A I O U

The distant future. An orbital facility of unknown origin. Here, the debt of taking a life will finally be repaid... through resurrection. The victims of military violence across time are systematically brought back to life and guided through the all-too-familiar facility. As a staff of identical ushers draws back layers of confusion and pain, the freshly resurrected gradually become aware of the reality of their corporeal reinsertion: perhaps the world of the living is not a world at all; to be alive in this place may merely be an exhibit. We, the resurrected, overwhelmed by a literal second life, will of course discover our one inevitable destination: a place to sit, have a drink, and talk it out.
by Adam Khalil, Bayley Sweitzer, Anton Vidokle
with Jim Fletcher
USA 2016 English 30’ Colour World premiere

With

  • Jim Fletcher (Artificial Intelligence)

Crew

Written and Directed by Adam Khalil, Bayley Sweitzer, Anton Vidokle
Cinematography Jake Magee
Editing Adam Khalil, Bayley Sweitzer, Anton Vidokle
Sound Design Eli Cohn
Sound Dylan Hurley
Production Design Naomi Ferber
Costumes Coco Campbell
Make-Up Naomi Raddatz
Casting Geraldine Barón, Salome Oggenfuss
Producer Rezarta Seferi

Produced by

Rezarta Seferi

Adam Khalil

Adam Khalil (Ojibway), born in 1988 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA, is a filmmaker and artist who lives and works in Brooklyn. His practice attempts to subvert traditional forms of ethnography through humor, relation, and transgression. Khalil’s work has been exhibited at art institutions, biennials, and museums and screened at film festivals internationally. Khalil received his BA from Bard College.

Filmography

2016 INAATE/SE/; with Zack Khalil, 75 min. 2017 The Violence of a Civilization without Secrets; with Zack Khalil and Jackson Polys, 10 min. 2018 Empty Metal; with Bayley Sweitzer, 85 min. 2019 Culture Capture: Terminal Addition; with Zack Khalil, Jackson Polys and Bayley Sweitzer, 7 min. · A I O U; with Anton Vidokle and Bayley Sweitzer, 30 min. 2020 Never Settle; with Zack Khalil, Jackson Polys and Bayley Sweitzer, 38 min.

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2020

Bayley Sweitzer

Bayley Sweitzer, born in 1989 in Boston, USA, is a filmmaker and camera assistant based in Brooklyn. His practice revolves around a dynamic, high-mobility engagement with the margins, as well as taking an earnest look at the chronomorphic qualities of narrative, specifically the camera’s ability to consolidate dimensions. His work has been shown at art institutions and museums worldwide. Bayley is a member of the International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600.

Filmography

2018 Empty Metal; with Adam Khalil, 85 min. 2019 Culture Capture: Terminal Addition; with Adam Khalil, Zack Khalila and Jackson Polys, 7 min. · A I O U; with Anton Vidokle and Adam Khalil, 30 min. 2020 Never Settle; with Adam Khalil, Zack Khalila and Jackson Polys, 38 min.

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2020

Anton Vidokle

Anton Vidokle, born in 1965 in Moscow, Russia, is an artist and editor of e-flux journal. He lives in New York and Berlin. His work has been exhibited internationally at museums, art institutions, and biennials and screened at film festivals.

Filmography

2002 Salto de Agua 2003 Nuevo 2010 Guiding Light; with Liam Gillick, 21 min. · New York Conversations; 64 min. 2012 Two Suns; with Hu Fang, 24 min. 2014 2084: A Science Fiction Show/Episode 1; with Pelin Tan, 68 min. · This Is Cosmos; 31 min., Forum Expanded 2015 2015 A Museum of Immortality; 26 min. · The Communist Revolution Was Caused By The Sun; 33 min., Forum Expanded 2016 2017 Immortality for All: a film trilogy on Russian Cosmism,; 96 min. 2019 A I O U; with Adam Khalil and Bayley Sweitzer, 30 min., Forum Expanded 2020 · Citizens of the Cosmos; 30 min., Forum Expanded 2020 2020 Autotrofia

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2021