Rize

In the black civil rights movement and gays' political battle, the artistic means of comedy and stylised overdrawing were developed into hard-hitting weapons. The Blitz Cinema section of the programme presents outstanding film works by contemporary witnesses and protagonists of the scene that deal with the cultural identity of African-Americans, subcultural movements like rap and Afro-punk, biographies of transsexuals in pop culture, and the "golden age" of gay New York before the advent of AIDS.

Rize

D: David LaChapelle, USA 2004, 84 min, English, Germansubtitles

"Rize" begins by "warning" the audience that the images in the film have not been digitally accelerated. The film by star fashion photographer David LaChapelle documents a fascinating dance form practised in Afro-American suburbs of L.A. In "clowning", body parts fly through the air so fast that the eye can hardly follow their movements.