FILZ Filmische Initiative Leipzig

The Filmic Initiative Leipzig FILZ is an association of authors, filmmakers and artists. We share a strong interest in the moving image, especially in artistic documentary works.

FILZ creates  films, media art and installations in different constellations and in mutual support.

FILZ curates and organizes film screenings, workshops and talks.

FILZ writes about film and helps shape prevailing discourses.

FILZ seeks cooperation with other participants of the art and cultural scene.

FILZ started out in 2012 as a self-organized, autonomous film seminar at the Academy of Visual Arts (HGB) Leipzig. Founding members were Gottfried Binder, Emerson Culurgioni, Jonas Matauschek, Lena Richter, Nicolas Rossi. Throughout a number of semesters they organized discursive event formats, such as film screenings, lectures and workshops.

Persons

Jana Keuchel

Jana Magdalena Keuchel is a filmmaker and artist. Her works have received several awards, i.a. the Basler Film Award and the ZDFneo Award of the International Short Film Festival Hamburg. She worked as a lecturer at Bauhaus-University Weimar, Liberia Film Institute, Werkleitz Centre for Media Art and University Basel. She graduated from Bauhaus-University Weimar, the PMMC, PMMC Lab and was a participant of Berlinale Talents. Currently she lives and works in Leipzig.

Nick Teplov

http://www.nickteplov.com

Born and raised in St.Petersburg. Studied fine art, graphic arts and graphic design in St.Petersburg and Burg Giebichenstein Art School Halle. Works as freelance designer for cultural institutions, makes print graphics, artist books and experimental short films. Graduate of the Werkleitz Professional Media Master Class 2013 and PMMC Lab 2018/19.

Ginan Seidl

http://ginanseidl.net/en/

Raised in Berlin, she studied sculpture in Halle, Berlin and Mexico City. 2012 she participated in the Professional Media Master Class, 2015/16 at the PMMC Lab by the Werkleitz e. V. In 2018 she attended the Berlinale Talents. She received several awards for her artistic work and residency grants for Istanbul (Turkey), San Luís Potosi (Mexico) and Beirut (Lebanon). She is currently working on two long documentary films funded by MDM and/or BKM. She works in Halle/Saale, Berlin and Mexico City.

Juliane Jaschnow

http://julianejaschnow.de

Filmmaker and artist. Fine Arts studies with focus on photography and expanded cinema at the HGB Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig. Studies in communication and media sciences from Leipzig University, scholarship at the Lomonosov Moscow State University and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Graduate of the Professional Media Master Class and the PMMC Lab, and participant of the Berlinale Talents 2020.

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Kathrin Lemcke

http://filmpassenger.net

Kathrin Lemcke studied media art at the Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle (Saale) and at the Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts in Jerusalem with Ute Hörner, Michaela Schweiger, Avi Mograbi, Tomer Heymann a.o. In 2011 she participated in the Professional Media Master Class (PMMC) of the Werkleitz Gesellschaft and in 2015-2017 in the PMMC Lab.

It was in this context that she made her latest film She works hard. In her works, she is interested in the interaction of biography and contemporary history, often using time shifts and changes in perspective. She lives in Leipzig and currently works as a production manager at Hoferichter & Jacobs GmbH and as a freelance producer of video art and documentary films.

Andrea Rüthel

I'm based in Leipzig, I studied Media Science, Media Art and Media Design and was a participant of the Professional Media Master Class (PMMC) for artistic documentary film at the werkleitz Centre for Media Art in Halle (S.). I work independently and collaboratively on film and video works, screencasts and media installations. I am a co-founder of the all-female moving image production company Kante and a member of FILZ.

Emerson Culurgioni

Emerson Culurgioni studied art in Bolzano and Leipzig, travelled in Europe and the USA for his research. He is co-founder of the Filmische Initiative Leipzig, 2012. In 2013 and 2015/17 he participated in the Professional Media Masterclass Program for artistic documentary-film at the werkleitz Gesellschaft in Halle. In 2018 he completed his title of Meisterschüler in Clemens von Wedemeyer’s Ex-Cinema class. Since April 2019, together with Stefanie Schroeder, he’s a participant in the MDM Pilot-Program with the feature-documentary film LA DUNA. He lives and works in Leipzig and hopes at some point to reconcile his film and art practice with his desire to be more politically active.

