OF PLACES AND THEIR MOMENTS is a trilogy made over the course of five years under the direction of Ede Müller. It consists of three short documentary films that deal with the physical disappearance of hometowns.
GEHRENSEESTREET, Berlin, 2005, 10 min Five youths from ex-Yugoslavia visit their former asylum shelter in the suburbs of Berlin where they spent their childhood together. Now they have individual lives in separate flats and have made their transition into German society. But they like to look back and reflect on their solidarity during the asylum years with the thought: "if things were as before I would move back." But the high-rise building made from precast concrete slabs is abandoned and will be torn down soon.
SULUKULE ROMAN ORCHESTRA, Istanbul, 2009, 8 min Videowork, 2010, 8 min Directed, shot, edited by Ede MüllerLocal Production: Göksin Varan, photo_araf, IstanbulFestivals/Exhibitions:FestArte VideoArt Festival,Museum of Contemporary Art, Rome /Medrar Festival for Contemporary Art,Goethe Institute Cairo /Triennale Milano, ES contemporary art gallery,Meran, Italy /Cinema Babylon Mitte, Berlin /
The Sulukule quarter was a historical district located in Istanbul that was home to one of the oldest Roma communities in the world. Despite strong resistance, Sulukule was razed to the ground over a process of about three years. Residents were forced to sell their property and accept resettlement terms. UNESCO, the European Parliament, the OSZE and other international organizations did make formal inquiries into the forced resettlement of the Roma and the rezoning of Sulukule. But the Istanbul city council remained steadfast in its purpose. The last house was demolished on November 12th, 2009.
ADLERPALTZ, Hausen (Oberschwaben), 2010, 26 min In the director’s own small hometown the 200-year-old building of the vacant Gasthof Adler was demolished to make way for five single-family homes and revitalize the center of the village. Through conversations with the villagers who closely follow the week-long demolition, a portrait of the community emerges that provides insight into the past and present life of the village.
