A prolific filmmaker whose body of work spanning over three decades has dealt with myriad themes ranging from the mundane to the morbid, Michael Brynntrup is often hailed as the poster child of German underground films. At a screening in Berlin, Brynntrup happened to watch two films by Mumbai-based Harkat Studios and walked up to compliment its co-founders, Michaela Talwar and Karan Talwar. “That’s when we learnt that he was planning to come to India soon and we decided to have a retrospective," informs Michaela. The curated selection of Brynntrup’s films, often shot on Super 8 and 16 or 35 mm, will be screened this Saturday in his presence. The event titled And versus Or will also delve into the question of analogue and digital — whether the two can co-exist, instead of filmmakers having to take sides — a precursor to Harkat’s 16 mm film festival, slated for later this year.

Michael Brynntrup