The Social Life of Film – A Congress

What does it mean to consider the social life of film not as a feature but as its sole enabler? 

The third edition of The Social Life of Film takes place from 20–23 November 2025 in Berlin. Hosted by anorak (Lukas Ludwig and Johanna Markert), carrick bell, and Kristofer Woods the congress will center on alternative structures of support.

The Social Life of Film is an annual congress bringing together independent screening initiatives dedicated to realising the communal potential of the moving image. While very different in their approaches, motivations and programming, these initiatives generally share two values: a desire to share moving image practices which are absent from commercial platforms and state funded institutions; and to do so in a way which emphasises collective audience experience, where the social and conversational aspects of the event may be as important as what is shown on screen. 

With the German cultural capital as a location and backdrop, this edition of The Social Life of Film turns its attention to interdependency and self-organised forms of solidarity. Over the course of the past two years, during which the German government has demonstrated its willingness to engage in the violent suppression of speech and cultural activity in solidarity with Palestine, the notion of the state as a neutral supporter of culture (anyway already a myth) has to be rejected. But similarly, the model of dependence on philanthropy, or commercial success as alternatives prove their dangers. 

We start from the premise that all we have is us, and invite participants to come together to practically explore what that means—with the aim to develop The Social Life of Film itself into a more sustainable source of mutual support.

The Social Life of Film unfolds over four days through workshops and discussions for invited participants, alongside public screenings and conversations. If you are part of an independent screening initiative and would like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to write to us at: sociallifeoffilmatgmaildotcom

The Social Life of Film was initiated in 2023 by PRISMS and Terrassen and took place in Copenhagen. Its second iteration was hosted by Monokino in Ostend in 2024.

**More information on programme and registration coming soon! In the meantime, read about last year’s edition on Cinema of Commoning.**