The 17th British Shorts Film Festival in Berlin will highlight documentaries focused on Britain’s acid house and rave scenes from the 1990s. The festival, taking place from Thursday, January 18th, to Wednesday, January 24th at various locations across the city, will include a special event titled “Retrospective: Weekender – Memories of Acid House & 90s Rave Scenes” at Gretchen on Tuesday, January 23rd.
Starting at 8 PM, the retrospective will feature titles such as “Rave,” “Techno Babes,” and the controversial “World In Action: A Trip Around Acid House,” an investigative ITV report from 1992. The lineup will also include iconic music videos like Flowered Up’s 17-minute epic ‘Weekender,’ ‘Blind Faith’ by Chase & Status, and Bicep’s ‘Glue.’
The event aims to provide immersive depictions of the music and associated lifestyles, exploring social aspects such as the moral panic fueled by the tabloid press and the Conservative government’s decision to illegalize raves. Celebrating communities ranging from the nomadic Freetekno crew to queer party collectives, the retrospective will draw connections between the formative underground culture and today’s broader pop culture landscape.
Additionally, Retrospective will showcase the video for Orbital’s ‘The Box,’ directed by Jes Benstock and Luke Losey of Technobabble.
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