Because Of  is a hybrid event which aims to promote the values ​​of human rights and bring attention to the demands of women and minorities in Middle East countries. It will introduce the nature of protest art in Iran and its role in the continuation of popular demands and the challenges ahead in peaceful struggles. It will be held on 9 and 10 June 2023 at Wolf Kino. As part of the event, short fiction, documentaries, experimental, animation, and video art will be screened. There will also be lectures on various topics about protest art, Q&A sessions, and discussion panels.

The event is funded by the Einstein Foundation Berlin and supported by the Berlin Centre for Advanced Studies in Arts and Sciences (BAS) of the Berlin University of the Arts in collaboration with Wolf Kino Berlin.

Objectives

• Create a platform for exchanging thoughts and ideas on protest art, especially cinema.
• Bring attention to the role of imprisoned, refugee, and exiled artists in documenting social protests.
• Discuss the importance of the participation of women and queer people in Middle East protest cinema.

Requirements & Procedure

• Open to short fiction films, short animation, short documentaries, short experimental films and video art
• Films and videos should be related to at least one of the following themes: Gender-based violence/ discrimination; Violation of human rights, especially towards women and queer people; Repression and threats against protesters; Violation of freedom of speech and Censorship
• Films must be less than 30 minutes
• Films that have already been screened, publicly broadcasted or distributed in any form are accepted
• Films must be submitted via email (see instructions below)

Screening Media Type

• MPEG2- MPEG4 (H.264) - MOV (H.264), with inserted subtitles.
• Resolution: Full HD, 1920 x 1080
• Frame rate: (25p – 50i)
• Subtitles language: English

Submission Deadline: 31 March 2023

Selection Announcement: 20 April 2023

Please fill in the Submission Form and send it to because.of.2023_ @gmail.com