Tinett Marie Kähler (Koordination Hauptprogramm)

Highlights from the Main Program — About tired eyes, the curation process, and lots of fish

The theme of the 53rd edition of the Sehsüchte Festival is under:standing. For us, this means showcasing curious and courageous works, as well as making the real desires, fears, and creativity of the next generation of filmmakers visible. As the main program team, we are responsible for the competition sections of feature film, documentary, and animation, and we review the largest portion of submissions. Firstly, as a seven-member team, from last October to February, we reviewed and screened in pairs over 1080 submissions. Secondly, we gathered together for the group screening, where we collectively viewed and discussed the pre-selected films during the semester break in February. 46 hours of feature films, nearly 25 hours of documentaries, and almost 4 hours of animation films — so over 75 hours of film material screened in three weeks.

What did we notice? 
The 4:3 format and analog aesthetics have been back in trend for years, but this year, significantly more black-and-white films were submitted. Some even shot their film material on Super8. We also noticed a frequent exploration of themes of death and grief — current events in the world and in one’s own life seem to have often influenced the films of the young filmmakers. And a little running gag has emerged: a frequently recurring motif in our film submissions is fish. Perhaps you’ll notice some too!

Enchanted by the Main Programme 
What fascinates me about curatorial work at a student film festival is particularly discovering which topics are currently moving young filmmakers and what kind of new visual ideas are being implemented by the artists. Student films always offer a great mix: some are super experimental and innovative, giving hope for new currents in the film industry. Others, on the other hand, are totally serious and technically excellently made. This shows that students and newcomers can keep up with the established professionals in the industry.

Spot on: Highlights from the Main Programme

some:body

The documentary film Frank Meyer (84 minutes, Germany) by Leonhard Hofmann and Riccardo Dejan Jurkovic portrays a former bodybuilder who has been filmed for over 10 years. He falls seriously ill and reflects on his life, shaped by toxic masculinity, and how events of his past have made him what he has become. Leonhard Hofmann is now studying directing in the master’s program at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF.We curated Frank Meyer together with AMWIRE (4 minutes, Germany, Director: Jakob Vyzina) and Bye Bye, Bowser (20 minutes, Austria, Director: Jasmin Baumgartner).

Wir haben Frank Meyer zusammen kuratiert mit AMWIRE (4’, Deutschland, R: Jakob Vyzina) und Bye Bye, Bowser (20’, Österreich, R: Jasmin Baumgartner).

  • some:body
    Main Programme
    Waschhaus Kino 1
    26.04.2024 / 17:00 – 19:00

Raja  

A darkly colorful stop-motion adventure about the young girl Raja, who is confronted with the unbearable burden of darkness and ends up in a wondrous intermediate world. There, she discovers something she had long given up on. Raja (20 minutes, Germany) is the film debut of Franziska von Holst and Louisa Würden, who met at the University of Applied Sciences Mainz and invested over 6 years of development time into their work.

We are screening Raja in the blocks self:image and in our Animated Films Shortlist key:frame.

visual:poets

In our film block visual:poets, we showcase films from Switzerland, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, and Germany. They use images, poetry, and metaphor in sometimes experimental but above all different ways. But one thing they all have in common: an important message conveyed through the filmscreen. We joyfully pass on their stories to our audience.

  • visual:poets
    Main Programme
    T-Werk Potsdam
    27.04.2024 / 10:30 – 12:30