From the depths of the EYE Filmmuseum archives, Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi unearths some rarely seen highlights of female accomplicity from the 1910s.

»I think the concept of accomplices is very fitting for the women of silent cinema. I interpret it as referring to women who are up to do something that is not allowed, but manage to do so anyway by joining forces. Throughout the history of film-making, it seems as if women were not allowed to be there at all, as they were written out of it afterwards. In reality they were certainly there, on and off the screen, and I am convinced they were helping each other get a foothold in the young cinema industry.

In life in general, women act together in many ways; as sisters, mothers and daughters, friends or colleagues. And what they do together often forms subject matter for films. Although most silent films have been lost, it is wonderful to see through those that have survived what the camera registered and brought to us about these women and their various activities. Sometimes they act in ways we wouldn’t expect from a hundred years ago, yet the films are evidence of their existence.

The concept of accomplicity also works from a curatorial point of view; as researchers, archivists and programmers of today, we go back to the former generation of women whose energy and creativity explode through the screen and who continue to be an inspiration. In fact it is almost unbearable for us today that, despite their presence on screen and their apparently rich cinema careers, we sometimes aren’t even able to know their names. This program is a tribute to all female accomplices.«

Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi

Musically accompanied by Gunda Gottschalk, Mariá Portugal
Introduced by Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi

In cooperation with EYE Filmmuseum