Lichtenberg Studios

I completed a highly productive three-week residency at Lichtenberg Studios, Berlin, from September to October 2021. During this time, I have started making serious progress towards producing my upcoming feature film entitled “Elpis”. The film was kindly funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and produced by the Experimental Film Society. During my residency at the Lichtenberg Studios, I have made various tests and shots inside the studio and in the Lichtenberg area, which is exceptionally post-industrial, haunting, scenic and beautiful all at the same time. In addition, I tested and shot a few Super 8mm film rolls around Ostkreuz water tower – Wasserturm Ostkreuz. The Ostkreuz water tower is a listed water tower in the Berlin district of Friedrichshain and a landmark of the neighbourhood around the Ostkreuz that is visible from afar. The water tower, built between 1909 and 1912 by the Royal Railway Directorate in Berlin, was designed by Karl Cornelius. The 59-meter high structure stood next to the Berlin Ostkreuz train station and served to supply the steam locomotives with water. This symbolic structure will play a significant role in my upcoming film. Elpis (Spirit of Hope) will be an experimental feature film. It will use found film, newly shot material and socially distanced filmmaking as both an aesthetic & means of production with purpose-built experimental telecine. It will explore the relationship between celluloid (past) & digital (future) to examine humanity in crisis and rebirth.