The Words of the Chairman (2025)

The Words of the Chairman (2025) poster

I was on a ship – this sounds like a novel: I had just embarked for Venezuela on June 2, 1967 as the Shah of Iran was arriving in West Berlin. There were protests, a student was shot, and a new form of opposition movement came into existence. The idea for this film came to me while I was still aboard the ship. The film is structured like a commercial. The film takes a metaphor literally: words can become weapons. However, it also shows that these weapons are made of paper. The weapon spoiled everything for the Shah and his wife, they are wearing paper bags on their heads with faces drawn on them – the kind of bags worn by Iranian students during demonstrations to hide their identity from the Savak, the Iranian Secret Service. When I showed this film to the audiences in the late 60s, it was highly praised. I think people understood then that over obviousness is also a form of irony. This capacity was lost a few years later. I think it's coming back today. –HF

Director: Harun Farocki
Runtime: 3 min
Release Date:

Cast

Screenplay

Production: Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB)
Country: Germany
Language: Deutsch
Original Language: de

Keywords

short film

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Words of the Chairman about?
I was on a ship – this sounds like a novel: I had just embarked for Venezuela on June 2, 1967 as the Shah of Iran was arriving in West Berlin. There were protests, a student was shot, and a new form of opposition movement came into existence. The idea for this film came to me while I was still aboard the ship. The film is structured like a commercial. The film takes a metaphor literally: words can become weapons. However, it also shows that these weapons are made of paper. The weapon spoiled everything for the Shah and his wife, they are wearing paper bags on their heads with faces drawn on them – the kind of bags worn by Iranian students during demonstrations to hide their identity from the Savak, the Iranian Secret Service. When I showed this film to the audiences in the late 60s, it was highly praised. I think people understood then that over obviousness is also a form of irony. This capacity was lost a few years later. I think it's coming back today. –HF
Who directed The Words of the Chairman?
The Words of the Chairman was directed by Harun Farocki.
Who stars in The Words of the Chairman?
The Words of the Chairman stars Ursula Lefkes, Otto Schily.
How long is The Words of the Chairman?
The Words of the Chairman has a runtime of 3m (3 minutes).
Where was The Words of the Chairman produced?
The Words of the Chairman was produced in Germany.