Screening & Discussion
The Fifth Wall

Wed, 05.04.2023
4:00 PM - 19:00 Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore

The digital archive The Fifth Wall gathers films, reportages, moderations, texts, letters and photos by the filmmaker and editor Navina Sundaram (1945–2022) from over 40 years of her work in television.

Sundaram grew up in New Delhi, India before going to Hamburg in 1964 for an internship at Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). From 1970, she worked as a political editor, filmmaker, reporter and presenter for the broadcasting company. From 1992–93, she was ARD correspondent and head of South Asia television in New Delhi. On leaving NDR, she continued her work as an independent director of documentaries. Her research and reportage on international affairs and political histories reflect her vantage position at the crossroads of critical postcolonial voices emerging from the global South and the post-war reorganization of western Europe.

Sourced from the archives of German public-service broadcasters (ARD) and Sundaram’s private archive, The Fifth Wall is a curated look at German migration and media history. Sundaram is thus the prime focus as an author who takes a journalistic stand: on internationalism and decolonization, the question of class, racism, immigration, on Indian and German politics.

Programme Schedule:
4.00 – 4.45 p.m.: Introduction to the digital archive The Fifth Wall and website walkthrough along the axis of Media Ethics and Political Potentials by Merle Kröger

4.45 – 5.15 p.m.: Discussion on The Idea of Present in Archiving Projects: Deepa Dhanraj and Merle Kröger
In the recent shift from facilitating simple reservoirs of material and information to curating diverse and tangential narratives around the potential of the past, the endeavours of building archives have turned into vibrant political and artistic actions. This idea will be discussed in the context of The Fifth Wall and Yugantar Film Collective.

5.15 – 5.30 p.m.: Tea break

5.30 – 6.15 p.m.: Portrait of a Patriot: The Saga of Subhas Chandra Bose 1941–1945 | Documentary by Navina Sundaram, 1971, 44 min.

The film is based on intensive research and the meticulous search for material on Bose in India and Europe. It shows the adventurous path of the Indian freedom fighter and focuses on the period between March 1941 and February 1943, when Bose was in Berlin and recruited the so-called ‘Indian Legion’ from among British prisoners of war of Indian origin. A meeting with former Indian and German legionnaires in Hamburg, 25 years after the war, revives memories.

6.15 – 6.45 p.m.: Discussion with Merle Kröger and Madhusree Dutta and Q&A with the audience
 
The Fifth Wall was conceptualized and developed by Merle Kröger and Mareike Bernien (pong film) in collaboration with Navina Sundaram within the framework of Archive außer sich – a project of the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art e.V.

This is part of a series of events celebrating The Fifth Wall planned across Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai.