A cooperation of Kunsthaus Graz and Diagonale'22.

Our new basement cinema makes use of an in-between place. A thoroughfare is deliberately turned into an offspace and over the course of a year will show a series of short films that are all related to each other. This opens up cinematic dialogues of a special kind: a filmmaker chooses another short film in addition to their own work – whether these are stylistically, associatively or structurally related or diametrically different – the invitation is personal.

The only important thing is that the films complement each other from the perspective of the filmmakers, initiating a kind of reference system in the dialogue between the two. After four weeks, the invited filmmaker then invites the next film to join the film duet, which is followed by another film after a further four weeks. Over time, a long-term conversation builds up between the short films.  

For her installation on the topos of waiting in last year’s exhibition Bars von Atlantis (which was also part of the Diagonale), filmmaker Jennifer Mattes staged found, remembered and written material in a classic montage technique and was the first to use the basement as a place of transition open to definition. Since it was this that originally inspired us to continue, it was only logical that we should invite her to be the first filmmaker in our new Kellerkino series.