Cheshire cats from down under

Ghita Loebenstein and Keith Deverell from Melbourne met us on a flying visit in Berlin.

Ghita is the driving force beyond Speakeasy Cinema, a like-minded spot that crosses a big screen with a dive bar, a cafe and a creative studio. It’s inspired partly by Austin’s Alamo Drafthouses, partly by the best of Melbourne’s lo-fi drinking dens, and partly by the risk-everything attitude of 1920s saloon keep Mary Louise Cecilia “Texas” Guinan, who had never heard of a cup holder. It’s not illegal, but it is worth keeping to yourself. 

Launched in 2009, Speakeasy screens at various locations around Melbourne’s inner city. The program is focused on the weird, the wonderful and the hard-to-find, sometimes screening titles that don’t make it to local cinemas at all. In the vaudeville spirit of the speakeasy, you might also catch a director Q&A, a short film or, if you’re early, a spot on Texas Guinan’s knee. In short, the place to be.

Keith is an Australian/UK artist and designer whose work spans video art, sound/image installation and performance. Together with Sue McCauley  he established the arts studio Greyspace. They produce installation works, sound and image performances, and collaborative community-based projects, In their work together, they explore forms of networked video, installation, and collaboration.

directors lounge monthly screenings

antipodean reactions
film reports from the deep south

Chris Henschke and Donna Kendrigan

Thursday, 29 Oct. 2009
21:00

Z-Bar
Bergstraße 2
10115 Berlin-Mitte

Tonight, we will experience two very different aspects of Australian culture: Art meets science in the works of Chris Henschke and Donna Kendrigan, Australian artists from Melbourne. Donna recreated the first metereological cloud formation experiment in front of her camera. Chris inserted a lightbulb into the beams of a particle accelerator during his residency at the Australian Synchrotron, and documented the effects. The results of these experiments will be presented at the screening. However, Donna and Chris also have a very different interest. This will be shown in the second part of the night.

“Deep South” is a montage of shorts and features from the southern end of the Australian continent. A selection of degenerate yet distinctive moments in Australian film starting from 1906, paints an unashamedly unglamorous and unfamiliar portrait of Australia for the European audience - a new anti-touristic angle on Australia as opposed to the usual image of a fun and friendly holiday destination.

The artists are personally introducing the films and will be present for Q&A after the screening.

More infos at:

http://www.richfilm.de/filmUpload/1-framesHenschke.html

Artist’s Links:
www.topologies.com.au

Press Links:
Z-Bar - http://www.z-bar.de/
Directors Lounge