13.12.24 I PUT A SPELL ON YOU: (DE)COLONIAL ENERGIES

Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid made the avant-garde film classic Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) together as a married couple. In the 1950s, they both individually filmed footage relating to (de)colonial energies in very different ways. 

Power Among Men (1959) was rediscovered by Fabienne Liptay and Dorota Sajewska during their research. The 16 mm archive print from the UN Audiovisual Library New York was digitised especially for this evening, made possible by research funding from the University of Zurich. Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti (1947-1951/1977) will be screened in a new 16 mm film print. 

For the first time, these two films will be screened together in one programme. In their introduction to the screenings, Fabienne Liptay (University of Zurich) and Dorota Sajewska (Ruhr University Bochum) show the surprising connections between the films. 

The event is organised by The Institute for Performance and Film Expanded.