RAPID EYE MOVIES

France, Tunisia, Germany, Saudi Arabia 2023, 107 min
by Kaouther Ben Hania

The life of Olfa, a Tunisian woman and mother of 4 daughters, oscillates between light and shadow. One day, her two eldest daughters disappear. To fill their absence, director Kaouther Ben Hania calls upon professional actors and sets up an extraordinary film mechanism to unveil the story of Olfa and her daughters.An intimate journey full of hope, rebellion, violence, intergenerational transmission and sister-hood, which will question the very foundation of our societies. With: Hend Sabri

Germany, USA 2021, 82 min
by Philipp Reichenheim

n the years just before Nirvana and the grunge wave, idiosyncratic trio Dinosaur Jr. were many noise geeks’ wet American dream. The massively noisy but also melodically refined group had a positive musical energy that contrasted with the chemistry that otherwise existed between the three members. ‘As long as he didn’t say anything, we understood each other very well,’ as J. Masics says of Lou Barlow in the film. The trio had to go through almost 20 years of separation before they could be reunited. The whole story is richly documented by Masic’s brother-in-law Philipp ‘Virus’ Reichenheim, whose VHS gritty aesthetic and interviews with soul brothers like Bob Mould, Henry Rollins, Kevin Shields and Thurston Moore dissolve into the band’s own ratty home movies from the early days.with J Mascis, Lou Barlow, Murph, Kim Gordon, Henry Rollins, Bob Mould, Thurston Moore, a.o.

France, Germany 2018, 82 min
by Philipp Jedicke

Chilly Gonzales is a Grammy-winning composer, virtuoso pianist and entertainer. Criss-crossing between rap, electro and solo piano music, he became the outrageous pop performer who invited himself to the ivory tower of classical music. Change seems to be the only constant in Gonzales‘ journey. The cinematic documentary Shut Up And Play The Piano follows Gonzales from his native Canada to late 90‘s underground Berlin, and via Paris to the world‘s great philharmonic halls. The playfulness of his character is mirrored in the look of the film. Reality and fiction blur together as we embark on a trip through Chilly Gonzales‘ world.with: Peaches, Leslie Feist, Sibylle Berg, Jarvis Cocker, Joe Flory, Adam Traynor, Paul PM aka Mr. Maloke (Puppetmastaz), Raik Hölzel, Raz Ohara, Renaud Letang, Kleber Valim, Lena Buhl, Cornelius MeisterBerlinale catalogue:'One of these days I will shut up and play the piano’ is how the chorus goes in the song which provides the title of this cinematic portrait of eclectic musician Chilly Gonzales. In fact, after making a name for himself as a brazen electro-rapper, this Canadian, whose real name is Jason Charles Beck, really did reinvent himself as a creator of quiet sounds on the piano. In 2003, this self-styled maverick loudly declared himself president of Berlin’s underground music scene, only to conquer bourgeois concert halls shortly afterwards with his tranquil album, ‘Solo Piano’. An extended conversation between him and writer Sibylle Berg is the thread that runs through the film. No holds are barred as they get down to the business of question and answer, and each of them gives as good as they get. In his directing debut, Philipp Jedicke displays a lightness of touch as he blends archive material with playfully dramatised scenes and interviews with the musician’s contemporaries such as Peaches, Leslie Feist and Jarvis Cocker. Rounded off by Gonzales’ energetic performances, the film allows us to discover a hard-working entertainer who never fails to surprise.