Girls / Museum
2020, 71 min

Texts | Images | Video

We are born into an already-constructed world – we don’t choose our own history, context, or culture. We each enter with new eyes into a culture which has already been shaped and structured based on the desires and power of others. This culture is most often opaque, hidden under the smooth surface of 'the way it is,’ and ‘the way it was'.

Museums are institutions that are entrusted to preserve – they are a repository of highly selective views of history and civilization. The artwork presented under the guise of education and expertise, has, in fact, been historically made, collected, curated and contextualized, by men. There is no lack of depictions of women on display, mothers, prostitutes, artist’s models and muses – contemporary, classical and religious figures are all seen through the eyes of male artists.Taking into account this imbalance, through what lens should this work be viewed today?

Girls / Museum is a voyage through the historical art collection of the MdbK/Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig, guided by the expertise and insights of a group of girls, ages 7 to 19. Moving from artwork to artwork, century to century, they tell us what they see.

“At once a social inquiry, a critical essay in art history, and a poised, even sculptural study of people, paintings and space.” Jonathan Romney, ScreenDaily

selected exhibitions and screenings
DokLeipzig, International Competition, Germany (World Premiere)
CPH:DOX, Denmark, Artists & Auteurs (Danish Premiere)
The National Gallery, Washington DC (US Premiere)
IndieLisboa, Silvestre, Portugal
Galway Film Fleadh, Ireland
Melbourne International Film Festival/MIFF, Australia
Doqumenta International Film Festival, Querétaro, Mexico
Duisburger Fimwoche, Germany
The Future is Feminist, BAMPFA, Berkeley, CA
Olhar de Cinema, Festival de Curtiba, Brazil
Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival, Taipei
Dart Int’l Documentary Festival on Contemporary Art, Chile

awards
3sat-Dokumentarfilmpreis, Duisburger Filmwoche, Germany

distribution
Electronic Arts Intermix, Video Data Bank, Zero em Comportamento, Goethe Institute,

ein Film von/a film by
Shelly Silver

mit/with
Giulia Rosalba Carla Mila Paula Pauline Charly Ella Selma Mira Farahnaz Helena Susanna Hamse Luise

Interviewerinnen/interviewers
Annemarie Riemer
Deborah Jeromin Charlotte Eifler Andrea Rüthel Ghazal Tabandeh

Koordinatorin Produktion/production coordinator
Annemarie Riemer

Beraterin Dramaturgie/story consultant
Mary Patierno

Koordinatorin Postproduktion & Sprache
post production & language coordinator
Clara Wieck

Übersetzer*innen/translators
Mihir Sharma Deborah S. Phillips Deborah Jeromin Daniel Fisher Frank Brückner
Ghazal Tabandeh Soheil Asefi

Untertitel-Übersetzung/subtitle translation
Susan Bernofsky
Simin Farkhondeh Ali M. Latifi

Musik/music
Johanna Magdalena Beyer
Dank an/thanks to Frog Peak Music
Oranotha Erway

Schnittassistenz/Editing Assistance
Song Lu
Selina Grüter

Kinomischung/re-recording mixing
RSP Sound

Farbkorrektur/color correction
Danny Doran

gefilmt im/filmed at the
MdbK/Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig

besonderer Dank an/special thanks to
Dr. Alfred Widinger Dr. phil. Frédéric Bußmann Uwe Wagner
Beatrice Fausack Wolfgang Müller-Dix
und dem gesamten Aufsichts- und Sicherheitsteam des MdbK
and the entire MdbK supervisory and security team

vielen Dank an/many thanks to

Adrian Garcia Gomez Andrea Blum Angela Anderson Angela Pacher Anna Burholt Anna Schimkat Annette Maechtel Ayesha Bashir Barbara Schelkle Cathy Lee Crane Charlotte Eifler Claudia Beutner Clara Winter Claudia Beutner Clemens v. Wedemeyer Columbia University School of the Arts David Forcht Deborah Jeromin Dirk Lebahn Emerson Culurgioni Florian Zeyfang Friederike Anders Ginan Seidl Grit Lemke Hinda Rivka Weiss Holm Taddiken Ina Rossow Inge Willemeit Jan Siefke Jana Keuchel Jean-Ulrick Desert Jonas Matasuchek Jordan Rathus Jorg Heitmann Josephine Rozlach Josi Schoen Julius Heinemann Kathy High Kinder und Jugendchor Oper Leipzig Kirstin Quade Linda Winkler Luc-Carolin Ziemann Lucy Wunsch Maike Mia Hoehne Marcel Dickhage Mariam Ghani Martin Kiebeler Matthew Buckingham Maureen Connor Maya Schweitzer Megan Heuer Meike Rötzer Miya Mazaoka Ona Glavier Peter Vaughn Peter Clough Peter Zorn Stefanie Schroeder Susan Carol Stefanie Schulte Strathaus Steve Richter Tali Keren Tina Ellerkamp

Unterstützung/support
silent green Film Feld Forschung residency funded by the Goethe-Institut
The Bogliasco Foundation

Produktion/production
House Productions / silent green Film Feld Forschung