Julian Rosefeldt is known not only for his work in photography, but also for his elaborately staged films. His film installation, Manifesto, starring Cate Blanchett, consists of 13 films that bring angry, and surprisingly topical, words to the screen. In fact, Rosefeldt has collaged original historical texts from numerous manifestos by artists, architects, choreographers, and filmmakers—including texts by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Tristan Tzara, Kazimir Malevich, André Breton, Claes Oldenburg, Yvonne Reiner, Sturtevant, Adrian Piper, Sol LeWitt, and Jim Jarmusch. Many of them reveal a surprisingly theatrical and literary power. The vitality and fury of a young generation are inscribed in the thematic and performative energy of the proclamations.

Thirteen poetic monologues incorporate the texts of the manifestos into contemporary contexts, public speeches, or interior monologues, all of which are embodied and presented by actress Cate Blanchett. Rosefeldt created a single-screen film montage from the installation of 13 videos, which premiered at the Hamburger Banhof museum in Berlin. Blanchett transforms herself into figures as varied as a teacher, a puppeteer, a television presenter, or a beggar.