Our Eyes Have Exhausted the Vocabulary of Death

Film Festival: Where the Wind Scatters Seeds;
7.−9. February 2025
Filmhaus Köln

 Day 2: Our Eyes Have Exhausted the Vocabulary of Death 
8. February 15h-20h

Borrowing its title from Etel Adnan’s Jenin, this program brings together films that challenge the colonial and authoritarian use of visual media. By reframing archives as spaces of resistance and reclamation, these works highlight memory’s survival and vulnerability, offering insights into how storytelling can preserve histories, forge solidarity, and foster hope amidst loss.
Organized into three sections—Two Rivers and a Wind, Resisting Oblivion, and Vocabulary of Absence—the program traverses landscapes of conflict and displacement, connecting stories across borders to expose shared struggles and resist erasure.
Two Rivers and a Wind examines the role of visual media in occupation and dispossession. Spanning Taiwan, Palestine, and Buryatia, these films reveal the structures of occupation and preserve ancestral memory, reclaiming visual media as a tool for solidarity.
Resisting Oblivion uncovers hidden scars of history in Iran and the Afghan diaspora, revisiting narratives erased by authoritarian regimes or national exclusion. These films explore identity and belonging amidst displacement, showing the power of memory to resist oblivion and reclaim lost histories.
Vocabulary of Absence draws on family archives to reflect on the losses of migration—fractured homes, loved ones left behind, and disrupted social fabrics. By creatively engaging with archival gaps, these films transform absence into a fertile ground for reconstructing stories, enriching both personal and collective memory.
Together, these works reimagine archives as dynamic spaces that resist erasure and foster solidarity, bridging past and present struggles through the transformative power of storytelling.

Curated by Vincent E., Sarah Savalanpour and Shadi Tabibzadeh

 Info about the film programs: 

Program #1: Two Rivers and a Wind

Program #2: Resisting Oblivion

Program #3: Vocabulary of Absence & Music Performance

+ Drawing Corner and Fundraiser for Palestine over the three days

 Ticketing

The festival takes place over three days. You have to get tickets for the individual programs (price range between 4-10 EUR per ticket). There is no festival pass and no day ticket. The programs are held in English. Almost all (short) films have English subtitles (a few have English language without subtitles). Unfortunately, the Cineville pass cannot be used for this event.