Press Release 1 Berlin, 28 June 2016

ID Festival Berlin 2016 21­23 October 2016 at RADIALSYSTEM V

In autumn 2016 the ID Festival Berlin will become once again the central meeting point for the Israeli artists based in Germany. For the second time the three­day ID Festival Berlin will take place from 21st until 23rd of October 2016 at RADIALSYSTEM V. Under the artistic direction of Ohad Ben­Ari, the cross­genre festival, is this year dedicated to the topic of migration. Tickets for all the events will be available starting July at www.idfestival.de.

After it’s successful first edition last year, the ID Festival Berlin 2016 will again take place at RADIALSYSTEM V for three days. From 21st until 23rd of October the festival provides Germany based artists with Israeli origin a stage. This year it is focusing on the topic of migration. Festival founder and artistic director Ohad Ben­Ari once again developed a cross­genre program made of live music concerts, theater and dance performances, art exhibition, discussions and celebration galas for the festival.

"These days the reasons and consequences of migration concern and move all of us. In our festival we want to challenge the meaning of migration through art. Migration has a special meaning for Israelis, and certainly a personal one for the artists living in Germany today. Tales of migration and asylum determine a significant portion of Israel's history and a sense of identity. During the ID Festival, we hope to stimulate the discussion using all senses and to provide an awareness of the issue using various artistic media," said Ohad Ben­Ari.

In total there are 15 events with more than 70 artists during the three days of the festival. The majority of them are of Israeli origin. There are, however, also artists from other countries involved. The program addresses the topic of migration with existing works and new productions.

For the opening of the festival, the performance of a pilot project of intercultural cooperation is planned. The former concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonics, Guy Braunstein, takes part in a project initiated by him: a chamber music ensemble consisting of two Israelis, two Syrians and a German. Together they will play a piano quintet by Erich Korngold. There will also be held a discussion panel on the issue of migration with prominent authors and intellectuals from various countries and later that night we will celebrate the award­winning film "Junction 48" directed by Udi Aloni, followed by a party with the protagonists from the film. The film deals with the story of an Arab­Israeli Hip­Hop group, which uses art as means of fighting social oppression and alleviating the tension within the community.

The highlights of the program, among others, include the performance of the ensemble Sferraina with the soprano Tehila Nini Goldstein, the percussionist Tobias Steinberger and the chitarrone player David Bergmüller, the premiere of Micki Weinberg’s theater piece "Makembo" and the performance piece "Lights and Vessels ­ a work in progress presentation" developed by the performer and sign language interpreter the Progressive Wave (Gal Naor).

The three panels of the symposium "Beyond Borders", curated by the philosopher Elad Lapidot, will be dealing with the theme of migration in literature, philosophy and religion.

An exhibition of visual art taking place at the venue will address the creativity and challenge in collaborative work between Israelis, Arabs and Germans. The exhibition, just like last year, is curated by Alona Harpaz, the founder and director of the project space CIRCLE1, in collaboration with the curator and artist Sharon Horodi. CIRCLE1 is a Berlin initiative for contemporary art, with a focus on Israeli artists.

The detailed program will be presented in late September at a press conference in RADIALSYSTEM V.

More informations about the festival www.idfestival.de ​ ​ Tickets for all events will be available in July.

Artists of ID Festival 2016 (selection) Udi Aloni, Bettina Allamoda Rawan Al Kurdi, Nitsan Bernstein, Guy Braunstein, Anina Brisolla, Nir de Volff, Nezaket Ekici, Eldar Farber, Francesca Fini, Athil Hamdan , Alona Harpaz, Gilad Hochman, Sharon Horodi, Omer Klein, Olaf Kühnemann, Dr. Elad Lapidot, Oren Lazovski, Shahar Marcus, Angus Massey, Gal Naor, Sharon Paz, Alona Rodeh, Steve Sabella, Oded Schechter, Wendy Shaw, Mati Shemoelof, Hannah Tzuberi, Micki Weinberg, Amir Yatziv and many others

Press contacts Hendrik v. Boxberg Bettina Schuseil Press & Public Relations RADIALSYSTEM V ​ 0177­7379207 030­288788532 [email protected] [email protected] ​

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