Urban Research is a special film program during the Berlin International Directors Lounge concerned with urban themes curated by Klaus W. Eisenlohr. For years the urban landscape has been under rapid change. Due to the increased economic pressure and shift towards mono-functional uses of the city, public space more and more vanishes.

The newly awakened interest in old city centers, which is a rather positive development, has also created new demands in conjunction with the deregulations of national and municipal city tasks: the city has mainly become an object for real estate investment.

On the other hand, new waves for urban movements towards a democratic renewal have appeared. A redetermination of public place may have come across, a new protest culture against the complete commercialization of the city has spread in places. Be it called neoliberal, new labor, social democratic, political-islam or post-Maoism, you name I. The radical loss of democratic political influences concerning urban development seems to have found a counter force in a rediscovery of the political space. The above sometimes extreme changes in the urban are also being reflected in creative art and film, or may even find their unique expression in the arts.

continue at  Urban Research at Directors Lounge 2014