VIDEO

W H Y D O W E K I L L

W H Y D O W E K I L L, 2022, HD video, 03:19, black and white & color, with sound

Written, Edited & Directed NINA E. SCHÖNEFELD

Starring THINLEY WINGEN

Violence is the use of force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation."

H A Z E C I T Y

H A Z E C I T Y, 2022, HD video, 32:57, color, with sound

Written, Edited & Directed NINA E. SCHÖNEFELD
Director of Photography VALENTIN GIEBEL
Sound & Music CARLOS PABLO VILLAMIZAR / Special thanks to DJ HELL
Starring DARIA PRYDYBAILO / ANUSCHKA SABOTTKA / PIA WERNER / NATASCHA SABOTTKA / MIA EBBIGHAUSEN / GABRIEL D. DOUCET DONIDA / ESTHER HARRISON / KESCHIA ZIMBINGA / ANA DOSSANTOS / ÄNNI LEE JONES / CHANTAL HOUNTONDJI / NINA PHILIPP / LILY CLERMONT / LUKA BERTHOLD / MILO BARSAN / LENNARD KAISER / FALKO NICKEL / STEVE MORELL / MAGDA WOLLEH / LUCIE SCHÖNEFELD / MARTHA WILKING / ARON SCHARABI / DAVID BECKER / EMIL VON GWINNER

The video work H A Z E C I T Y refers to the current discussion of climate change and what might happen in the coming years. The film raises the question: To what extent is it legitimate to use violence to force a necessary shift to prevent irreversible climate change? The philosopher Slovoj Zizek predicts that due to the shortness of time left, a radicalization of environmental activism is going to happen. Other references in the video include theories of Swedish environmental scientist Andreas Malm and environmental activist Greta Thunberg, both of whom point to the urgency of changing society by 2030. H A Z E C I T Y deals with the act of resistance in general and with the unbroken fighting spirit of political activists all over the world. The film points to historical sources for example to the German 68 movement and the American Weather Underground movement.

The story of the video H A Z E C I T Y is set in the year 2027. A toxic fog often appears due to extreme pollution in cities. Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion are still fighting climate change. Progress has been made by corporations and politics, electric cars are mandatory, but they are basically small diversions to avoid having to make fundamental changes. Activists are increasingly frustrated that everything will stay the same.

P. A. R. A. D. I. S. E.

P. A. R. A. D. I. S. E., 2021, HD video, 27:23, color, with sound

Written, Edited & Directed NINA E. SCHÖNEFELD
Director of Photography VALENTIN GIEBEL
Sound & Music CARLOS PABLO VILLAMIZAR / Special thanks to DJ HELL
Starring ANA DOSSANTOS / ÄNNI LEE JONES / THINLEY WINGEN / SOPHIA ARNDT / KESCHIA ZIMBINGA / KATJA TURELLA / CHANTAL HOUNTONDJI / TALIA BAKKAL / ACELYA BELLICAN / KARLA SOPHIA MENZEL / JESSICA DAXENBERGER/ FALKO NICKEL

The video work P. A. R. A. D. I. S. E. (2021) that was shown by Roppongi Art Night Festival in Tokyo and other international exhibitions deals with the difference between the experience of virtual reality in artificial space and the experience of physically tangible reality in nature. Even though reality often seems surreal today and virtual reality is becoming more and more real, there is still a difference. It is a question of truth.

The story of the video revolves around the fate of movie heroine Tiger and her colleague Condor. They are both investigative journalists who try to find out how popular tech companies manipulate human psychology.

P. A. R. A. D. I. S. E. is a new VR program to experience ultimate feelings. People test their limits. The program is not entirely uncontroversial. It causes insomnia and sometimes sudden death.

N. O. R. O. C. 2. 3.

N. O. R. O. C. 2. 3., 2020, HD video, 08:03, color, with sound

Written, Edited & Directed NINA E. SCHÖNEFELD
Director of Photography VALENTIN GIEBEL
Starring KESCHIA ZIMBINGA / ANA DOSSANTOS / CHANTAL HOUNTONDJI / NASRA MOHAMAD MUT

N. O. R. O. C. 2. 3. is a video project that is a direct reaction to the situation we are facing in times of coronavirus COVID-19. The story of  N. O. R. O. C.  2. 3.  is set in the year 2023 nevertheless it has its roots in current world developments. It is about the feeling of constant uncertainty.

