Say Goodbye to the Story (ATT 1/11)

Godard says, “A story should have a beginning, middle, and end, but not necessarily in that order”. THE AFRICAN TWIN TOWERS follows Schlingensief’s return to film after a decade in the German colony of Luederitz, Namibia. While the film remained unfinished, this documentary makes use of footage from the 27-day shoot, showing Schlingensief improvising concepts having abandoned the script. Via excerpts from the original TWIN TOWERS and a voiceover recorded three years after filming, the documentary captures a period that redefined Schlingensief’s artistic vision. Specially compiled for the Viennale, this program also includes other works: CRISIS revolves around excerpts from an interview with an exhausted filmmaker, while SAY GOODBYE TO THE STORY, which was found in the archive, is obviously a “test” of how such a denial of convention could work out. The film is also a great homage to one of his dearest collaborators Irm Hermann (1942 – 2020).

In the presence of Frieder Schlaich.