns emanzipieren und selbstverwirklichen können und mit welchen Mitteln wir uns diese Räume erzählen und vorstellen müssen, um sie tatsächlich auch entstehen zu lassen. Die Kamera bewegt sich anhand dieser Fragen und in Zeiten des Lockdowns durch den leeren Theaterraum, erkundet Plätze und Perspektiven, Sichtbarkeiten und Lautstärken, Zugänge und Begrenzungen. “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write,” wrote Virginia Woolf in her 1929 essay ‘A Room of One’s Own’. Over 90 years later this allegory of financial and spatial independence is more relevant than ever. While we experience a feminist backlash during the crisis caused by the Corona virus, women are repeatedly finding that doors are being closed to them and their spaces are becoming smaller or being taken away entirely. In an audio-visual adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s text, Swoosh Lieu inquire into what the spaces must look like where we can emancipate ourselves and find self-fulfilment. What means do we need to use to talk about and imagine these spaces in order to actually allow them to come into being? Based on these questions, the camera moves through the empty theatre space during lockdown, exploring places and perspectives, visibilities and volumes, points of access and limitations. In between, it dives into real and virtual imaginary spaces, disappears into green screens and disco balls – until it finally takes off to a new horizon, beyond which there is room for everyone and we are not alone. A Room of Our Own Vorstellung für Browser:in und variables Publikum von Swoosh Lieu Konzept, Szenenbild, Licht: Johanna Castell Konzept, Komposition, Sounddesign, Text: Katharina Pelosi Konzept, Schnitt, Kamera Labor, Text: Rosa Wernecke Assistenz und dramaturgische Mitarbeit : Verena Katz Ausstattungsassistenz: Katharina Olt Technische Mitarbeit: Jones Seitz Technische Mitarbeit: Stine Hertel Kamera: Marie Zahir Sprecherin: Birte Schnöink Schauspielerin Labor: Mariana Senne Hund: Iphigenie Animation: Barbara Lanzarote Colorist: Sally Shamas Drohnenaufnahmen: Freya Kathmann Umsetzung Webseite: Francesca d‘Ath Übersetzung: ehrliche arbeit - freies Kulturbüro Lichttechnik: Sebastian Schackert Mischtonmeister: Manuel Glowczewski Sprach-Aufnahmen: Planet Earth Studio, Berlin Produktionsleitung: Johanna Castell Technische Produktion: Gefährliche Arbeit Team Willy Brandt Platz: Johanna Castell + Toni, Stine Hertel, Katharina Olt, Verena Katz, Katharina Pelosi, Jones Seitz, Rosa Wernecke, Marie Zahir Gebärix-Familien: Jamila Adler, Johannes Aue, Elena Barta, BeyondTech featuring nichtichx2, Johanna Castell, Ben Hartmann, Ranyana Herzog, Heinrich Horwitz, Henri Jakobs, Anna Kellermann, Mahtab Khedri, Daniel Loick, Katharina Pelosi, Carola Schaal, Emel Schattner, Marie Simms, Joel Vogel, Laura Villalba y Weinberg, Rosa Wernecke Dank an: Dr. Susanne Brey, Dietrich Krüger, Frieder Miller, Selina Stefaniak, Daniel Zimmermann, das Team vom Frankfurt LAB, das Team vom Mousonturm. Basierend auf Texten von: Virginia Woolf, Donna Haraway, Legacy Russell, Ursula K. Le Guin, Paul B. Preciado, Margarita Tsomou, LECKEN, VNS Matrix, Antonia Baehr Eine Produktion von Swoosh Lieu in Koproduktion mit dem Künstler:innenhaus Mousonturm. Swoosh Lieu werden gefördert vom Kulturamt der Stadt Frankfurt am Main. Frankfurt, 2021

Eine Grenze in Europa. Ein Bild von Paul Klee. Ein Gedicht von Walter Benjamin. Ein Film über das Gestern und das Heute - und wie schwer das Eine hinter dem Anderen erkennbar ist.

13 IN OUT Festival 2019 FIRST PRIZE VIDEO/PERFORMANCE Ilaria Di Carlo, "The Divine Way", DE, 2018 Short film "The Divine Way" by Ilaria Di Carlo was awarded with the First Prize during the 13th IN OUT Festival 2019. Film krótkometrażowy "The Divine Way" Ilarii Di Carlo zdobył pierwszą nagrodę podczas 13. IN OUT Festiwalu 2019. www.inoutfestival.pl