Isaac Julien’s The Attendant at the Berlinale Film Festival

Julien's 1993 film is screened twice during The Berlinale (7–17 February 2019). In addition, the artist takes part in the Queer Academy Summit 2019 on 13 February.

This year, the Berlinale Film Festival presents a special Panorama programme from its 40-year history, including two screenings of Isaac Julien's 1993 work, The Attendant.

In this short film, the eponymous 'attendant' is a middle-aged black man who finds his homoerotic fantasies taking over the museum he supervises when a painting depicting scenes of slavery becomes a tableau vivant of sadomasochistic desire. With this work, Julien explores spatial temporalities in a museum context, commenting on queer history and racial boundaries. 

with Thomas Baptiste, Cleo Sylvestre, John Wilson

Screenings take place on 12 and 13 February.

All screenings shown in loving memory of Thomas Baptiste, actor and singer, born, 17 March 1929; died, 6 December 2018.

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Image: Isaac Julien, The Attendant, 1993