MINT: CFF Films to Die For 迷影永恒 & Tango Berlin 探戈柏林

Films to Die For 迷影永恒

Departing from cinephilia, the essayistic documentary Films to Die For explores how films emerge from other films, and why cinema becomes a matter of life and death for those who make it. Anchored in Wim Wenders’s The State of Things, the film traces intertextual links across European, Hollywood, and Brazilian cinema, reflecting on the presumed “death of cinema.” Interweaving the creative trajectories of Wim Wenders, Walter Salles, Laura Mulvey, and Paulo Branco, it follows cinematic lives shaped and, at times, ended by film itself. Combining canonical film excerpts, original footage shot in Portugal, and interviews with filmmakers, the film maps a constellation of cinema woven from passion, history, and fate.

Programme Strand: Cinephilia Encounters: Amorous Exile and the Gaze

Departing from cinephilia, the essayistic documentary Films to Die For unfolds a reflection of how films come into being through one another, and how cinema repeatedly becomes a matter of life and death for those who make it. Taking The State of Things by Wim Wenders as its point of departure, the film traces intertextual connections across European, Hollywood, and Brazilian cinema, revisiting ongoing reflections on the “death of cinema.”
Moving along the creative trajectories of Wim Wenders, Walter Salles, Laura Mulvey, and Paulo Branco, the film brings into view lives shaped by cinema—and, at certain moments, brought to an end by it. Through the coming together of archival film excerpts, footage shot in Portugal, and conversations with filmmakers, a cinematic constellation gradually emerges, formed by passion, history, and fate. (Crystal Xinjie Wang, edited by Xiyun Li)

Year of Production: 2025
Duration: 89 min
Genres: Documentary Cinephilia
Production Countries/Regions: United Kingdom
Dialogue Language(s): English, Portuguese, German
Subtitle Language(s): English
Director(s): Producer(s): Lúcia Nagib

Executive Producer(s): Lúcia Nagib
Premiere Status: European Premiere
Key Casts: Wim Wenders, Paulo Branco, Walter Salles, Laura Mulvey

Tango Berlin 探戈柏林

A young Argentinian janitor, a famous german director, a song by Carlos Gardel, the streets of berlin and a never ending film on an old Steenbeck…that´s tango Berlin.Shot in one day, without script, crew or money. We only had a camera, three cans of black and white negative, an old car, Wim Wenders for half an hour and very little sleep.

Programme Strand: Cinephilia Encounters: Amorous Exile and the Gaze

In this newly restored short film, an Argentinian janitor spends an unexpected night in Wim Wenders’ cutting room in Berlin. Set against a classic tune by Carlos Gardel, the young man discovers a seemingly never-ending film looping through an old Steenbeck editing machine. The boundaries between dream and reality are masterfully blurred, slipping gently out of sync with time itself, as the role of cinema in this dreamscape is playfully questioned. (Alexandra Paulus)

Year of Production: 1997
Duration: 6 min
Genres: Drama
Production Countries/Regions: Germany
Producer(s): Florian Gallenberger, German Kral
Executive Producer(s): Wolfgang Längsfeld, Jolanda Darbyshire, Nikolaus Prediger
Premiere Status: UK Premiere
Key Casts: Wim Wenders, German Kral

This event is followed by a live Director Q&A

For more information on festival programmes, events and films, please visit MINT Chinese Film Festival’s website: www.unicornscreening.com

Please Note:
Seats MUST be booked for individual films prior to start times.
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Screen 3 Limited Seating – Advanced Booking Essential
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