Dokumentarfilm. Eine kleine Geschichte filmischer Beziehungsweisen

A revolution, writes theorist Bini Adamczak, is above all the creation of new modes of relationship—“from a hierarchical relationship to an egalitarian one, from an objectified relationship to a factual one, from an insecure relationship to a secure one. From an indifferent or competitive relationship to a cooperative and supportive one.” Without referring specifically to the genre of documentary film, this reflection on the transformation of a society along its modes of relationship can be applied to it. Even more so than in feature films, the relationship between the person behind the camera and the means of production, the people in front of the camera, and the world it depicts plays a central role in documentary film. Based on this consideration, over the course of two days we will explore the history of this cinematic form and its films, from the beginnings of cinema to contemporary works, from explanatory to observational, interactive, intervening, and reflexive approaches. The starting point for all considerations and connections to be drawn are the films themselves, supplemented by selected texts and active, involved, critical, and passionate discussion about them. Ultimately, insight into the history of this form should offer the opportunity to gain clarity about one's own artistic work and the form of relationship to the world negotiated therein.