About us

How, in a transnational society, can a new kind of cinema be collectively shaped?
 
With SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA, launched in 2020 at Haus der Statistik on Alexanderplatz,  bi'bak initiated a cinema experiment underpinned by an understanding of cinema as a space of social discourse, exchange and solidarity. At its new location in Berlin-Wedding, SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA establishes itself as a transnational space for film culture, art, knowledge and community, creating a bridge between urban space and film as cultural practice. Here a place is created where urbanity and transnationalism coexist, a place that enables access, stimulates discussion, educates, moves, provokes and encourages.

"Transtopia" is the term used by migration researcher Erol Yıldız to describe spaces “where transnational ties and connections converge, are reinterpreted, and condense into everyday contexts.” Following on from this, SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA links geographies both near and far, taking into consideration their narratives, pasts, presents and futures. Cinema here becomes a meeting place where people come together not only to witness film, but to experience a space of lively discourse, of living, working and learning together. SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA thus stands for a cinema that sees itself as a social place simultaneously committed to local and international communities, one that regards film-historical work as the work of cultural remembrance and that is dedicated to a diversity of film culture and film art.

SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA is a project by bi'bak.

Team

Artistic Direction
Malve Lippmann, Can Sungu

Text Editing, Translation
Bethan Hughes

Communications
Duygu Atçeken

Project Coordination
Anna Krauss, Gary Vanisian

Cinema of Commoning Editorial
Eirini Fountedaki, Rachel Pronger

Projectionists
Anand Angarag, Aghyad Abou Koura, Arjin Cıvan Şahin, Florian Höhensteiger

Box Office, Event Coordination
Victor Corrales, Thaís Omine, Dila Oktar, Galo Enrique Rivera, Anna Simbeck 

Graphic Design
Jan Grygoriew / jangry.com

Web Programming
Nils Poltmann

Curators 2020-23

Ömer Alkın
Enoka Ayemba
Senem Aytaç
Jade Barget & Elizabeth Gabrielle Lee
Madeleine Bernstorff 
Özge Calafato
Sun-ju Choi
Rosalia Namsai Engchuan
Popo Fan
Nafiseh Fathollahzadeh
Borjana Gaković
Berke Göl
Ahmet Gürata
Tara Balok & Luisa Matthias
Tobias Hering
Ragil Huda
Ehsan Khoshbakht
Merle Kröger & Mareike Bernien
Malve Lippmann
Afsun Moshiry
Léa Morin
Marina Naprushkina & Agnieszka Kilian
Branka Pavlovič
Philipp Rizk
Arindam Sen
Sebahattin Şen
Necati Sönmez
John Sundholm
Can Sungu
Slavs & Tatars
Darunee Terdtoontaveedej
Sarnt Utamachote
Pia Chakraverti-Würthwein & Eirini Fountedaki
Florian Wüst
Tang Xuedan Echo
Anna Zett & Philipp Gol