Crackle Of Time: Christoph Schlingensief And His Opera Village In Burkina Faso

An African Bayreuth? An Opera in Burkina Faso? Christoph Schlingensief, the German film, theatre and opera director had a vision for an opera village in Africa. Despite cancer, he made trips to Burkina Faso, such was his devotion and conviction. 'Crackle of Time' tells the story of the impossible project: to build an opera village in Burkina Faso, a space combining art and life, with a school, theatre, hospital, living quarters, a football field, a lunchroom.

Schlingensief wanted everything what it needs to live and survive. Everything in one place. From the initial location search in May 2009 and the Groundbreaking in February 2010 to the emergence of the school the documentary takes us up close to the German artist Christoph Schlingensief and his architect Diébédo Francis Kéré who originally comes from Burkina Faso. But then everything changed. Christoph Schlingensief died in August 2010. Death played a role from now on.

After a period of stillstand the team of the opera village went on. The documentary get behind the vision of the 'opera village' and witness the struggles and hurdles. In October 2011 the school could celebrate its opening. In 2011 Christoph Schlingensief was posthumously awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale for his stage installation, 'fluxus oratorium – church of fear' in the German pavilion.