Istanbul Experimental in Kosovo

Istanbul Experimental arrives in Kosovo with a two-city program unfolding across Prishtina and Prizren, bringing together experimental cinema and live audiovisual performance. Organized by Lumbardhi Foundation in collaboration with DokuFest and Kino Armata, the program presents a curated selection of works that expand the boundaries of the moving image.

The program opens in Prishtina with two evenings at the cinema. On January 29 (19:00), a 73-minute selection of Turkish experimental films explores memory, landscape, and violence through impressionistic approaches to everyday fragments. On January 30 (19:00), the Istanbul Experimental Film Festival Selection (72 min) brings together international works engaging with surveillance, digital identity, and resistance, culminating in GET OUT OF THERE!, a live audiovisual performance by Altay Erlik and Valfi (Arsan Salaryfar), combining first-person footage of illegal climbs on Istanbul’s tallest buildings with live electronic sound.

The program continues in Prizren. On January 31 (19:00), the Turkish experimental selection is followed immediately by GET OUT OF THERE!, which takes place as a live audiovisual performance after the screening. On February 1 (19:00), the international selection is presented, again exploring the intersections of technology, politics, and perception.

Across both cities, the films move between intimate explorations of memory and broader investigations of digital culture, language, and systems of control. By circulating the same program through different contexts, Istanbul Experimental Weekend emphasizes exchange, mobility, and the evolving language of experimental media.

The event is supported by the Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF) through the ‘EJA Kosovo’ program, co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Sweden, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.