Audre Lorde - The Berlin Years 1984 to 1992

December 2018 Newsletter • ENG / DEU •  UNSUBSCRIBE

Audre Lorde – The Berlin Years 1984 to 1992 again circled the globe in 2018! The film has been showing for seven years since its 2012 world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale). Five film festivals were added in 2018. The film has now been shown at 75 film festivals in 24 countries. In addition there have been hundreds of screenings in 25 countries. And it has received seven awards!

Table discussion at FemArt Festival, Kosovo FemArt Festival, Kosovo
Table discussion at FemArt Festival, Kosovo Lunch at FemArt Festival, Kosovo

Highlights from the 2018 journey:

  • The First Ever Queer Film Festival in Kayelitsha, Cape Town’s largest township (read the February newsletter)

  • Audre and May AyimScreenings took place at four more film festivals:

    • the New York Feminist Film Week at Anthology Film Archives
    • the Femart Festival in Pristina, Kosovo (since 2008 independent of Serbia)
    • the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, Greece
    • left to right: Jessica Oliveira, Michelle Mattiuzzi and Annie Ganzala
      left to right: Jessica Oliveira, Michelle Mattiuzzi and Annie Ganzala
      the Rio de Janeiro Século XXI: Mulheres, Ação Festival

Other screenings included:

  • The Goethe Institut in Sao Paulo, Brazil, showed the film and the documentary about a friend of Audre’s, Ghanaen-German poet May Ayim: Hope in My Heart – The May Ayim Story.

  • Jessica Oliveira produced Portuguese/Brazilian subtitles for the films, which can now be seen by Portuguese-speaking audiences!

    Jessica Oliveira gave the following report on the events:

    “The film screenings went extremely well...We had a lively and strong debate after the screenings with two Brazilian artists (Michelle Mattiuzzi and Annie Ganzala), a South African artist (Khanyisile Mbongwa) and myself!

    It was a super encounter! Very inspiring in these times. Audre Lorde’s and May Ayim’s works continue to be very up to date…. Michelle Mattiuzze keeps working with May Ayim’s poems, Annie Ganzala made a beautiful illustration for the booklet with Ayim’s poems…. Everyone was very enthusiastic and impressed by both films. Many persons (from Sao Paulo, from Rio, from Recife, from Salvador etc.) had already contacted me with the wish to show the films in their cities.“

  • the Anthology Film Archives in New York together with two other films about Audre, A Litany for Survival – The Life and Work of Audre Lorde and On the Edge of Each Other’s Battles—The Vision of Audre Lorde.

  • week long screenings at the Harris Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the Bernie Grant Art Center in London

  • several universities in the US, e.g. at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco

    • New Paltz, New York California Institute of Integral Studies California Institute of Integral Studies
    State University of New York in New Paltz California Institute of Integral Studies California Institute of Integral Studies

Yvonne Aspengren sent the following comment after the screening at the State University of New York in New Paltz.

“Dagmar and Ika, What a pleasure and an honor it was for us to have you screen your film on our campus. Students were inspired and energized, as were faculty, by Audre Lorde’s strength, wisdom and joyful spirit, and quite moved by your dedication to her legacy. Audre challenges and encourages us to listen carefully, to act honestly and to speak out. Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to experience and discuss Audre Lorde -The Berlin Years with you!”

  • a fund-raiser for the Bay Area Lesbian Archives (BALA) in Oakland, California

In addition there were a number of screenings in Germany at various venues as well as the 25th monthly screening at Lichtblick Theater in Berlin!

  • H. Lenn Keller, BALA Director and Founder, with Dagmar and Ika A section of the audience at the BALA screening

Audre Lorde in Berlin - An Online JourneyWhat else is new? The Audre Lorde in Berlin Online Journey (former title “City Tour”) now has a content list under the menu link “website info” which allows you to choose locations you want to visit and get there directly with one click! This online journey is a great resource of text, photos, videos and audios. It can also be used in teaching as a vivid introduction to Audre Lorde in the Berlin of the 1980s and early 90s.

You hear and see Audre recite poems and analyze one of her poems, you hear her talk about her relationship with Black Germans, encourage Afro-germans to write, give her view on the fall of the wall, on German racism and anti-semitism and on (white) feminism, discuss organizing with South-African author and activist Ellen Kuzwayo, offer us her political credo, reminisce on her childhood. Please use and promote this innovative project of archival activism! http://audrelordeberlin.com

Also check out the playlists with many videos on Audre Lorde in Berlin and interviews with Gloria Joseph and with viewers of the film: https://www.youtube.com

Dagmar Schultz

Click here to UNSUBSCRIBE from our e-mail list. Click here to read our PRIVACY POLICY. The European DVD (PAL) is available from www.jcp.de. The DVD is in English with subtitles in German, French and Spanish. Click here to UNSUBSCRIBE from our e-mail list. Click here to read our PRIVACY POLICY.The European DVD (PAL) is available from www.jcp.de. DVDs for home use (NTSC format) can be ordered from the director, Dagmar Schultz, for $25 including shipping.