Image Description  

Black-and-white reenactment of a Karl Lagerfeld series from the 1980s at the Berlin club “Kumpelnest 3000.” Rafael-Evitan Grombelka takes on the role of Gunter Trube, restaging the look and pose directly in the original location. With his hair styled up, wearing makeup, a short skirt, blouse, and feather-like stole, he adopts the visual language of the original series. Mirrors, patterned walls, and a chandelier structure the space; in the background, a mural can be seen depicting a child leaning against a lion.

Event

As part of the Lichtspielwerkstatt, The Fall of a Queen, Or The Taste of the Fruit to Come will be screened on September 10 at the Aula of the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM), in collaboration with the Network for Cultural Film Education and the KHM.

In a world of vibrant, shimmering, baroque-inspired imagery, the Queen mingles with her dissatisfied subjects. Singing in spoken language, she attempts to prevent an uprising. Opposing her is the royal advisor, portrayed by Deaf activist and sign language poet Gunter Trube. The Fall of a Queen, Or The Taste of the Fruit to Come (1991) by Akiko Hada is a 20-minute video opera that brings together singing, spoken language, sign language, and subtitles to create a multilayered and unconventional audiovisual form.

The video opera enters into dialogue with a sign language poetry performance developed by Rafael-Evitan Grombelka for IMAI – Inter Media Art Institute in 2026, which will be performed live simultaneously with the video opera. Taking Trube’s role as a point of departure, Grombelka expands it into an independent sign language poetic perspective that reflects on and artistically extends the political and linguistic hierarchies of the video opera. The performance builds on Grombelka’s earlier engagement with the legacy of Gunter Trube, with whom he shared both an artistic and personal connection.

The video opera The Fall of a Queen, Or The Taste of the Fruit to Come will be presented in spoken English, with expanded artistic subtitles in German by the Carefuffle working group. Rafael-Evitan Grombelka’s sign language poetry performance will be presented in German Sign Language (DGS).

Following the screening, the initiators of the film evening, Judith Greitemann, Martin Holst, and Alejandro Bachmann, will discuss the video opera and the performance with Rafael-Evitan Grombelka and the audience.

The discussion will take place in German Sign Language (DGS) and spoken German.

The event is free of charge. Please register by September 9, 2026, at anmeldung@lichtspiel-netzwerk.de. 

About the Lichtspielwerkstatt  

Under the motto What we cannot imagine, cannot come into being, the Netzwerk kulturelle Filmbildung is hosting the Lichtspielwerkstatt on progressive film education from September 10 to 13 in Cologne and Essen (more information). Alejandro Bachmann, Professor of Film History and Film Theory at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM), and Katja Lell, an artistic and academic associate focusing on transcultural, intersectional, and anti-discriminatory perspectives in cinema, are organizing the collaborative events at KHM. Alejandro Bachmann is also a member of the Netzwerk kulturelle Filmbildung.

Bios  

Rafael-Evitan Grombelka is a Deaf performer, actor, and sign language interpreter. In his sign language poetry, he combines facial expressions, gestures, and signs to externalize his inner world of thoughts and inspire his audience. He is committed to increasing the visibility of German Sign Language and regularly works in theater, film, and television.  

Alejandro Bachmann is a film practitioner whose work focuses on film education, writing about film, and film programming. Since 2023, he has been Professor of Film History and Film Theory at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM). He is a (co-)editor of several publications and serves on the board of Lichtspiel – Network for Cultural Film Education. He lives in Cologne.  

Judith Greitemann explores anti-ableist approaches to storytelling and production practices from an intersectional perspective in her filmmaking and research practice. She studied Cultural Studies (B.A.) at the University of Hildesheim and Art in Context (M.A.) at the Berlin University of the Arts. She is currently conducting research at IMAI – Inter Media Art Institute on the accessibility of audiovisual art in digital spaces.  

Martin Holst is 59 years old and discovered his passion for cinema as a child through Expressionist silent films. As a highly dedicated moviegoer, his experience of film has been profoundly shaped by cinema as an experience in itself, with Stanley Kubrick being one example. As a person who is hard of hearing, he prefers to watch films in their original language with subtitles. He has a particular interest in the coming-of-age genre, as it often addresses themes that may have been missing from his own youth. Alongside his passion for cinema, he is also actively and passively involved in theater and dance theater and advises cultural practitioners on accessibility at cultural events. He lives in Cologne.  

Katja Lell currently works as an artistic and academic associate at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, focusing on inclusive and anti-discriminatory perspectives on cinema. She also works as an adjunct lecturer in Aesthetic Education at the University of Cologne.  

Akiko Hada (*1961 in Tagawa, Japan, †2026 in Berlin) increasingly developed her artistic practice toward video art, emerging from the experimental music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Hada worked across genres, moving between performance and video. Her body of work includes music videos, documentation of performances and concerts, lyrical narratives, and animations.

Wolfgang Müller (*1957 in Wolfsburg) is an artist, musician, and author. In 1980, he founded the post-punk band Die Tödliche Doris and has since worked across disciplines in music, radio plays, performance, and visual art. He taught Experimental Sculpture at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg (University of Fine Arts Hamburg).  

Gunter Trube (*1960 in Munich, †2008 in Berlin) was an artist, sign language poet, performer, and a central figure in Germany’s queer Deaf movement. As a sign language poet, he became known, among other things, for his staging of the Christmas story Schnee (1994). Throughout his life, he advocated for the recognition of German Sign Language and for the artistic, political, and social visibility of Deaf culture.

Carefuffle is a disability-led working group that creates accessible subtitles for artistic moving-image works. They understand accessibility as a creative and liberating practice that challenges ableist narratives, supports disabled people, and opens up new forms of cultural expression. They work toward a future in which access is inseparable from culture—an act of care, joy, and justice that enriches communities and expands the possibilities of art.

Accessibility

• The video opera will be presented in spoken English with expanded artistic subtitles in German. 

• Rafael-Evitan Grombelka’s sign language poetry performance will be presented in German Sign Language (DGS). The subsequent discussion will take place in German Sign Language (DGS) and spoken German.

• Duration: approx. 20 minutes + approx. 40-minute discussion afterwards  

• People with hearing aids can use a mobile induction loop system for hearing assistance.

• The induction loops required for hearing assistance can be borrowed on site. Please let us know when registering if you would like to use this assistive listening system.

• The event space is wheelchair accessible; however, the entrance door is difficult to open.

• A wheelchair-accessible restroom can be reached by elevator. We can reserve wheelchair-accessible spaces or other seating that is accessible without barriers.  

• Public accessible parking spaces for people with disabilities are available at the following addresses: Filzengraben 1, 10, 11, 12, and 13

• Assistance dogs are very welcome. Please let us know if you are bringing a dog to the performance.  

• Different accessibility and support needs can be indicated when registering so that we can make the necessary preparations. Please feel free to contact us at anmeldung@lichtspiel-netzwerk.de