River Film Fest
© Joshua Meissner
Screening Perspectives & Representing Worlds
Launched in 2023 by the Living Rivers Foundation, the River Film Fest celebrated free-flowing rivers, clean water, and life within water bodies. In the context of Fluid Interdisciplinarities, the River Film Fest screened films on the topic of river representation. It began with two short films including Bellerophontes Traum and Aquatopia – The Water. A short talk with filmmakers Maximillian Grünewald and Anoosh Werner took place. Afterwards, the full length film Méandres ou la rivière inventée (Meanders or the Invented River) was shown, followed by an audience discussion with the director Marie Lusson. Through the exchange of stories, the aim was to inspire discourse around rivers and action. The film fest took place in the new exhibition in the Humboldt Labor On Water which showcased research taking place at the four universities of the Berlin University Alliance (HU, TU, FU, Charité) on the topic of water.
© Joshua Meissner
Contributions
Marie Lusson
Marie Lusson is a filmmaker and holds a PhD in sociology of science from INRAE (Montpellier). Her research focuses on river restoration projects as a field for experimenting with nature policies. She is more broadly interested in the reconfigurations brought about by the coexistence of humans, non-humans and non-living beings, particularly through film ethnography. In 2022, she directed 'Méandres ou la rivière inventée' (Etoile de la SCAM 2025) and in 2025, 'Toetr'andro le comportement du jour.'
Maximilian Grünewald
Maximilian is an actor and freelance dramaturg and received his training at the "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Academy of Music and Theater in Leipzig. This was followed by engagements at the Staatstheater in Karlsruhe and Hanover. In his work he is concerned with human/non-human relations as well as the dramatization of scientific discourses. In 2020, he co-founded the collective ANTHROPOS EX. The collective seeks ways to give a stage to non-human actors, experimenting with methods from theater, film, the visual arts, and the natural sciences. This has led to collaborations with students from the ETH (ZH), the ZHdK (ZH) and the HFG Karlsruhe, among others. In close collaboration with scientists, artists and residents of the Spreewald village Raddusch, Maximilian Grünewald developed the artistic concept of "River Stories".
Micheal Bender
Michael Bender manages the Water Policy Office of the German environmental NGO GRÜNE LIGA with focus on the protection of aquatic ecosystems. He has been coordinating water related positions of German NGOs regarding the EU-Water Framework Directive including respective daughter directives and their implementation into German Law. He has been active in the water working group of the EEB since 1998. Michael Bender has coordinated the water working group of the Forum on Environment and Development from January 2001 to December 2013. One of the main international topics is the human right for water and sanitation. Michael Bender is an observer in the International Elbe Commission and was a Chair Persons of the successful 2011 Berlin Water referendum.