German film concert puts spotlight on migration

AMMAN — Last week on Thursday, the artist collective shortfilmlivemusic performed a multimedia film concert titled “Survival Strategies for Cold Countries” at the Al Hussein Cultural Centre in Amman, within the framework of the European Film Festival, which centred on migration to and from Germany.

According to a statement issued by the German embassy in Amman, the artists used film scenes, live music and spoken word to create “a poetic tale of arrivals over the course of history”, “free of stereotypes and clichés”.

The artist collective comprised Germans, a Hungarian and a Syrian-Palestinian who performed the first piece in the Middle East, after several concerts in Germany, providing complete subtitling in German and Arabic, the statement said.

“Performing our film concert in Jordan has been an extraordinary experience. Both Germany and Jordan have experienced the arrival of a considerable number of migrants and refugees,” band leader Jan F. Kurth was quoted in the statement as saying after the concert.

“With our focus on the situation in Germany over time, our aim is to show how crucial the process of arrival is on an individual level. From what I have learned during my stay here, I understand that the hospitality of the Jordanian people is truly remarkable,” Kurth said.

The movie concert was preceded by a workshop on music, film and poetry in which the artists shared their techniques and experiences with Jordanian participants, the statement said.

Funding came from the German Federal Government, the EU Delegation to Jordan and the City Council of Freiburg, the statement said, adding that the event was organised by the German embassy in Amman along with support from EUNIC Jordan, the EU National Institutes for Culture, and in particular, the Goethe Institute in Amman.

According to the statement, the German classic silent movie from 1927 “Berlin — A Symphony of a Big City” will conclude the European Film Festival on Sunday, September 22, at 8pm at the Royal Film Commission and will be accompanied by the German electronic music duo Tronthaim.