Fiction Film
In this section, the short or full-length feature films tell the stories that are important to up-and-coming filmmakers from all around the world. The films draw their inspiration from current trends in filmmaking being either poignantly funny or epic in scope. In this section the prizes for Best Feature Film and Best Short Film are awarded.
Best Feature Film
Mexico | 2020 | Feature Film | 80 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Silvana LázaroProducers:Silvana Lázaro, Diana MataScreenplay:Silvana Lázaro
After her separation from boyfriend and band member Bruno, guitarist Danielle departs on a road trip through Mexico going North together with her buddy Diego. At the US border, they perform their music in bars, meet mysterious Alex and discover unknown things about themselves.
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Chile, Germany | 2020 | Feature Film | 74 Min. | Spanish
Director:Juan Mora CidProducers: Mora Cid, Samuel Nerl
After his father’s death, Carlos Kindermann returns to Chile’s Araucania region where he spent his childhood. Although he plans to sell the inherited property as soon as possible and go back to Europe, Carlos can’t resist his paternal roots.
Please note: In the theatre, Dominio Vigente will be shown with german subtitles. You can watch the film with english subtitles online.
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Germany | 2019 | Feature Film | 70 Min. | Turkish, Kurdish, German (English Subtitles)
Director:Süheyla SchwenkProducers:Sara Fazilat, Roxana RichtersScreenplay:Süheyla Schwenk
Hayat has to leave her home behind. She reaches Berlin together with her husband and gets accomodation with his relatives. His aunt rejects Hayat because she is Kurdish and makes it difficult for them to settle. When they finally have hope again, a stroke of fate and a ruthless system force Hayat to make an inhumane decision.
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Rwanda | 2019 | Feature Film | 88 Min. | English, Kinyarwanda (English Subtitles)
Directors:Njata Joseph, Carine Munyana, Wanny Bernaud Musabe, Deve ShemaScreenplay:Regina Pacis Agabe, Peace Kinani, Wilson Misago, Wanny Bernard Musabe, Joseph Njata
Theft, adultery and feud between traders are all part of Laila’s life in Kigali. This is where she makes her living under marginalized circumstances. She receives unexpected support from a local kiosk where she meets Sandra and Yvette. The three women find creative ways to resist against their working conditions.
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Germany | 2021 | Feature Film | 75 Min. | Persian, English, German, Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Eline GehringProducer:Sara Fazilat
Nico loves meeting her best friend Rosa at the kiosk, and her job as a geriatric nurse - nobody can mess with her. But when she gets beaten up by a group of neo nazis, she is confronted with her changed self image as a survivor of racially motivated violence. This makes Nico go through the painful and healing aspects of her anger: Against fear and desperation.
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Poland | 2019 | Feature Film | 78 Min. | Polish (English Subtitles)
Director:Bartosz Kruhlik
A Greek tragedy under the blazing heat of the Polish summer sun: After separating from her husband, Iwona puts a chain of fatal events in motion. Her moral and personal decisions change the lives of everyone involved, and in the midst of the chaos of human relationships and raging group dynamics, a simple country road becomes the stage of a horrible car accident.
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Best Short Film
Iran, Iran | 2020 | Short Film | 10 Min. | Farsi (English Subtitles)
Director:Namira Hafizi
Siavash gets off his meds to be able to dream again. But what is real now, and what is only in his mind? On a journey between reality and insanity, he meets his childhood self and is confronted with horrifying manifestations within himself. A film about lived and passed-on traumas.
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Mexico | 2020 | Short Film | 14 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Tanya AlvarezScreenplay:Tanya Alvarez
Hector sold his grandfather’s old radio player to ask a girl out on a date. His attempt to get it back leads Hector through the entire city and reveals a difficult truth about his grandfather, whose loss of memory makes him unpredictable. Why is he fighting so hard to get his radio back?
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France | 2021 | Short Film | 20 Min. | French (English Subtitles)
Director:Francis ChilletScreenplay:Isis Ahsam, Mathieu Defemme
After several years in Canada, Felix returns to the little French seaside town of his teenage years. In the old dive bar, he meets Océane and Hugo, his former best friends. Their reunion brings back old memories - Felix’s escape from the known and the tender connection between the three of them.
