Lichun Tseng, one of the core members of the self-managed laboratory Filmwerkplaats in Rotterdam; Joyce Lainé, the driving force behind the new generation at the Atelier MTK lab in Grenoble; and Lucie Leszez, member of the L'Abominable lab in Paris, are teaming up in the Hall at l’Alternativa 2023 to share their experiences, fragilities and satisfactions as they look back over the journey these labs have made to  become leading lights on the expanded cinema scene.

As this year’s EXP Cinema section was taking shape, we recalled the many meetings of minds between labs that had borne fruit at previous editions of l’Alternativa a few years earlier, which brought home just how long the festival has been running. As we celebrate l’Alternativa’s three decades of existence, we are particularly excited to give a space over to members of the buoyant analogue scene, which is currently in very good health. We were keen to focus on labs as powerhouses for enriching the filmmaking ecosystem.

This joint initiative by l’Alternativa Hall, LOOP Festival and Zumzeig comprises two live EXP Cinema performances (one with musical accompaniment by Robert Kroos), together with a three-way panel discussion and a screening of films in 16 mm.