Short Film Program «Stadtbild(er) und Sichtbarkeit»

Description

The historic short films delve into various milieus and everyday life in Zurich neighborhoods, documenting what has disappeared due to gentrification. The film program was curated by the Cinémathèque suisse, and film historian Seraina Winzeler provides an introduction to the short film program. SOLIDARITY Robert Risler, 1934; 7' no dialogue (b/w) SOLIDARITY was the name given by amateur filmmaker Robert «Boris» Risler to recordings documenting a relief effort for the unemployed during the Great Depression in 1934. The film shows simple images of waiting people being supplied with sauerkraut, sausages, or clothing. WORKING MARRIAGE Robert Boner, 1973; 28' I/df (b/w) The Zurich industrial quarter in the early 1970s: The short film WORKING MARRIAGE follows the daily life of an Italian worker couple in Switzerland and their daily routine between night shift and cleaning duty. The man comes home tired from the factory, and shortly after, the woman leaves the house to go to work. Their shared life is reduced to a few evening hours in cramped living conditions. ESCAPE CHANNEL Paolo Poloni, 1988; 12' D•OV (color) In the local television project ESCAPE CHANNEL, a Secondo tells about Sicilian and Turkish families who are displaced from Kreis 5 due to the loss of their jobs and the demolition of their houses. Some work on the Wohlgroth site, which was close to closing and later became known as one of the largest squatting movements in Switzerland. THE CUSTOMER IS KING Josy Meier, 1991; 55' OV/d (color) The term «Seefeldisierung» became a buzzword for gentrification in Zurich. In 1991, when director Josy Meier filmed THE CUSTOMER IS KING, the streets in Seefeld were still a site of sex work. During the period of open drug scenes at Platzspitz, mainly young, drug-addicted women worked there, sharing their everyday lives. A collaboration with the Cinémathèque suisse