The Freunde der deutschen Kinemathek e.V. are:
Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art e.V.
Starting on November 1, the Freunde der deutschen Kinemathek will have a new name: Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art. And that change will be accompanied by a new programming structure, a new look and a new monthly schedule brochure than not only lists the programs at the Arsenal cinema, but also gives information about other activities by the Institute for Film and Video Art.
Cinema has changed – not only in terms of technology, but also in regard to its relationship to other areas of art, culture and society. In these increasingly complex times, our new name puts more focus on our institutions work as an intermediary. All of its areas of activity are emphasized: along with a cinema an distribution company, the Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art provides accompanying intermediation, research and a transfer of knowledge, which will be expanded in the future.
With this relaunch, we are responding to contemporary changes by rebuilding our institution to make the available resources visible and more accessible, as well as to strike out in new directions.
arsenal kino presents two regular series: Magical History Tour and the new, Berlin-oriented Focus on Potsdamer Platz. The additional programming will be more precisely focused and contoured in the future.
arsenal transfer encourages the public discourse on the language, history and future of film through symposia, panel discussions workshops, lectures and exhibitions. A summer academy is planned. The interdisciplinary approach opens new spaces: gallery, nightclub, media productions – film is no longer tied to the movie theater.
arsenal kollektion consists of some 9,000 works. The film collection documents our concept of film (history) as a “living archive” and encompasses the historical impulses of avant-garde film history as well as current trends in film and video art. The future task will increasingly be to refurbish and expand the collection, and to make it accessible through user-oriented archiving and digitalization.
arsenal distribution encompasses some 2,000 titles. The distributor emerged from the desire to make the films screened at the Forum accessible to an international audience after the end of the festival. They are screened largely in art house cinemas and by non-profit organizations. In 2002, this area was expanded to include artistically experimental film work that verges on fine art. The presentation of video art and experimental films that often do not fit into the cinematic norm in terms of form or content in our own facilities, at festivals or in art and gallery spaces helps continue the investigation into the conditions of cinema.
The Berlinale forum will continue to represent new currents in global cinema and fresh approaches to telling stories. Unconventional, essayistic works of film, long-term observations, documentary films, and unfamiliar cinematography –this section of the Berlin International Film Festival provides a place for everything that lies outside the mainstream. Forum expanded has augmented this section since 2006 with a selection of current film, video and space installations, as well as performances.
arsenal service offers extensive advising and research possibilities to curators, academics and those interested in film; develops concepts and presents projection technology for places beyond the cinema. Our movie theaters, including equipment, can be rented for public as well as private events.
arsenal edition publishes books and DVDs to accompany the programs of the Institute for Film and Video Art.