In his film installation Report (2016), Peter Friedl explores the permeability of language and identity boundaries. The source text is A Report to an Academy Franz Kafka’s 1917 short story about the ape Red Peter’s becoming human—a parable about assimilation, which has been nearly buried under the burden of interpretation and constant homage. The only setting in Friedl’s complex film project, seemingly conform with classical dramatic theory, is the completely emptied stage of the National Theater in Athens, designed by German architect Ernst Ziller in the late nineteenth century. A total of two dozen actors of various origins and backgrounds appear one by one: women, men, children, almost always alone, but occasionally in pairs. A few of them make recurring appearances through the course of the film. In front of a camera sharply focused on them, they all recite by heart extracts from Kafka’s monologue- esque text in their mother tongue or a language of their choice: Arabic, English, Farsi, French, Greek, Swahili, Kurdish, Russian. German, the original language of the canonical Kafka piece, is deliberately absent. Friedl’s film, doing away with subtitles, comes to life through the presence and charisma of the actors and through the precise and thoughtful editing. With some omissions and variations, the work remains faithful to the original narrative throughout the fragmented polyphony of languages and gestures. It features predominantly non-actors, mostly protagonists of the current global refugee and migration movements, but the Greek actress Maria Kallimani is also part of the cast. The long process of casting took place in Athens.

Report (2016)
Single-channel HD video installation, color, sound
32:03 min. (loop)
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Based on A Report to an Academy by Franz Kafka (1917)
Artist and director: Peter Friedl
Director of photography: Giorgos Karvelas
Sound: Vasilis Gerodimos
Executive Producer: Karinia Stylou
With Emenike Anayo Anderson, Hana Al Shateri, Dimitri Ramin Sakellariou, Emily
Muthoni, Jamila Mousavi Shakoor, Seied Hamid Mousavi, Eleni Diop Galata, Lina
Tabbara, Nikolay Baev, Violette Ngoma, Roba Safar Alrefaie, Sona Omidi, Maan
Halaoui, Cyrille Narcisse Fabo Tchoumi, Peter Michael Depian, Berivan Shamo, Bashar
Shamo, Zahra Banshi, Maria Kallimani, Yang Kouei Fank, Esther Andre Gonzalez,
Mohammed Dawlat Yar, Sultanah Mousa, Fotis Rozinos
Editing: Stanislaw Milkowski, Peter Friedl
Post Production: Concept AV, Berlin
Assistant to artist: Daphni Antoniou
1st camera operator: Lefteris Agapoulakis
2nd camera operator: Kalliopi Perdika
Gaffer: Nikos Mouzakis
Casting: Kelly Karahaliou, Yannis Arvanitis, Demode_Video Cinema
Production manager: Sokratis Konstantinidis
Production coordination: Mando Arvaniti, Alisanoglou Stella
Production assistants: Vaggelis Kaliakatsos, Andreas Koumoutsakos, Nikos Zisis
Catering: Marneras Sotoris
Thanks to Chalil Alizada, Hossain Amiri, Stefanos Gerodoukos, Yazan Jeratli, Mariam
Kasem, Alan Mousa, Alla Nammoura and Fourough Taheri for their important
assistance
Special thanks to Marianna Pana, National Theater of Greece, Athens
Commissioned and produced by documenta 14