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Jeden Monat nähern sich unsere Kolumnisten, die Berliner Filmemacher Dominik und Benjamin Reding, dem jeweiligen Heftthema
auf ihre ganz eigene Art und Weise. Geboren wurden die Zwillinge am 3. Januar 1969 in Dortmund. Während Dominik Architektur
in Aachen und Film in Hamburg studierte, absolvierte Benjamin ein Schauspielstudium in Stuttgart. 1997 begann die Arbeit an ihrem
ersten gemeinsamen Kinofilm „Oi! Warning“. Seitdem arbeiten sie für Fernseh- und Kinofilmprojekte zusammen.

Each month our columnists, Berlin-based filmmakers Dominik and Benjamin Reding, approach the respective issue-specific theme
in their very personal way. The twins were born on January 3, 1969 in Dortmund. Whilst Dominik studied architecture in Aachen
and film in Hamburg, Benjamin graduated in acting studies in Stuttgart. They started working on their first joint motion picture “Oi!
Warning“ in 1997. Since then they have tightly collaborated for TV and cinema film projects.

T hat’s where I would like to go!” She said it nicely but with disturbing determina- like to eat meat, after all). “So, I’ll take my cooler and cold cutlets along!” “And people
tion. And I thought: oh no, please not that … and I said: “Oh, that’s really good!”
smoke a lot there!” She was a vehement non-smoker). “Oh well, it is outdoors, I will
I had met Mrs Sefkow in the hallway. She was watering the petunias on the first floor. be able to stand that.” “And not only cigarettes …” “Oh, cigars as well?” I moaned,
Mrs Sefkow lived on the third floor but had installed a flower window on the first “so there was no hope. Then, a last saving thought: “But what are you going to do with
everyone can enjoy it”. All in the house also could enjoy her cat Roberta who was al- your cat?!” Mrs Sefkow smiled. “Roberta? Well, she will go to Mrs Gülcan on the se-
lowed to roam freely through the maze of hallways in the old building (but who, un- cond floor for that time”. I had forgotten that, she was on good terms with everyone
fortunately, was not completely house-trained) and also could frequently enjoy the in the house, also with orthodox Mrs Gülcan who always wore her headscarf on the
aroma of her culinary skills (sauerbraten and cabbage being favourites) and her stairs. Then, she was looking at the cloud-covered backyard sky through the cracked
music. She loved classical music. Of the bombastic kind. At a hefty volume: Beetho- panes of her flower window, she asked: “Is it good?” And I answered: “Yes” and was
ven, Brahms, Wagner, Rachmaninov. And hits by Queen, Abba and Helene Fischer annoyed about my honest “yes”. “Yes, it is good. The dance areas and the stages are
with symphonic orchestration. But even more than all this she loved Robert Schu- lovingly decorated with lots of wood, greenery, linen fabric and colour. It looks like
mann whom she only called “Robert”, however. “Others go swimming to relax or out fairy palaces from well-thumbed fairy-tale books, like secret temple ensembles rising
to eat something special or on holiday … I prefer to go to a concert, to Robert! Liste- above the treetops of the jungle on a far-way island in the South Pacific.” The memo-
ning to his Symphony no. 3 The Rhenish, I get goose pimples.” Whenever she talked ries blew me away. “But it becomes most beautiful at night. Then thousands of lights
about it, respectfully softly and vocally moved, it sounded as if Robert were a close glow, sometimes as a surface in the mist of the fog machines, then again as a quive-
friend of her, perhaps even more than that. As far as one could tell as a neighbour, ring, constantly pulsating stroboscope light resembling heartbeats, then again as co-
there was no real Robert in her life. Her last boyfriend lourfully shining dots in hundreds of Chinese lanterns
had separated from her loudly years ago and then softly swaying in the wind. Then the festival grounds
went on a rampage in the staircase, particularly on turn into a city of light.” “Incredible”, Mrs Sefkow
the landing with the flower window. “That one was whispered. “Then it always seems as if the architec-
not nice, men are never nice, anyway”, she sighed tural fantasies of Erich Mendelsohn, who so much