Under the title N. O. R. O. C. 2. 3. life during a worldwide pandemic crisis is transported in gloomy dark images. It is about the feeling of constant insecurity and a panicky, invisible threat. Historical quotations, passages from novels, series and films, political speeches and media reports from different periods of our history are put together in a kind of collage to create a feeling of uncertainty.

This narrative aspect of the video is accompanied by strong scenes that all take place at night. In the centre: four protagonists roaming through empty cities whose silence conveys a deceptive feeling. Looking for a way out, they do not know what the next day will bring. The optimistic conclusion at the end: Out of stagnation grows something new.

B. T. R. (Born To Run)

B. T. R., 2020, HD video, 20:03, black and white & color, with sound

Written, Edited & Directed NINA E. SCHÖNEFELD
Director of Photography VALENTIN GIEBEL
Sound & Music CARLOS PABLO VILLAMIZAR / Special thanks to DJ HELL
Starring ANASTASIA KEREN / THINLEY WINGEN / ALEXANDER SKOROBOGATOV / LUCIE SCHÖNEFELD / ODA LANGNER / EMIL VON GWINNER / KESCHIA ZIMBINGA / ANA DOSSANTOS / CHANTAL HOUNTONDJI / NASRA MOHAMAD MUT / YUKO TANAKA BETTS / FALKO NICKEL / JOHANNA LANGNER / ANNA ESDAL / STELLA JUNGHANSS / NINA PHILIPP / MIKE BETTS / CHRISTOPHER SCHÖNEFELD / JOANNA BUCHOWSKA / ALEXANDER SUDIN / ANDREAS TEMPLIN / DIRK LEHR / GINGER FIKUS / TALIA BAKKAL / ACELYA BELLICAN / MARLAH LEWIS / AMIRA YASMIN / JOSEPHINE LANG / LEO BURKHARDT / LISA NASNER / VIOLETTA WEYER / MARINA WILDE / TIMOTHY LONG / SEAN JACKSON / RILEY WARREN / KATJA TURELLA & HANSA WISSKIRCHEN

The story of the video work B. T. R. is set in the year 2043 and revolves around the increasing strength of authoritarian autocracies, the restriction of journalists and the freedom of speech. It is also about the possible extradition of Julian Assange to the US and what this could mean for the situation of independent publicists, whistleblowers and journalists worldwide in the future. The film also critically examines how companies (similar to Cambridge Analytica) influence elections on social media.

B. T. R.’s story revolves around the fate of movie heroine S.K.Y. She grew up in a rightwing education camp and doesn’t know anything about her parents. S.K.Y. starts to research about her heritage. During this process she gets in touch with a group of independent journalists and publishers. They are the most persecuted people in society which means that they are threatened by prison and death every day.

Andrea Röpke – a German journalist who has published information about the rightwing scene in Germany for decades – was one of the most important inspirations for the video work. The role of heroine S.K.Y. was inspired by Heidi Benneckenstein. Benneckenstein grew up in a far rightwing family in Germany but decided to leave the rightwing scene when she was 19 years old.

c. o. n. t. a. m. i. n. a. t. i. o. n.

C.O.N.T.A.M.I. N.A.T.I.O.N., 2021, HD video, 11:11, color, with sound

Written, Edited & Directed NINA E. SCHÖNEFELD
Director of Photography VALENTIN GIEBEL
Starring DARIA PRYDYBAILO & SOPHIA SALEBIA

This is RESIST CLIMATE CHANGE.

We do not forgive.

We do not forget.

Expect us to never stop fighting.

Since the late 1970ies Greenpeace has been fighting against dumping of nuclear waste in the seas to prevent worldwide contamination. 2019 Extinction Rebellion and Fridays for Future were omnipresent. Since Covid everything has changed. 2030 is going to be a crucial year for the world.

C.O.N.T.A.M.I. N.A.T.I.O.N. is a plea on the relevance to bring back environmental activism.

A R T I S M Y R E V E N G E

A R T I S M Y R E V E N G E, 2019, HD video, 03:49, black and white & color, with sound

Written, Edited & Directed NINA E. SCHÖNEFELD
Director of Photography VALENTIN GIEBEL
StarringCHARLIE STEIN / ANDY BEST / ANNA KOLOD / THINLEY WINGEN / LEONIE HEUERMANN / KATJA TURELLA

When one encounters the term “Revenge” or “Vengeance,” it is with excitement, suspicion and dread. For vengeance to exist, there must be a prior perception of victimhood, a grievance. The scale of which is determined by the protagonist, but the roles can quickly be flipped. And flipped and flipped again. The chain of vengeance can go on and on and, unless broken, lead to ever escalating levels of calamity.

