In normal times the Arsenal by Potsdamer Platz screens more than 1000 films a year on its two screens, with a focus on innovative, experimental but above all independent films. With all cinemas closed, Arsenal has opened their online streaming channel, Arsenal 3, to film buffs free of charge. The program changes weekly, though it always includes new discoveries as well as revisited classics from cinema’s past. This week “A Crime Against Art” (2007) by Hila Peleg and “Killer.Berlin.Doc” (1999) by Jörg Heitmann and Bettina Ellerkamp give a revealing look into the art world, while the specially-remastered 1978 Georgian film “Some Interviews on Personal Matters”, in which a journalist interviews women about their “personal matters”, is bound to be a highlight. Meanwhile, Ulrike Ottinger’s Berlin trilogy is available to stream in full, starting with “Ticket of No Return” (1979) in remembrance of late actress and artist Tabea Blumenschein. Following next week is Ottinger’s “Freak Orlando” (1981) alongside a highly international line-up that includes praised Chinese film “An Elephant Sitting Still” (2018). This is small-screen entertainment at its most refined. (Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Arsenal Institut for Film und Videokunst & Zero Productions)
Arsenal 3 online cinema portal. Films are offered free of charge, with donations welcomed to support the institute’s work.