The Halfmoon Files is an audio-visual research project on the entanglements of politics, colonialism, science and media technology. It investigates an elusive archive of audio and film recordings documenting Indian and North African prisoners who were interned in the Halbmondlager (or “Halfmoon camp”) near Berlin during World War I. It is a film about gaps, omissions and the construction of history. A film whose protagonists are not visible – but whose presence can be sensed. In short: a ghost story.
For this screening, there is an introduction by Theodor Frisorger. Watch it via the link below.
Philip Scheffner has been working as a visual artist since 1985. His feature length documentaries like The Halfmoon Files, Day of the Sparrow, Revision and Havarie won numerous awards and were positively perceived and acknowledged by international critics. He co-founded pong film with Merle Kröger in 2001. Since October 2021 he is Professor for Documentary Practice at the Academy of Media Arts (KHM), Cologne.