and looked with concentration at her petunias. Why loved to turn Bach cantatas into design sketches, have
oh why had I told Mrs Sefkow about the festival? Her, become built reality.” I don’t know whether she knew
comfortable in her mid-fifties to whom I usually said Erich Mendelsohn’s sketches, but she nodded joy-
no more than “hello” or “nice weather today” when fully. “Are there …”, she hesitated with the question,
we happened to meet in the hallway. The trigger may looked for wilted little leaves on a petunia, “… are
perhaps have been a hemp plant that some joker had there men as well?” I looked over at her. “I mean …
planted between her petunias (“That is certainly nice men?” “Hm … yes, of course … men, women,
strange basil”, Mrs Sefkow had said) or had it been many, many exciting, friendly, peace-loving people
her new, blueish-black corkscrew curls that reminded from all the corners of the world. They will dance,
me of the TV news showing long past love parades – laugh, fly kites, paint their faces with glitter, embrace,
or was it the sounds of a techno hit I had been forced kiss each other, love each other, are happy and dance
to suffer through on the morning radio? “Nice, that Foto: Benjamin Reding in complete ecstasy, some of them even naked.” “Oh
you are invited there!” Mrs Sefkow looked up from …”, Mrs Sefkow said, “Good morning!”, Mrs Gülcan
the petunias at me. Ah yes, it had been the e-mail ar- said and, with a serious expression and loaded with
riving today! I had told her about it with proud enthusiasm: the invitation from the shopping bags, stomped past us. We had not noticed her. And suddenly I thought, oh
festival organizers that I should present my current photo-art work, wall-sized photo well, what does it matter, why shouldn’t Mrs Sefkow come along, with her thermal
prints of the first techno raves from 1990s I was to show there in an aircraft hangar. flask and the prepared sausage sandwiches and her Schumann cassette and enjoy
“I shall prepare sandwiches for us, lots of other snacks and pack thermos flask full of herself, be carefree and happy, sinking into the sea of surging bodies, for the three
mulled wine! And then I will also take along my Walkman (yes, she said “Walkman”) days of the festival. Her voice brought me back to the stairwell: “I can also pay for the
and listen to Robert’s The Rhenish in case the music there doesn’t please me here gasoline and for the hotel.” “Hotel?” “Well, for the festival.” “No, there is no hotel,
and there!” Oh, woe to you, Mrs Sefkow! The “music there” would definitely not one sleeps outside in a tent, in the car or under the starry sky. And many do not sleep
please her. For most people, it is just noise. That’s how it still is. For insiders, howe- at all, they just dance right through.” “And where … where does one take a shower?”
ver, it has long been Forrest, Deep House, Jungle-Terror, Ethno-Trance, Psy-Trance or “Well, in the communal shower among the trees under the open sky.” Mrs Sefkow
Hardstyle, but for a long time no more just “techno”. And if so, then at least “tekkno”. fell silent. She looked at her reflection in the window of the staircase, for a long time,
“But it will be exhausting, Mrs Sefkow.” Many years ago, I had participated for the critically. Then she looked down at her body, then at me. “Oh my, I completely forgot,
first time: three exhausting, boomingly loud days, bustling with people far out in the they are going to be playing Schumann next week, The Rhenish in the philharmonic
wasteland of Mecklenburg between the dilapidating concrete hangars of a derelict hall, I already have a ticket for it.” She grabbed her watering can and laboriously took
Russian military airport. “It is loud and full and often mercilessly hot”, “Ha, that does the first steps to the next landing. “Mrs Sefkow?” “Yes …?” “Do come along! Please!”
not matter, I do have a sun shade on the balcony, we will take that along!” I quickly The festival was as always: exhausting, overcrowded, overly loud, scorching. “It was
added: “Mrs Sefkow, only vegan and vegetarian food will be offered there” (She did great!” Mrs Sefkow said after her return.

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