Few music and art collectives have been as thoroughly captured on film as the Slovenian avant-garde group Laibach, the movement Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK), and the artist collective IRWIN. And the well seems never to run dry.
Lichtblick Kino and Soundwatch Music Festival are showcasing three recent films by Slovenian filmmaker Igor Zupe. These films explore the history, methodologies, and cultural impact of NSK, IRWIN, and Laibach.
The event is scheduled for May 22, 2025, at Lichtblick-Kino. The Slovenian Cultural Centre Berlin (SKICA Berlin) generously supports this collaborative effort between Lichtblick Kino and the Soundwatch Music Festival.
Additionally, the program will be shown in Leipzig on May 21, at 7:30 p.m., at Cinémathèque Leipzig.
Filmmaker Igor Zupe will attend both events to provide insights into the featured films.
Film Program
4:33 Laibach Remake
Country: SI 2019,
Type: music video
Duration: 7 min
Director: Igor Zupe
This short film pays homage to John Cage's groundbreaking composition that reshaped the notions of music, silence, and noise.
Commissioned as part of Mute Records’ project STUMM433, the film doubles as an official music clip and features remakes by numerous artists, including Depeche Mode and New Order. Proceeds were donated to the British Tinnitus Association and Music Minds Matter charities.
From Kapital to Capital
International Premiere
Country: SI 2017
Type: documentary
Duration: 52 min,
Director: Igor Zupe
This documentary chronicles a controversial artistic intervention by the NSK's graphic design division, Novi Kolektivizm. In 1987, their winning design submission for the Yugoslavian Youth Day contest stirred a heated debate about the intersection of fascist and socialist realist aesthetics, especially after the original artwork's Nazi connections were exposed. The screening aligns with the 38th anniversary of these pivotal events.
English subtitles were provided by the Slovenian Cultural Centre in Berlin.
An Apology for Modernity
Country: SI 2021
Type: documentary
Duration: 71 min,
Director: Igor Zupe
In this documentary, Zupe explores the first Venice Biennale pavilion of NSK State, marking the collective’s attempt to engage with themes of nationhood, borders, and identity. Curators, artists, and attendees pose critical questions regarding the implications of European cultural and political heritage, scrutinising its past and future.
