Decoder (1984)
87 min.
12 October, 19:00
Arsenal Kino

Arsenal's new cinema is housed in a former funeral hall at silent green, where the institute has kept its archive since 2015. Its Making space / Raumgeben series examines the place of cinemas and other cultural venues within today's political and social landscape, with a different partner each month. As part of this series, transmediale presents Decoder (1984) as an early counter-infrastructural film and a reference point for its next edition RFC 40.

Muscha’s Decoder is an early cyberpunk fantasy, where the titular character roams desolate city streets collecting noises to chop up and reassemble in his studio. Convinced that the Muzak in fast-food restaurants keeps diners blankly content, he meets a cult of pirates and their high priest. Together they produce an "anti-tape" that throws the city into chaos.

The screening is followed by a conversation with transmediale curators Barbara Cueto and Antonina Stebur, moderated by Stefanie Schulte Strathaus.