TechTextil 2024 Frankfurt.Germany

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Students of the Cultural Work module with Prof Alkin and Bijan Benjamin

Strong statements: short films by students against violence

In Professor Oemer Alkin's Cultural Work module, students worked with director Bijan Benjamin to develop impressive videos on the topic of violence against women. Our verdict: definitely worth seeing!

 

The project was supported by the Equal Opportunities Officer of our university and the Equal Opportunities Officer of the city of Mönchengladbach, Sarah Guenther.

The result is three very different but equally powerful films:

 

InvisiWoman
An ironic take on the invisibility and trivialisation of violence. With a playful approach to sexist and patriarchal statements, the film shows one thing above all:
Reality is absurdly unjust.

 

Not again
Minimalistically staged, but emotionally spot on. A seemingly unspectacular situation becomes an everyday experience for many women - and thus a clear statement.

 

I love you
A harmless WhatsApp chat that turns sour. The film impressively shows how quickly and quietly sexualised violence can take shape.
→ The ending leaves the audience shivering.


What moved the students:
The collaboration - especially with Bijan Benjamin - was experienced as very enriching. At the same time, the time frame was tight, which made planning difficult.

The discussions clearly showed how often female students in particular experience sexualised violence. One example: the debate about the uncensored showing of a dickpic.
While outsiders might see this as a "distribution of pornographic material" or an infringement of personal rights, the students argued:

"You don't want to see the dickpic? We've been getting pictures like this unsolicited since we were 12 years old - and they're not censored either."

A clear, strong statement.

We take these comments seriously - and continue to work on creating spaces in which such topics can be visualised, discussed and artistically processed.

 

Consulting
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