Festival Performing Exiles opened: Art in the shadow of the war

Festival Performing Exiles opened: Art in the shadow of the war

Berlin, Deutschland - On June 19, 2025, the interdisciplinary “Performing Exiles” festival was opened in Berlin, which offers artists: inside exile. The opening took place with the premiere of the theater work "Destination: Origin" by the Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof. In his emotional speech, Rasoulof spoke about the devastating effects of the current war in Iran, which had started with air strikes on Tehran a week earlier. These circumstances had initially questioned the implementation of the festival, and Rasoulof and his team had no longer believed at such an event because communication with their families in Iran had stopped. His work addresses the challenging escape from Iran, which is characterized by symbolic images, choreographies and monologues.

The festival, which lasts until June 28th, takes place at several event locations, including the Haus der Berliner Festival, Hau2 and Ballhaus Ost. Curator Matthias Lilienthal has put together the program to explore the term exile and make diasporic living environments visible in Berlin. Other premieres include "Confronting The Shadow" by Tamara Trunova, which deals with the topics of war and feminism. The staging "Goodbye Lindita" by Mario Banushi, who also treats the funeral rituals of the Albanians in a strong, but cryptic representation, has made mixed reactions with the organizers, since Banushi has never been in Berlin.

culture and community in exile

Rasoulof's staging is not only a testimony of darkness, but also shows the bright memories of his actresses who have fled with him from Iran. This dual perspective reflects the complex experiences of exiled. The term exile is often understood as a political state, while emigration is often considered apolitical. The festival tries to illuminate these nuances and the challenges and the creativity of artists: to address inside exile.

In addition to the plays, the festival offers a rich supporting program that includes performance, live music and parties. A cocktail bar and an art market, organized by South American artists: inside, invite visitors to dive into a lively community. The cultural center "Club de Baile" in the Kassenhalle of the Berlin Festival ensures a free program for a diverse participation of the public that is interested in exile and migration.

an important artistic and social experiment

The stage marathon "100 ° diaspora", which will take place from June 26th to 28th, presents over 150 artists: inside in 45 performances and promotes an open exchange. In the context of the current challenges, the festival proves to be an important forum for cultural expression and reflection on exile situations. The effects of migration and exile on the artistic process have been the subject of intensive discussions for years, such as in the virtual exhibition "Arts in Exile", which deals with the experience of more than 10,000 artists that fled during National Socialism. Here, too, it becomes visible how diverse the reactions to exile and persecution in art are.

The interdisciplinary festival is therefore not only an expression of artistic freedom, but also an important platform for the visualization of the plural reality of diaspora communities in Berlin. The critical voices for the selected work and experimental program design underline the complexity and the challenges with which artists are faced with:

For more information and backgrounds about the festival, interested parties can report on rbb24 the Berliner Festival href = "https://www.bpb.de/shop/zeitschratzen/apuz/192576/konstellations-die-die-virtual-stauslung-kuenste-im-exil/"> bpb.de deals with the historical and current exile situations.