Re:Frame is a Berlin-based curatorial platform for 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 and its diasporas, initiated by CiLENS e.V.
Growing out of 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 (ICCW), one of the most active platforms for Sinophone cinema in Berlin since 2022, Re:Frame expands into a broader field — bringing together short films, expanded moving image, and cross-disciplinary programming from across East and Southeast Asia and their diasporas.
Re:Frame begins from Sinophone cinema — not as a category, but as a condition shaped by migration, translation, and the ongoing movement of identity. East and Southeast Asia share deep historical entanglements: centuries of Chinese migration and settlement, shared cultural traditions, and the ways languages and identities have transformed and persisted across different soils.
Re:Frame takes this as its starting point, asking what emerges when these experiences reach each other through the moving image.
We look for works that take shape within conditions of change, whether that change occurs in transit or within the seeming stillness of daily life. Re:Frame does not prescribe what work should look like. What interests us is what you are doing with moving image, and why it cannot wait.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼:
Over four years, CiLENS has built a dedicated and returning audience in Berlin, programmes regularly reach full capacity and draw viewers from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.
Works selected for Re:Frame are not shown in isolation: they are placed in dialogue with other works, with live contexts, and with the people who gather around them. All submissions are reviewed by the CiLENS curatorial team together with invited professionals from film and contemporary art.
𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻.
Selected works will be presented within curated screening programmes, expanded formats, and public conversations.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲:𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲
Over the past four years, CiLENS has built a consistent and active presence in Berlin through annual festivals, thematic screenings, talks, and cross-disciplinary projects. Programmes regularly reach full capacity and draw audiences from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.
Within Berlin's contemporary cultural landscape, CiLENS has become a recognised platform for Sinophone and Asian cinema, connected to a network of local cultural institutions, independent cinemas, and artist communities.
Re:Frame continues and expands this work. Here, works are not shown in isolation — they are placed in relation to other works, to live contexts, and to the audiences who gather around them.
All submissions are reviewed by the CiLENS curatorial team together with invited professionals from film and contemporary art — including curators, scholars, critics, and cultural practitioners.
Submission perk: Every filmmaker who submits will receive a 𝟭-𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘆𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆, a streaming platform dedicated to independent contemporary Sinophone and East Asian cinema.
Selected works will be eligible for the Re:Frame Audience Award, voted on by the festival audience. The winning work will receive a cash prize.
