Schlingensief – In das Schweigen hineinschreien

Schlingensief – A Voice that Shook the Silence
What a joy it is to listen to and watch Christoph Schlingensief once more! His razor-sharp mind, mischievous irony and the political clarity with which he talks about himself, his art and his films in Bettina Böhler’s documentary make us keenly feel the loss of this exceptional artist. But at the same time, here he is, brought back to life on the big screen. In 2020, Christoph Schlingensief would have turned 60. Bettina Böhler’s brilliantly edited work pulls off the considerable feat of retelling his life and oeuvre exclusively from archive footage in just two hours. From Schlingensief’s first Super 8mm films to his Fluxus Oratorio “A Church of Fear vs. The Alien Within”, her film spans forty years of creativity that also reflects forty years of (German-)German history, with which Schlingensief radically engaged throughout his life. Böhler masterfully assembles film clips and private videos, recordings of theatre performances and copious hitherto unpublished and newly digitalised material. At the end of this tour de force we are left with the question: Would Schlingensief’s art be conceivable in this form today?
by Bettina Böhler
with Christoph Schlingensief, Margit Carstensen, Irm Hermann, Alfred Edel, Udo Kier, Sophie Rois, Bernhard Schütz, Helge Schneider, Dietrich Kuhlbrodt, Susanne Bredehöft, Tilda Swinton
Germany 2020 German 124’ Colour World premiere | Documentary form Rating R12

With

  • Christoph Schlingensief
  • Margit Carstensen
  • Irm Hermann
  • Alfred Edel
  • Udo Kier
  • Sophie Rois
  • Bernhard Schütz
  • Helge Schneider
  • Dietrich Kuhlbrodt
  • Susanne Bredehöft
  • Tilda Swinton

Crew

Written and Directed by Bettina Böhler
Script Adviser Angelina Maccarone
Editing Bettina Böhler
Archival Research Lydia Anemüller
Sound Design Daniel Iribarren
Sound Mixing Adrian Baumeister
Music Helge Schneider
Producers Frieder Schlaich, Irene von Alberti
Commissioning Editor Rolf Bergmann, Jutta Krug
Co-Production rbb Berlin
WDR Köln

Bettina Böhler

Born in Freiburg, Germany in 1960. As an editor she is known for her work with directors including Christian Petzold and Valeska Grisebach, as well as for her long-term collaborations with Christoph Schlingensief, Oskar Roehler and Margarethe von Trotta. In 2007, she won the Bremen Film Award for her long-standing contribution to European film. She taught for 20 years at the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin and is a member of the European Film Academy, the Academy of Arts in Berlin and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Filmography

2018 Searching for Ingmar Bergman; director: Margarethe von Trotta, Co-directors: Felix Moeller, Bettina Böhler, documentary 2020 Schlingensief – In das Schweigen hineinschreien (Schlingensief – A Voice that Shook the Silence); documentary, Panorama

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2020