Copenhagen, various venues, 11-14 May 2023
The Social Life of Film was the first international congress for nomadic screening collectives in Scandinavia and beyond, co-organised by PRISMS and the Copenhagen-based group Terrassen.
The congress members assembled! 
The congress begins… 
Congress participants discussing nomadic screening culture 
Congress in session 
Faro present a public programme at C 
Terrassen present a public programme at Palads cinema 
Hærk present a public programme at Palads cinema 
Monokino present a public screening at Husets Biograf 
Monokino projecting a 16mm film by Vivian Ostrovsky 
Other Cinemas and Beforeforgetting present a programme at Osramhuset 
Terrassen members serving free dinner to the audience at Osramhuset 
Dinner at Osramhuset 
Liberated Film Club presents a programme at Mayhem 
Liberated Film Club presents a programme at Mayhem 
Congress members outside Palads
Over the last decade there has been an explosion of small, autonomous, non-profit, nomadic screening organisations internationally, organising regular film events without venues of their own. While very different in their approaches, motivations and programming, they generally share two values: a desire to share moving image practices which are absent from commercial venues and platforms; and to do so in a way which emphasises collective audience experience, where the social and conversational aspects of the event may be as important as what is shown on screen.
The Social Life of Film was be the first attempt to bring together a range of these organisations – 14 in total, including organisations from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Lebanon, Norway, Portugal and the U.K. The aim was to create a network of shared knowledge and experience, and to inspire a broader conversation about the need for a more inclusive film culture. The congress unfolded as a series of intimate discussions around different topics (funding, dissemination, audiences, potential collaboration etc.). The discussions were limited to the congress participants, but will also be documented and made available afterwards through an edited publication.
During the congress several of the guest collectives presented event-based screenings for a wider public around Copenhagen – you can read full details of the events and download the programme here.
Participating organisations included: Beforeforgetting (Copenhagen), Camelia Committee (Oslo/Beirut), Cinema Parenthése (Brussels), Labor Berlin, OtherCinemas (London), FarO (Lisbon), Haerk (Oslo) Liberated Film Club (UK), Masahat (Oslo), Monokino (Ostend), Polar Film Lab (Tromsø), PRISMS (Oslo), Sinema Transtopia (Berlin), Terrassen (Copenhagen).
The Social Life of Film was made possible by generous support from Statens Kunstfond, Flanders in the Nordics, Nordic Culture Point, Nørrebro Lokaludvalg, 48timer Festival, Nordisk Kulturfond Opstart and the Office for Contemporary Art Norway.
