Screening 3

SCREENING – Artist Films on sub- and counterculture is a six-part short film series that brings together film and video works by internationally renowned artists with rarely screened underground films. Across six evenings in summer 2026, Kantine am Berghain presents short films that explore music, the body, and identity in the context of sub- and countercultures in various ways. Admission is free.



SCREENING

Artist films on sub- and counterculture

Kantine am Berghain

23 June, 1 July, 8 July, 30 July, 5 August and 12 August

Göksu Kunak

The Niche, 2023, 25’

The Niche blends poetic and political reflections on identity, power and camouflage. In doing so, figures such as the ‘terrorist’, ‘pop star’, ‘porn star’ and ‘state power’ are deliberately blurred in order to challenge Western patterns of perception and clear-cut distinctions between good and evil. Central to the work is the idea that identity is not a fixed construct, but a continuous process of transformation, adaptation and ‘hyper-camouflage’ – a state in which visibility, invisibility and political attribution constantly merge into one another.

Göksu Kunak (b. 1985 in Ankara, lives and works in Berlin) combines dance, theatre, and political iconography in their performances. Drawing on real encounters, they create hybrid scenarios that critically reflect power structures—particularly hetero-patriarchal systems—as well as questions of Orientalism and body politics. Kunak’s work has been presented internationally at institutions and festivals such as the Performa Biennial in New York, the Neue Nationalgalerie, and Sophiensæle.

Jan Soldat

At least I’ve been outside, 2021, 5’

The filmmaker wants to film. Outdoors. He leaves it up to those who want to be filmed to decide what he should film. He’s open to anything. The people he messages and chats to online seem open to anything too. But at the end of the day, they want something slightly different from him. Never mind. At least he’s been outside.

Jan Soldat

A Weekend in Germany, 2013, 25’

Manfred and Jürgen, both in their mid-70s, are enjoying their free Saturday. Sunbathing, gardening and arguments. On Sunday, Rosi, an old acquaintance, drops by for an SM bondage session. A perfectly normal weekend in Germany.

Jan Soldat (born in 1984 in Karl-Marx-Stadt, now Chemnitz) lives and works in Vienna and Berlin. His short films explore the body, sexuality and fetishism, addressing fundamental questions of desire, intimacy, loneliness and relationships. With documentary-style directness and at times explicit imagery, they challenge viewing habits and conventions without being voyeuristic. His works have been screened at international festivals such as the Berlinale and Cannes, as well as at porn film festivals worldwide.

Shira Orion

Freundschaften kauft man nicht im Einkaufszentrum, 4’, 2021

Shira works as a cleaner and Talya dreams of the USA.

Shira Orion (born 1993 in Haifa, lives and works in Berlin) is a visual artist who works with drawing, video, print and sound. In her work, visual art and music intertwine to create poetic, often surreal spaces of imagery and meaning.