Allgemein Festival

BLONDE COBRA – Festival for queer & experimental cinema

Das Kölner Künstlerkollektiv und Studio für Bewegtbild SCHALTEN UND WALTEN begründet mit BLONDE COBRA eine neue Filmreihe, die experimentelle und queere Ästhetiken feiert

Die Klassiker des queeren Undergroundfilms werden im Laufe der Reihe erneut auf der Leinwand zu sehen sein – darunter Werke von Jack Smith, Kenneth Anger und Andy Warhol – kombiniert mit neuen Perspektiven und in Bezug, zu aktuellem queeren Filmschaffen. Der Titel der Filmreihe “Blonde Cobra” bezieht sich auf den gleichnamigen Avantgardeklassiker von New Yorker Underground Ikone Ken Jacobs. Mit dem 2-tägigen Programm am 14. und 15 Dezember findet die Reihe einen Höhepunkt in Form eines kleinen Festivals im Turistarama, ehemals Lupe 2 Kino in Köln. Neben Kurz- und Langfilmprogrammen – die selten gezeigtes und teils lang verschollenes Filmmaterial der Experimentalfilmszene der 60er beinhaltet (Jack Smith, Birgit Hein…) – gibt es Kunst-Performances und Workshops im Programm.

Kuratiert SCHALTEN UND WALTEN, Lara Nickel, Miriam Gossing, Lina Sieckmann Gefördert vom Kulturamt der Stadt Köln

BLONDE COBRA – Festival for queer&experimental cinema

Sat, Dec 14th 2019, 17:30-19:00 h – JACK SMITH – ESCAPE FROM RENTED ISLAND: The program features a short documentary by Birgit Hein showing iconic queer artist Jack Smith during a performance at the Cologne Zoo in 1974. Excerpts from the 2017 documentary ESCAPE FROM RENTED ISLAND: THE LOST PARADISE OF JACK SMITH by Jerry Tartaglia are commented and discussed in a talk between film theorist Marc Siegel (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt a.M.) and British videoartist Phil Collins.


Sat, Dec 14th 2019, 20:30-21:45 h  – CONFESSIONS OF AN ACTRESS: The program CONFESSIONS OF AN ACTRESS is named after the performance by Berlin-based artist and actress Susanne Sachsse. The following short film program will circle around the figure of the actress and the star, drawing a connection between queer desire, authenticity and fiction.

Shortfilms: MY LAST FILM – Zia Anger, USA 2015, 9 min // AS MUCH AS ANYONE – Stefan Ramírez Pérez, GER 2017, 17 min /// LIFE AFTER LOVE – Zachary Epcar, USA 2018, 8 min // HEY MADONNA – Mike Hoolboom, CAN 1999, 9’30 min /// JEDEN TAG – Felix Zilles-Perels, GER 2015, 4’36 min // PLAY – Christoph Girardet & Matthias Müller, GER 2003, 7 min     

Sunday, Dec 15th 2019, 15-16:30 h – VOGUING WORKSHOP “VOGUE ELEMENTS”: Dance Workshop with Mother Leo Saint Laurent // Beginners Level // Registrations via registration@thehouseofmelody.com
The House was originally founded as the first German House – the House of Melody (2012-2019) by the German Pioneer of Ballroom, Georgina Philp aka Leo. Since July 2019 the House of Melody has transformed and joined forces with the Iconic House of Saint Laurent (founded 1982 in NYC), represent- ing the international Chapter under the leadership of the European Mother Leo Saint Laurent

Sat, Dec 14th 2019, 22:30 h – VOGUING BALL by HOUSE OF ST. LAURENT EUROPE:  The overall theme for the night is the movie NORMAL LOVE by Jack Smith, an experimental film that shows the adventures of an ensemble of glamorously dressed monsters. Become your own glamorous monster and be inspired by the movie’s visual cosmos serving Hollywood kitsch, exaggeration, absurdity and gender-bending characters to create your own personal look. The House was originally founded as the first German House – the House of Melody (2012-2019) by the German Pioneer of Ballroom, Georgina Philp aka Leo. Since July 2019 the House of Melody has transformed and joined forces with the Iconic House of Saint Laurent (founded 1982 in NYC), represent- ing the international Chapter under the leadership of the European Mother Leo Saint Laurent.

Sunday, Dec 15th 2019, 17:30-19:30 h – THE ORNITHOLOGIST: A film by João Pedro Rodrigues, F/BRA/POR 2017, 118 min: When the ornithologist Fernando loses his bearings and contact with the outside world while out exploring in the wilderness, he comes across two female Chinese pilgrims, men wearing spirits of the forest costumes, a deaf and dumb shepherd called Jesus and Amazonian riders. Birds observe him. The deeper he ventures into the mythical jungle and loses himself in it, the more he finds himself. A sensual film inspired by the story of Saint Anthony filmed with Cinemascope and boasting a brilliant sound design. Rodrigues’ films tell of transformations, polymorphous love and drifting identities with elliptical jumps, in parallel worlds full of fetishes and driven by the violent desire of the characters. Despite its stylistic artificiality, Rodrigues’ work is anchored in reality.                               

Sunday, Dec 15th 2019, 20-21:30 h – AGAINST THE FUR:
The program will open with a performance by Cologne-based artist Ale Bachlechner which will transform into the short film program AGAINST THE FUR revolving around motifs of nature, resistance, activism, and exoticized views.

Shortfilms:

STUDIO HALLO #4 – Ale Bachlechner, Jonathan Kastl, Felix Zilles-Perels, GER 2019 20 min // PLEASE RELAX NOW – Vika Kirchenbauer, GER 2014, 12 min // PANDA MOONWALK OR WHY MENG MENG WALKS BACK- WARDS – Kerstin Honeit, GER 2018, 8 min // MONIKA M. – Karin Michalski, GER 2003, 20 min // UNBOXING EDEN – NeoZoon, GER 2013, 5 min // Closing Ceremony with Cindy Moped , 15 min

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