Tyler Mitchell presents 'Night at the Cinema'

As part of the exhibition Tyler Mitchell . Wish This Was Real, C/O Berlin and the neighboring cinema delphi LUX present the film South by Belgian film director and screenwriter Chantal Akerman, selected by Tyler Mitchell.

Inspired by her love of William Faulkner and James Baldwin, renowned director Chantal Akerman had planned to produce a meditation on the American South. However, just days before she was to begin filming, the Black family father James Byrd, Jr. was murdered in Jasper, Texas by three white men.

This racially motivated killing shook the country, and revealed the intense hate that still lies just beneath the surface of the American society. Instead of following the story in a typical American media fashion, Akerman allows the story to slowly unfold on its own. Long, panning shots set the stage, creating the world of Jasper, Texas. Patient interviews reveal the thoughts and emotions of the local townspeople. Akerman's access to their lives, including being allowed to film Byrd's funeral, allows her to tell the tale in a pensive and beautiful fashion.