TRILOGY OF TOMORROW

L.E.O.P.A.R.T.

L.E.O.P.A.R.T., 2019, HD video, 17min. 13sec., black and white & color, 1920 x 1080, with sound

Written, Edited & Directed NINA E. SCHÖNEFELD
Director of Photography VALENTIN GIEBEL
Sound & Music CARLOS PABLO VILLAMIZAR
Starring CHARLIE STEIN / ANDY BEST / THINLEY WINGEN / LEONIE HEUERMANN / KATJA TURELLA / ALEYNA CAPAR / LIZY FUNK / ODA LANGNER / UVE MÜLLRICH / FALKO NICKEL / ROBERT MEDICUS / JESSICA DAXENBERGER / KESCHIA ZIMBINGA

The video work L.E.O.P.A.R.T. is part of The Trilogy Of Tomorrow. The Trilogy Of Tomorrow includes D A R K  W A T E R S (2018, 15:55 min.), S N O W   F O X (2018, 10:03 min.) and L.E.O.P.A.R.T. (2019, 17:23 min.) and the single videos can be read as episodes in a potentially never-ending series. All parts of the trilogy are linked to current political and environmental world issues. The trilogy tells stories of environmental activists fighting for political change, freedom of speech and preservation of nature.

The video L.E.O.P.A.R.T. is set in the year 2032. Due to radiation everything that grows above ground is no longer edible. The company ‘Black Flower’ is the world's only supplier of seeds, controlling 99,9 % of the global food market. Thousands of death cases are associated with genetically modified ‘Black Flower’ food. The movie heroine L.E.O. fights against ‘Black Flower’ and she has chosen to live in a self-sufficient camp. The camp members grow their own edible vegetables. They have given up their normal lives to fight for their independence from ‘Black Flower’. Every day they fear persecution and exposure.

D A R K   W A T E R S

D A R K   W A T E R S, 2018, HD video, 15:55, black and white & color, with sound

Written, Edited & Directed NINA E. SCHÖNEFELD
Director of Photography VALENTIN GIEBEL
Sound & Music CARLOS PABLO VILLAMIZAR
Starring THINLEY WINGEN / MIMI TAYLOR / LEONIE HEUERMANN / KATJA TURELLA / ALEYNA CAPAR / JACOB HAAS / ROBERT MEDICUS / JEREMY SCHILF / ZEV TUGULDUR / LARRY ZIMBINGA

The video work D A R K  W A T E R S  is part of The Trilogy Of Tomorrow. The Trilogy Of Tomorrow includes S N O W  F O X (2018, 10:03 min.)  D A R K  W A T E R S (2018, 15:55 min.) and L.E.O.P.A.R.T. (2019, 17:23 min.) and the single videos can be read as episodes in a potentially never-ending series. All parts of the trilogy are linked to current political and environmental world issues. The trilogy tells stories of environmental activists fighting for political change, freedom of speech and preservation of nature.

D A R K  W A T E R S  is set in the year 2029. All the oceans are so contaminated with plastic waste that they have become death zones. The only creatures still able to live there are poisonous jellyfish. The government is trying to keep this eco-disaster secret. The film narrates the risky quest for the truth by helicopter pilot Silver Ocean.

S N O W   F O X

S N O W   F O X, 2018, HD video, 10:03, black and white & color, with sound

Written, Edited & Directed NINA E. SCHÖNEFELD
Director of Photography VALENTIN GIEBEL
Sound & Music CARLOS PABLO VILLAMIZAR
Starring ANNA KOLOD / LEONIE HEUERMANN / KATJA TURELLA / ALEYNA CAPAR / JESSICA DAXENBERGER / MARIA EBBIGHAUSEN / LILO BERTHOLD / NATALYA DÖHLER / EVE KLEIN

The video work S N O W  F O X is part of The Trilogy Of Tomorrow. The Trilogy Of Tomorrow includes S N O W  F O X (2018, 10:03 min.),  D A R K  W A T E R S (2018, 15:55 min.) and L.E.O.P.A.R.T. (2019, 17:23 min.) and the single videos can be read as episodes in a potentially never-ending series. All parts of the trilogy are linked to current political and environmental world issues. The trilogy tells stories of environmental activists fighting for political change, freedom of speech and preservation of nature.

SNOW FOX is likewise a science fiction film set in the near future (2023): the eponymous heroine Snow Fox works for a company that manipulates the weather, resulting in the spread of brain disease. Snow Fox meets a group of women fighting for the last “natural” place on Earth.