On 23 October 2025 from 4 to 8 p.m., students from The Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR) are inviting you to a film and discussion evening entitled "Solidarisation! ³" to a film and discussion evening at Hindenburgstraße 57 in the centre of Mönchengladbach. The film evening is part of the conference festival "blank spaces" and is intended as an impulse for all festival visitors who want to explore together what "being in solidarity" can mean in a post-migrant society. Admission is free.
Three short films will be screened that deal with questions of belonging, participation and social tensions in different ways. Each screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the audience - moderated and accompanied by guests from film, academia and practice.
In "Feels like the city's getting ready to expropriate!" (16:00 - 16:50), the focus will be on Berlin: The film documents key voices and scenes surrounding the "Deutsche Wohnen & Co enteignen" initiative and shines a spotlight on the political and social debate on the future of housing in German cities.
With "Das Überlebenden-Manifest - Die Kunst der Wahlfamilie" (17:10 - 18:00), director Dan Dansen presents an experimental short film that deals with trauma, healing and alternative forms of belonging. The film combines essayistic storytelling with artistic imagery and understands family of choice as a solidary, political and artistic practice.
The short film "The Butcher" (18:20 - 19:10) by Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay tells the story of a young art student who finds himself caught between individual self-determination, cultural background and social expectations. In precise, reduced images, the film deals with themes such as identity, home and power relations.
Prof Dr Carmen Mörsch (Kunsthochschule Mainz), Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay (Filmfaust GmbH) and Deputy Prof Dr Natascha Frankenberg (Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig) will take part in the discussion rounds as guests of the evening. They will contribute perspectives from the fields of art education, film production and media studies and open up new spaces for thought and dialogue together with the audience.
The event was initiated by students from The Hochschule Niederrhein under the direction of Prof Dr Ömer Alkin, Professor of Applied Media and Communication Sciences at the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences at HSNR. The project is supported by Gudrun Sommer, contract lecturer and expert in film education, among others.
Further information on the event and the festival can be found at: https: //blank-spaces.de/festival
