DokfestForum takes place in cooperation with the Fridericianum and directs its focus on the intersection of film, documentary, and visual art. On two consecutive evenings, selected works by Nina Könnemann and Yalda Afsah will be presented and, following the screenings, the cinematic strategies as well as the relationship to the respective work will be discussed in conversation with the artists.

Yalda Afsah

What role do rituals play in a secularized society today? How do they foster a sense of belonging and shape cultural identity – and what forms of social control and violence are embedded within them?

In her films, German-Iranian artist Yalda Afsah explores, among other things, questions of care, domestication, tradition, and masculinity. Her work combines documentary observation with artistic composition. In her most recent series, she examines rituals as social and embodied choreographies: PAN explores a meditative Paneurythmy procession in Bulgaria’s Rila Mountains, while HEAT focuses on an ecstatic ceremony of Taiwan’s Handan Festival, in which fireworks play a central role. Both works take ritual as a point of departure for a cinematic exploration of community, the individual, and social structures.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with Yalda Afsah, offering insights into her artistic practice as well as the specific conditions and possibilities of presenting film within an exhibition context.

Introduction: Jasmin Meinold (Curator), Fridericianum
Screening:
HEAT, 2026 (HD video, color, stereo sound, duration: 20 min.)
PAN, 2026 (HD video, color, stereo sound, duration: 20 min.)
Subsequently: Artist Talk (in German)

(Picture: Courtesy the artist and Galerie Molitor, Berlin)