“Vitić Dances” at the Food & Footage Festival at ZK/U Berlin

In the heart of Berlin’s Moabit district, in a former railway depot, operates ZK/U – Center for Art and Urbanistics, an independent artist residency and project space that since 2012 has brought together artists, researchers, and cultural workers from around the world. As a platform for the exchange between global ideas and local practices, ZK/U has developed a range of innovative formats connecting art, community, and urban processes – among which Food & Footage (Speisekino) stands out in particular.

Food & Footage is a weekly cultural event that combines screenings of independent films with multi-course dinners, thematically inspired by the content of the film. Every Thursday, from May to September, ZK/U’s terrace becomes a gathering place for both local and international audiences. Food and film work together as a stimulus for reflection and conversation, with each event carefully curated to reflect current social, cultural, and political themes.

In this spirit, the new Food & Footage 2025 season will open on Wednesday, May 7, with a screening of the documentary film Vitić Dances by director Boris Bakal. Since its premiere at ZGDOX in 2023, the film has been presented in North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, India, Sweden, Ecuador, the United Kingdom, Malta, Turkey, Uruguay, Italy, Bolivia, Armenia, Romania, and Hungary. This deeply personal and reflective film follows the artist’s 20-year struggle to restore a modernist residential building in Zagreb, opening up questions about the commons, spatial memory, and collective responsibility. The building, designed by architect Ivo Vitić – a symbol of social utopia and modern architecture – becomes, in the film, a metaphor for the complex dynamics of contemporary Croatian and European society.

The film has received several notable awards: a Special Mention at the 2023 Days of Croatian Film, a Special Mention for the Preservation of Memory and Cultural Heritage at the 18th Balkan New Film Festival in Stockholm (Sweden), the Main Award for Best Documentary at the Asian Talent International Film Festival 2024 in Ahmednagar (India), Best Documentary Award at the festival in Ecuador (San Antonio), and awards for Best Film, Best Production, and Best Director at the festival in London, as well as third prize at the Film and Architecture Festival in Venice.

The evening at Food & Footage will be further enriched by a communal dinner, prepared by the director and the ZK/U kitchen team, inspired by the film. This synergy of cuisine and cinema invites the audience not just to observe, but to participate in a dialogue about space, community, and identity.