We are releasing a conversation recorded on Tuesday, November 14th, 2023, at IDFA, where I met with Julian Ross and Farah Hasanbegović to recap Corresponding Cinemas.

Corresponding Cinemas was a new series at IDFA this year, and in many ways, it was an experiment to see what invisible connections surface when an institution decides to transfer over its curatorial control to filmmakers.

The idea is simple and compelling. It would be a series of films and conversations with filmmakers who have inspired one another, and the day would follow this chain of inspiration, with each filmmaker selecting the works of the next.

The series was planned months in advance and formally announced in September; in the very first announcement the festival made about its program - it reported that the event would kick off with Sky Hopinka and include Basma al-Sharif, Jumana Manna, Ibrahim Shaddad and Abderrahmane Sissako.

In this episode, Farah, Julian, and I run through the events leading up to Corresponding Cinemas as we experienced them on the ground. We first discuss the opening night and the release of IDFA’s statement apologizing for a protest banner that appeared during the ceremony and condemning a slogan that was on the banner proclaiming it should not be used in any way and by anybody anymore - despite a recent ruling by the Dutch Court of Appeals that this is not considered hate speech. In response to IDFA denouncing this slogan, Jumana Manna, Basma al-Sharif, and Sky Hopinka circulated a joint statement refusing to comply with IDFA’s statement the evening before their participation in Corresponding Cinemas.

The series took place, and Farah, Julian, and I recount how the day unfolded, detailing how each filmmaker used their screenings in different ways to transform a cinema space into a forum for urgent, meaningful, and needed exchanges.
 
TIMECODES:
0:00  INTRO & GUEST INTROS
4:23: OPENING NIGHT + IDFA STATEMENT
12:30 CORRESPONDING CINEMAS - FILMMAKERS REFUSAL TO COMPLY 
14:30  SKY HOPINKA SESSION
17:40 BASMA AL-SHARIF SESSION
25:14  JUMANA MANNA SESSION
39:10 IBRAHIM SHADDAD SCREENING SESSION
43:12 SOLIDARITY ACTIONS FOLLOWING CORRESPONDING CINEMAS

STATEMENTS REFERENCED:
Opening Night: Workers for Palestine Intervention
IDFA Statement #1: IDFA and Artistic Director’s Statement about the Opening Night
IDFA Statement #2: IDFA Calls for an Immediate Ceasefire
I/We Do Not Comply - Artists' Refusal
IDFA Statement #3: A Message from IDFA to the Documentary Community

RELATED PODCAST EPISODES
Orwa Nyrabia on Corresponding Cinemas, Docs in Orbit, Episode 71
Jumana Manna on Docs in Orbit, Episode 44
Basma al-Sharif on Docs on Orbit,  Episode 27 

For show notes, visit docsinorbit.com and be sure to follow us on social media @docsinorbit