YOVODEVI (in Mina and with English subtitles)

Beyond the Golden Line (in French with English subtitles)

In the December edition of the film series Black Eyes On Black Bodies, Ballhaus Naunynstraße presents two outstanding films. They could hardly be more different, yet they share several things: both films follow a longing to connect with one’s own, yet distant, community. And both offer powerful visual experiences.

In her film YOVODEVI, director Delali Amegah gives cinematic form to diasporic distance. She forgoes the conventions of narrative cinema – no central protagonist, no plot – yet we as viewers find ourselves right in the middle of the action and the yearning. YOVODEVI is a cinematic poem about the simultaneity of distance and closeness, of heritage and the present.

The second film of the evening, Beyond the Golden Line by Sj Rahatoka, follows an injured Black pole dancer whose preparations for a performance are interrupted by mysterious phone calls. What if the magic of his pole dance could offer him the chance to reconnect with the people he loves tonight? At the 18th XPOSED Queer Film Festival Berlin, Beyond the Golden Line received the Lolly Award as an “emotionally moving film.”

Since November 2023, Ballhaus Naunynstraße has been offering a unique platform with the film series Black Eyes On Black Bodies, curated by Mona Okulla Obua: outstanding films by Black directors are shown here, conversations with filmmakers offer insights into artistic considerations and production experiences, and encounters at the bar make space for new connections.

SJ Rahatoka will be present for a discussion following the film screening.