14-24 nov 2024
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Respite

Respite

Aufschub
Harun Farocki
Germany
2007
40 min
Dead Angle: Borders
Synopsis

Camp Westerbork, situated near the Dutch-German border, was built in 1939 as a reception center for Jewish refugees, but under the Nazi occupation it transformed into a transit camp and became the gateway to hell for more than 100,000 Jews, Roma, Sinti and resistance fighters.

In 1944 camp commandant Gemmeker ordered a film to be made, probably to persuade his superiors of the economic benefits of Westerbork, which was threatened with closure. The camera operator was Jewish photographer Rudolf Breslauer. In 2017 the remnants of this never-completed film—featuring the unforgettable image of a Sinti girl looking out into the world from between two train carriage doors—were placed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

This essay-style documentary by German director Harun Farocki, renowned for his critical political documentaries and theories, breathes new life into the black-and-white images. The intertitles provide context for the ambiguous propaganda images presenting Westerbork as an efficient micro-society.

What can we infer from the scenes we see, and what is hidden from us? Farocki gently leads the viewer through his essay, and leaves the conclusions to us.

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Credits
40 min
black and white
-
Director
    Harun Farocki
    Harun Farocki
Production
    Harun Farocki Filmproduktion
    Harun Farocki Filmproduktion
Screening copy
    Harun Farocki Filmproduktion
    Harun Farocki Filmproduktion
Key collaborator
    Antje Ehmann,
    Christiane Hitzemann,
    Lars Pienkoß,
    Matthias Rajmann,
    Jan Ralske,
    Meggie Schneider
    Antje Ehmann,
    Christiane Hitzemann,
    Lars Pienkoß,
    Matthias Rajmann,
    Jan Ralske,
    Meggie Schneider

Stills

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More from the program section Dead Angle: Borders
Dead Angle is a multi-year curated program that uses documentary cinema as a torch to illuminate the dark corners of our awareness. Starting with the theme Borders, the program delves into the complex symbolism of borders, exploring them not just as physical barriers, but as profound metaphors for identity, community, and the human condition.
View program section
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