June 6th to 10th 2007, Amsterdam
Beeld voor Beeld (Image by Image) is a documentary film festival dealing with culture and representation. Rooted in visual anthropology, the festival screens documentaries on various (sub)cultures during a period of five days. Beside the screening of beautiful films on cultural diversification, extensive discussions with the filmmakers are an important part of the festival format.
This year City Cultures will be the main focus of this year’s festival, since for the first time in world history more people live in cities than in rural areas. Four documentaries will have their world premiere, and almost all films have their Dutch screening debut during Beeld voor Beeld 2007. Special attention will be paid to, amongst others, Iran, China, Indonesia, and honour killings. One day of the festival will focus on the school as micro cosmos of society. And, cultural activities like a Balcan Beat Party follow the screened films.
Beeld voor Beeld 2007
For the first time in history more people live in cities than in rural areas. Under the title City Cultures the 18th edition of the festival screens a great number of films that focus on city life in all its’ manifestations. From ghetto culture in Colombia to the attempts of young people to find their place under a repressive Islamic regime. From the changes in social structures in Chinese cities as a result of the rapid industrialization to the rise of a new Western music culture in the big cities that mixes modern rock with age-old gypsy tunes.
The City is more and more the place where the relationships in society are played out, in a time where under the influence of globalization and the opening up of borders migration to the city is no longer only a national phenomenon. The result is a continuous interaction and interplay between different ways of life, resulting in fascinating urban dynamics.
In an environment where many people of different backgrounds interact, change will occur more rapidly than in a single-background environment. Individuals in large conglomerates have more choices for several identities, although this choice is more often than not restricted by economic, social and political factors, leaving behind large groups of people who can’t keep up with rapid developments in the urban conglomerates of the 21st century. No wonder critical filmmakers and visual anthropologists have discovered the city as a chanllenging focus for their films, since it offers an almost endless sourse of important and fascinating subjects. During the 18th Beeld voor Beeld festival, many examples of these films are being screened.They take us from Cali to Beijing, from Amsterdam to New York, and from Teheran to Kunming.
Link:
www.beeldvoorbeeld.nl
Contact:
Eddy Appels
Email:
info (at) beeldvoorbeeld (dot) nl
Telephone:
31-20-568 8520
Fax:
31-20-568 8384
Address:
Postbus 95001 1090 HA Amsterdam