Filmmakers often turn to archives to uncover lost histories, evoke emotion, or reframe dominant narratives, but how do we navigate the balance between documentation and interpretation, and how can these be starting-points for a creative cinematic language?

In this talk, Robin Hunzinger and Mirko Stopar share their approaches to working with existing film material to construct new cinematic meaning. Drawing from their own work, they explore the ethical and artistic implications of manipulating time, memory, and image, offering practical insights for filmmakers, editors, and producers interested in the creative potential of archival storytelling.

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Robin Hunzinger is a French filmmaker known for his lyrical and deeply personal documentaries that weave together letters, photographs, and archival film. His award-winning film Ultraviolette premiered at IDFA where it won the Beeld and Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award for Best Creative Use of Archive, for its poetic use of historical material. The film was also presented at MIRAGE in 2022.

Hunzinger's latest film Ice Grave is part of the MIRAGE 2025 lineup.

Mirko Stopar is an Argentinian-Norwegian filmmaker and writer working at the intersection of documentary, memory, and essay film. His work explores the politics of history and identity through layered narratives and found footage, often blurring the lines between fact and fiction.

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