Norient Musikfilm Festival NMFF 9 (2019)

There are many kinds of activism around the world. As some films from the 9th Norient Musikfilm Festival 2019 show, this depends on the intentions of the persons concerned, and the politics of the places and spaces they inhabit.

To be recognized might be the most fundamental need of being human. Yet the means and methods for seeking it differ radically, especially among artists. As some of the international movies at the 9th Norient Musikfilm Festival 2019 have shown, recognition can become a matter of survival.

Christophe Jaquet describes in his fan confession, that the radical musician, thinker, hacker, philanthrope, activist, and curious figure Goodiepal saved him from being depressed about the future of music.

In the Japanese «aidoru bunka» (idol culture), grown men kneel down to mimic their infantile stars. When watching Kyoko Miyake's film Toyko Idols, musicologist Oliver Seibt sees a strong connection between this ritual and the sacred – which has a potential to create a sense of belonging.

In her music, the reggaeton artist Clara! combines styles from the past and the present. Her use of visual aesthetics from the 1980s reminds us that old school reggaeton has always had feminist roots.

In the film «Oulaya's Wedding», one is thrown into the middle of a traditional wedding in the Western Sahara. But is the overwhelming proximity to the filmed Sahraoui culture able to bypass exoticism, asks the director and archivist Christopher Kirkley.

Does the movie «Sinofuturism (1839–2046 AD)» confront us with a future China, that is an inhuman dystopia? No, says Philipp Rhensius. It just depends on the perspective on our world.

The Slovenian band Laibach has been invited to perform in North Korea. Friedemann Pestel says: this tour differs clearly from cultural diplomacy in the traditional sense.

Bryan Littles’ film «The African Cypher» portrays dance subcultures in South Africa of which some have close relationships to cars. For Eric Mandel, this is symbol of man and machine.

Reggae is rich with questions of belonging, but instead of domesticity it focuses on the state of limbo. After watching the film «Being Blacker», Derek Walmsley examines how the Brixton figurehead Blacker Dread struggles with what he once called home.

UK Funky DJ Bamz' music is informed by a sense of history and a glimpse into the future of bass driven club music. At the core of this is the «riddim» as the aesthetic backbone.

«This is Bate Bola» follows the carnival celebrations in Rio’s poor neighborhoods. While watching the movie, research duo A Parede discovered contradicting ideals of masculinity.

Rude, tender and weird. The film «Where You're Meant to Be» of Paul Fegan is a sensitive story about the idiosyncracities of Scotland and its people through the lens of the Folk musician Aidan Moffat.

The documentary «Bamseom Pirates, Seoul Inferno» shows how the band Bamseom Pirates uses punk music to resist the social and political absurdities of present-day South Korea.

The documentary film «Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.» portrays the popstar M.I.A. as a multi-faceted person.

Monzer Darwish's compelling documentary «Syrian Metal Is War» captures the story of how the Metal underground in Syria seeks to survive during war.

The Scandinavian code of conduct «jantelagen» encourages modesty and conformity. The movie «Silvana» shows, how the Swedish rapper Silvana Imam celebrates the exact opposite: pride and individuality.