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Refusal to be defined by single categories: Lorde in 1983. Photograph: Robert Alexander/Getty Images

The months of March to June through July have been packed with more interesting events in which Audre Lorde – The Berlin Years 1984 to 1992 was screened. Here some of the highlights:

• In March the film toured the world—from Montréal to the University of Toronto, where Marion Kraft and I attended the big event “The Contemporary Urgencies of Audre Lorde’s Legacy.” Prof. Warren Crichlow said, Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years, 1984-1992 will certainly jump start new thinking in “Lorde Studies.”

• The film went on to Indiana University to the Goethe-Institut in York City, to Miami, to Oakland, and then to Atlanta for the African Literature Association Conference, in Charleston, and from there to the North Eastern Modern Language Association Convention, in Boston.

In Europe the film was also seen in England, Germany, Switzerland, and France. Rina Nissim, publisher of Audre’s works in French, introduced the film in Toulouse.

Jasmin Eding, ADEFRA

April brought screenings in Canada, Italy and Germany. One highlight was in Mexico City as part of the LesbianArte Festival. Jasmin Eding, protagonist in the film and a (founding) member of ADEFRA (AfroDeutscheFrauen) led the discussion there.

The month of May took the film to a very special event: the Yari Yari Ntaso conference of the Organization of Women Writers of Africa (OWWA) in Accra, Ghana. with participants from more than 15 countries, including scholars such as Carole Boyce Davies and Angela Davis, and authors such as Ama Ata Aidoo, Sapphire and Olumide Popoola. (Yari means “the future” in the Kuranko language of Zimbabwe, and Ntoaso means understanding and agreement in the Akan language of Ghana.) The organizer, Dr. Rosamond S. King, reported, “People continued to talk about the film and the issues it raised during the rest of the conference. I'm so happy we could screen it!”

In addition Dagmar Schultz showed the film at the (Im)possibly Queer International Feminisms Conference at the University of Sussex in conversation with Stella Bolaki and Gail Lewis. Modupe Laja introduced it at the „Lesbenfrühling“ in Munich, Ika Hügel-Marshall and Dagmar attended the Böll Foundation’s screening, and, finally, Dred Scott Keyes published an interview he did with Dagmar for the radio station WBAI, in New York.

Kathleen, Ika, Judy, Dagmar at Humbolt University

In June Dagmar And Ika were invited to present the film in Vienna at the Identities Film Festival. From there it travelled to festivals in Amsterdam and Tel Aviv, and Dagmar showed it at the 2013 biannial Feminist Women’s Studies Conference at the University of Nottingham in England, an excellent international conference. Especially important: the film was part of the L-Nacht (Lesbian Nicht) screenings at big theaters in 11 German cities.

So far, July brings more screenings in Germany, such as in Berlin for visiting students of the California  College of the Arts with discussant Abenaa Adomako, protagonist in the film, and at the Humboldt University with an audience of at least 100, where Ika, Ria Cheatom and Judy Gummich had a lively discussion with students of color. Rina Nissim introduced the film at the LESBOpride festival in Marseille.

Everywhere it is shown, the film receives strong positive emotional and political reactions. And many viewers also acknowledge the quality of Aletta von Vietinghoff’s editorial work.

More exciting news: in addition to our web site, Facebook and Twitter pages, the film now also has a YouTube channel! It offers short clips from the rich special features on the DVD and will soon offer interviews Dagmar made with a great variety of viewers from Honolulu to New York, from Brighton to Berlin. Please bookmark it and visit often.

We are continuing the journey to recover costs for making and distributing Audre Lorde - The Berlin Years 1984 -1992. Please continue to support us by spreading the word in your community, telling friends and collegues, schools and libraries as well as local cinemas and groups to buy the DVD and keep spreading the words of Audre Lorde to a new generation. Her passionate spirit and wisdom are still badly needed.

The DVD has over 70 minutes of extra material, including Audre reading her poetry and reflecting on her literary work, meeting with South African author and activist Ellen Kuzwayo, an interview with Dagmar Schultz, a music clip by Corasón, whose music is in the film, and many more scenes of Audre Lorde in Berlin.

Click HERE to purchase your North American DVD (NTSC) today.
Click HERE for the film’s Press Kit

The European DVD (PAL) is available from www.jcp.de. The DVD is in English with subtitles in German, French and Spanish.

Thank you for your support!

Dagmar Schultz and the Audre Lorde - The Berlin Years 1984 -1992 Team