• From May 8 to 17, the film series Ute Aurand. People, Places and Life vindicates the work of one of the great European experimental filmmakers
• The retrospective includes three sessions in 16 mm and a master class with the author, a reference in cinema that portrays the everyday from a feminist point of view
• This film series is part of the Documenta festival's focus on the archive as a tool for memory, resistance and collective creation.

Documenta Madrid, International Documentary Film Festival of the Madrid City Council, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía present in this 22nd edition a new joint retrospective. Under the title Ute Aurand. People, Places and Life, the Museum's Cinema will host, from May 8 to 10 and from May 15 to 17, a program of three sessions in 16 mm. that will cover the career of this key figure of contemporary experimental cinema, as well as a master class with the author.

This program is part of the parallel programming of Documenta Madrid 2025 and responds to the thematic focus of this edition, centered on the archival image and film as a tool for memory, resistance and collective creation. The Museum cycle is organized by the Department of Film and New Media of the Museo Reina Sofía in collaboration with the artist.

Cinema as a way of being in the world
The program Ute Aurand. People, Places and Life reviews the work of one of the most renowned experimental filmmakers still active today. Born in Germany in 1957, Aurand represents cinema as an inseparable element of our existence, 16 mm. images attached to life, to breathing, through which the biography of this singular author passes. In the face of the industry and against the predominance of the algorithm, Aurand makes a sentimental and honest plea in a cinema inseparable from a way of conceiving and being in the world. In the tradition of everyday cinema, in which names such as Jonas Mekas or Anne Charlotte Robertson resonate, Aurand's films stand out for their precise editing and melodious rhythm, but above all for being small acts of life. 

This retrospective, which will be screened in analog format, also pays tribute to her work as programmer and film archivist in institutions like Arsenal (Berlin), where she has promoted programs dedicated to both experimental cinema and the work of women filmmakers. Thus, the third session will be a collective conversation with names such as Margaret Tait, Renate Sami, Ewelina Rosinska, Utaku Koguchi, Marie Menken and Maria Lang.

Documenta Madrid 2025
Documenta Madrid, Madrid City Council's International Film Festival, celebrates its 22nd edition from May 6 to 11, consolidating its commitment to auteur documentary cinema, formal experimentation and critical thinking.

The festival, organized by Cineteca Madrid, is once again a meeting point for contemporary documentary and non-fiction cinema. This year's edition features three competitive sections - International, National and Final Cut - with 36,000€ in prizes, as well as a powerful parallel program with retrospectives, special sessions, professional meetings and workshops. The main venue will be Cineteca Madrid, which will entirely host the Final Cut section.

In addition to Cineteca, Documenta Madrid 2025 extends to other key venues in the city such as the Reina Sofía Museum, Filmoteca Española, La Casa Encendida and Casa de México. It has the collaboration of ECAM, Madrid Film Office, Acción Cultural Española (ACE), the Romanian Cultural Institute, UNAM University in Spain, the Swiss Embassy and the Juan March Foundation, among other national and international cultural institutions. /

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