Enoh Lienemann
German/Nigerian videomaker
The Refugee Film Collection
Interview: 10 questions
1. Tell me something about your life and the educational background
was born in London U.K. from German, Nigerian parents. Since many years I`m based in Germany. From the age of 8 years, my parents visited with me all relevant museums, galleries and important art spaces in North Rhine-Westphalia. This was my first education in art and had a great impact on my thinking and how I perceived and understand art. Later in life, I studied at the Alanus Hochschule für Kunst und Gesellschaft, Germany. When I started filmmaking I leant from international known directors, by watching their films and interviews. My video`s where shown all around the world, for example: ZKM, Karlsruhe; Depart Foundation, Los Angeles; University of Art Kiev; Blow Up International Arthouse Film Festival Chicago; Biennial II AFIRIperFOMA, Lagos; Videoex International Experimental Film Festival, Zürich; Osmosis Audiovisual Media Festival Taipei; Museu da Imageme do Som de Santa Catarina, Brasil.
2. When, how and why started you filming?
Film/video/photography always belonged to my strong interest. I started filming when I got my own digital reflex camera about 10 years ago. From that time on I never stopped filming. I learned to see the landscapes, humans and everything with new eyes.
3. What kinds of topics have your films?
It is my special interest to ask questions about how to cope with difficult situations in life. Migration, questions about identity and womanhood are the basic topics of my work.
4. Concerning your included video: please tell me more about the aims and the contents.
Migration firstly starts in mind. It is not only a movement of refugees, but also a process of every-day-life, in which each person has to make a clear decision for or against something. To leave a situation, to select unknown ways, means to cut yourself out of things, places and habits. It brings uncertainty and emptiness and of course new life and possibilities.
This condition of upheaval is mirrored in “In My Headâ€. The video questioned how open a society is to unknown influences. And will it be able to deal with new challenges and able to understand migration not only as an external move, but become an active part of society, with their consequences in an open but also critical society.
5. How do you develop your films, do you follow certain principles, styles etc?
shoot everything what I feel it is worthwhile to be filmed. By doing so I have a collection of absolutely different kinds of video clips and photographs. I develop my stories by using my video library and follow a storyboard, which is in my head.
6. Tell me more about the technical equipment you use.
I use a digital reflex camera, a digital recorder, and video editing software. That’s it.
7. How do you finance your films?
8. Do you work individually as a video artist/film maker or do you work in a team?
if you have experience in both, what is the difference, what do you prefer?
Everything is done by me. For that reason my videos are mainly done with no budget. I work completely by my own, the past 3 years with video only. I` m a multimedia artist and for that reason, installation, video installation, photography and collage are also medias which belong to my works.
9. Who or what has a lasting influence on your film/video making?
This is difficult to say. It is my desire to tell stories about truth, about how to overcome difficulties in life. As well I love it to create pictures on the screen which are moving between dream and reality.
10. What are your future plans or dreams as a film/video maker?
It would be wonderful to show my videos still around the globe. I want to continue making experimental / narrative and not narrative videos. It would be wonderful to have an audience which feels touched by my video works.
Can works of yours be reviewed online besides on the platforms of The New Museum of Networked Art? If yes, where?
List some links & resources
http://www.enoh-lienemann.de
https://www.vimeo.com/enoh27354537