Private Project

Symphony Of A Small Town

A young man is being instructed to wash and cut hair in a hairdressing salon. A woman from Afghanistan learns to operate the sewing machines, showing skill. A young woman from Eritrea gets an introduction into payroll accounting in a city office.

Having in mind Walter Ruttmann's silent classic "Symphony of A Big City" from 1927 the filmmakers Faroqhi & Peretz interpret the formal subject of an episodic narration for their own purposes. Above all, the pictures show work processes in various companies and training centers in the periphery around the Big City of Berlin. Work is being made visible and comprehensible not only for the camera, but also for the participants of a film workshop, residents of a refugees hostel in the area. They make experiences with professions and crafts both in front of and behind the camera.
The sounds of the film were created under the direction of the composers Eunice Martins and Laura Mello.

The pictures show a utopia of communal interaction in Germany, which the filmmakers stage as a given one.

The film is the result of a Filmworkshop commissioned by the Festival FILM WITHOUT BORDERS Bad Saarow and took place in June 2019 in Bad Saarow, Fürstenwalde and Storkow (Brandenburg).

  • Anna Faroqhi
    Director
  • Haim Peretz
    Director
  • Faroqhi Peretz Film Production
    Producer
  • Ali Ali, Alidad Zafani, Khadije Zarif Hosseini, Magomed Khakimov, Maral Erfanian, Naimat Ullah, Natsnet Girmay, Razeta Yusupova, Ruslan Khakimov, Zaynap Khakimov, Yohane Kidane, Zarmina Nasimi
    Key Cast
  • Eunice Martins
    Music
  • Laura Mello
    Music
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Sinfonie der Kleinstadt
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    21 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 30, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    German
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Film Ohne Grenzen Bad Saarow 2019
    Bad Saarow
    Germany
    August 29, 2019
    August 29, 2019
Distribution Information
  • Faroqhi Peretz Film Production
    Country: Worldwide
Director Biography - Anna Faroqhi, Haim Peretz

Anna Faroqhi & Haim Peretz are artists and authors of experimental documentary films. They have been working together since 2003, collaborating as a team and undertaking individual projects.

They create films, documentaries, design exhibitions and run interactive drawing projects in schools and cultural institutions.
Faroqhi is also an author of graphic novels.

In their work, they portray life in the big cities with the reoccurring topics of migration and lifelong learning.

Add Director Biography