MOVING IMAGE REMAINS: ON THE REFUSAL TO DISAPPEAR

International Conference
January 29–31, 2026
Goethe University Campus Westend, Frankfurt

Absence dictates what we know, presence what we forget. In the realm of film and media the rediscovery of neglected fragments, traces of unfinished projects, and suppressed narratives offer a powerful means for unsettling dominant accounts. The international conference Moving Image Remains: On the Refusal to Disappear explores how material and immaterial remnants of film and media challenge dominant narratives and temporalities. Engaging with ghosted histories, unfinished projects, and marginal perspectives, the event examines the politics of remaining across archival, cinematic, and aesthetic practices. It brings together scholars, artists, curators, and activists to discuss how traces, absences, and afterlives of the moving image shape our understanding of media history and cultural memory. The conference is hosted by the DFG Research Training Group 2279 Configurations of Film in collaboration with Produktionshaus NAXOS, Mal Seh’n Kino, and partner institutions.