Filmscreening & Artisttalk: SEPARATIONS – Who Belongs to the Neckar?

Separations is a documentary project currently in development. Beginning with the 2024 flood in Heidelberg, the film emerges at the intersection of the filmmaker's personal experience of living in the city and its ongoing conversations about the Neckar. At its centre are two parallel movements: the constant arrival and departure of students and researchers, and the lives of the birds inhabiting the riverbanks.

In many conversations along the Neckar, "the geese situation" repeatedly resurfaced. Rather than focusing solely on the birds themselves, we became interested in the stories, emotions and debates they provoke. This becomes an entry point into broader questions of migration, coexistence, belonging and environmental change in Heidelberg.

On 24 July, a preliminary screening of the work-in-progress will take place. On this occasion, we wish to open the discussion around the Neckar and the geese to the public.

The conversation may revolve around encounters with birds in Heidelberg, memories of Neckarwiese, changing riverbanks after the floods, and everyday experiences of living alongside urban bird populations, serving as points of departure for new questions.

Osman Baran Özdemir (b. 1997) is a documentary filmmaker from Turkey whose films and video works explore memory, politics, and the construction of reality through personal and collective narratives.

Inah Kim (b. 1997, Seoul) is an artist and art historian who inquires into the intersection of the public sphere and art. Interdisciplinary research lies at the core of her interests, in which architecture and cities are viewed not only as built spaces but also as lived ones.

The event will be held in English. Attendance is free of charge and no registration is required.