Fourteen film crews from across Germany responded to the call for entries issued by Filmwerkstatt Münster for the artistic documentary film project ‘Kollektives Streiten’. Two teams were selected by a four-member jury and will begin production of their short documentaries in the Münsterland region in September; these will be screened in participating cinemas in the Münsterland region at the end of 2027.
In the film provisionally titled “In die Störung hören (working title)”, filmmaker Mustafa Khalaf follows a noise artist who has been living in Münster for 15 years without legal residency status. Amidst constant uncertainty, conflict and self-destruction, a portrait emerges of a person who is portrayed by society as a ‘disturbance’. Khalaf seeks to reveal, behind all these conflicts, the beauty of a person who rarely lets anyone get close enough to him.
In her documentary “Bedarfsfall (working title)”, Julia Wycisk aims to follow communities in the Münsterland region whose former military sites are suddenly being reclaimed by the federal government after plans for their civilian conversion were halted. Navigating between NATO strategies, local authorities’ plans for the future and the stories of local people, the documentary explores how the mere possibility of war transforms landscapes, communities and political promises. From the perspective of an East German filmmaker, the film offers an observational exploration of a region caught between the conflicting forces of security, continuity and loss.
From September 2026, the two film crews will begin their research and initial filming in the Münsterland region. This will culminate in a workshop discussion in December 2026. Those interested will then gain an insight into the development of the material and the creative process.
The ‘Kollektives Streiten’ project by Filmwerkstatt Münster explores how conflicts arise, are negotiated and shaped within groups, and what these processes reveal about our social coexistence. The focus is on an artistic exploration of conflict as a productive practice – as a space for friction, transformation and a cinematic exploration of what divides and, at the same time, unites people.
The selection jury consisted of Maria Minewitsch (Programme Director, Cinema & Kurbelkiste Münster), Marc Pierschel (filmmaker & member of the Filmwerkstatt), Michelle Koch (writer, programme curator and director of dfi – Dokumentarfilminitiative at Filmbüro NW) and Sina Musche (film educator, media pedagogue and project lead for ‘Kollektives Streiten’, contactable via musche@filmwerkstatt-muenster.de).
In partnership with Die Eule, Scala Warendorf, Cinetec Ahaus and the LWL-Medienzentrum für Westfalen.
The film project ‘Kollektives Streiten’ is funded by the RKP – Regionale Kultur Programm NRW des Ministeriums für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, as well as by the Kulturamt Münster. The LWL-Medienzentrum für Westfalen is the partner responsible for the distribution of the resulting films.
