Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

it is with great honor and pleasure, to be able to open the Black International Cinema Berlin again at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin after a break of several years. In my view, this annual festival is a very important dialogue between different ethnic groups and cultures, and thus also between patterns of perception, expectations, hopes and dreams.
With a slight modification of the famous words of Martin Luther King, the XIV. Festival was held under the motto “We have a dream!”. This year, the question reads “Footprints in the Sand?”, which is associated with the Black Cinema. Dreams and footprints in the sand are somewhat volatile, therefore temporary, almost barely perceptible. Does this apply to the movies that we have seen in the past or will see during the next few days? Sure, art is not always sustainable, but it can be, because the confrontation with the unfamiliar, with the not ordinary, is able to generate thoughtfulness, because what has been seen and heard pulls away from the usual patterns of perception and associated mindsets. This is precisely why this non-ordinary is able to unfold its effectiveness, because it may be stirring, with dreams, hopes, trails and other realities which opens up new worlds to the viewers and have hitherto remained unknown to them. Perhaps the single film is only a dust grain, the differentiated questions, suggestions all of those movies Fountainhead® Tanz Théâtre has presented and will present, is a long solid trace in the life of our city and an indispensable component of cultural diversity, which our University also feels obliged to.

That is why I am pleased the XXX. 2015 Black International Cinema Berlin / “Footprints in the Sand?” Exhibition 2015 presents its films again under the umbrella of the University this year.

I wish the festival and its visitors a lasting impression and thought-provoking impulses. The organizers, who were connected with the preparation and implementation of the festival and still are, I thank very much for the months of long continued commitment.

With best regards,

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Mühl-Benninghaus

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"Yes, I can...!" - Sammy Davis Jr.
"Yes, We can...!" - Barack Obama

 

Supporters and Associates

Checkpoint Charlie Stiftung Mediawave Festival United Against Racism
Euromight - Your Guide to Afro-Europe Tulip Photo African Women in Europe Embassy of the United States of America, Berlin/Germany Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
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