Stefanie Schroeder

http://schroederstefanie.de

Born and grown up in Weimar. Studied art history and art education in Greifswald, co-founded and co-organised the WBS 70 (Elektro Pröger) there. Moved to HGB Leipzig to study photography. Since 2014 diploma and freelancer. During HGB studies guest student at Villa Arson, Nice/France. Graduate of PMMC 2014 and PMMC Lab 2015/16. 2018 scholarship stay at the Museumsquartier Vienna. Develops since 2018 together with Emerson Culurgioni the experimental documentary LA DUNA as part of the MDM Pilot Program.

Anna Friedrich

https://vimeo.com/annalysiserror

Documentary filmmaker and author, based in Leipzig and in the surrounding countryside. Self-Education after high school, participance in several Workshops, such as with D.O.P. Diego Romero Suarez Llanos. 2012 Participation in the One Year Documentary Education Programe “Professional Media Masterclass“ in Halle (Saale). 2013 Participation in the One Year Film Programe “TP2 Talentpool“. 2014-2015 Development and Shooting of the Pilot Season for Web Series “Stories from Reality”. 2015-2020 Arabic Studies at Leipzig University. Therein Sejours in Alexandria (Egypt) and Sweden. Annas films take a look at the thin line between fact and fiction, often meandering around questions of identiy construction and the connections between biography and place.

Katharina Wittmann

https://vimeo.com/kathiwittmann

Filmmaker. Graduated in Media Art at Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig und in Cultural Studies at University Hildesheim. Semester abroad in Finland. Graduate of the werkleitz Professional Media Master Class for documentary film 2014. Lives and works in Leipzig.

Clara Wieck

http://www.clarawieck.de

Clara Wieck studied media art at the HGB Leipzig following her studies in ethnology and indology. She also participated in the Werkleitz Professional Media Master Class, the PMMC Lab and the Berlinale Talents. At the intersection of science and art, the documentary and subjective viewpoint meet in her works. Free in form, her films and installations are experiments in which she attempts to speak about the world using the means of montage and image design, far removed from the grammar of commercial media. In particular, she is interested in the relationship between narrative and representation as well as the role of fiction and poetry in every kind of storytelling - even in the supposedly "documentary" formats.

Johannes Krell

After studying philosophy and art history at the MLU Halle, he studied audiovisual media (camera) in Berlin. During his studies he realized various productions in the experimental, music and short film sector. In 2013 he was a participant of the "Professional Media Masterclass" as part of a Werkleitz scholarship. In 2018, he completed his postgraduate studies at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne with his graduation film UMBRA (Fischer/Krell 2019). He currently lives and works in Leipzig.

Jonas Matauschek

Jonas Matauschek was born in 1987 in Dresden and studied photography in the class of Peter Piller at the HGB Leipzig and at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples. During his studies he received a scholarship from the Studienstiftung and was recieved the title of master student in 2018. In 2013 and 2015/16 he participated in the PMMC-programme of the Werkleitzgesellschaft. He was also a lecturer at the Abendakademie at the HGB Leipzig from 2017 to 2018 and took part in the Berlinale Talent Campus. He works currently as a filmmaker and photographer in Leipzig.

Florian Fischer

http://flofischer.de

Florian Fischer studied Communication Design, Photography and Image Science. In 2011 he participated in the Professional Media Master Class (PMMC) of the Werkleitz Gesellschaft and in 2015-2017 in the PMMC Lab. His artistic works include photography and film. Fischer was a fellow of Villa Aurora in Los Angeles and lives currently in Leipzig.

Network

November Film Festival London

Alles Offen – Überall Grenzen

Shelly Silver

filmmakers for future