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Germany | 2021 | Short Film | 49 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Antonia Uhl
25-year-old Ida and her depressive mother Ildikó seem inseparable. But when Ida finishes her marine biology degree and considers moving to Fehmarn to pursue her dream job, their symbiotic relationship’s balance is challenged. A sensitive film about the mental illness of a parent.
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Israel | 2019 | Short Film | 9 Min. | Hebrew (English Subtitles)
Director:Maya YadlinScreenplay:Maya Yadlin
Driving to see the relatives: The father’s favorite song blasts from the speakers, very much to the dislike of his daughters. Instead of happy family vibes, several little conflicts arise, in which each one tries to reach their minimum of prestige.
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Germany | 2021 | Short Film | 20 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Lukas BeckerScreenplay:Lukas Becker
Day after day, the feeding bowl is empty, but cat sitter Helen simply can’t find her mysterious client’s cat. Out of curiosity, she decides to spend the night in the apartment, leading to a surprising and tender encounter.
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Ghana, Belgium | 2019 | Short Film | 22 Min. | English, French, Asante (English Subtitles)
Director:Anthony NtiProducers:Anthony Nti, Chingiz Karibekov, Dimitri VerbeekScreenplay:Anthony Nti, Chingiz Karibekov
On the streets of Madina, the two worlds of childish carefreeness and ever-present crime clash. Best friends Prince and Matilda embark on a trip with a charismatic stranger who promises them a lush buffet. It quickly becomes apparent though, that the stranger Bogah has dubious motives.
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Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 20 Min. | German, English (English Subtitles)
Directors:Laura Nai, Selena Goedeke Tort, Ada LabahnProducers:Selena Goedeke Tort, Ada Labahn, Laura Nai
Dating in times of corona. SHE invites him to a picnic in the park. Nude HE serves as a reflective object for a feminist cinematic discourse. Inspired by Manet’s painting ‘Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe’, the filmmakers reflect on love and happiness in the era of late capitalism.
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France | 2020 | Short Film | 20 Min. | French (English Subtitles)
Director:Naïla GuiguetProducer:Jean-Etienne BratScreenplay:Naïla Guiguet
From a drug-oversaturated techno event at 145 bpm to the after party at dawn: In an apartment, still showing the traces of last night, Dustin, a young trans* person, and their crew search for sense and connection in the melancholic atmosphere of the fresh of day - an exploration of affection, desire and identity.
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Mexico | 2020 | Short Film | 16 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Martín MontellanoScreenplay:Heriberto Mojica, Martín Montellano
1926, the last spurs of the Mexican revolution: After the death of Mexican General Pancho Villa, his remaining supporters are ruthlessly chased by the US army. In the midst of the last fights, two old friends face each other at the border.
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Peru | 2020 | Short Film | 14 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Francesca CanepaScreenplay:Francesca Canepa
On his journey through the jungle, Juan, who lives in a floating house on the Amazon river, explores the mythology of his dreams and the mystery around his father. A meditation on telling stories, pulling us in the little boy’s world.
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France | 2020 | Short Film | 26 Min. | French, Persian (English Subtitles)
Director:Sâm MirhosseiniProducer:Martin BerléandScreenplay:Sâm Mirhosseini, Julien Gittinger
Zak lives in Dunkirk working as a professional diver, Keivan’s goal is to get to England. Both are united by their abandoned home in Iran, but the circumstances and times of their flight couldn’t be any more different. When their paths cross, one of them has to risk it all to help the other.
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Germany | 2021 | Short Film | 10 Min. | English
Director:Alma Buddecke
Whether it’s sexual harassment or the glass ceiling: Jackie is aware of how bad and also how good she has it as a white European woman. With a decent amount of pussy power and the efficacy of postmodern Hollywood aesthetics, Jackie offers tips for the privileged and sometimes not-so-privileged life in the postfeminist patriarchy.
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Colombia | 2020 | Short Film | 24 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Omar E. Ospina GiraldoProducer:Daniela SegreraScreenplay:Omar E. Ospina
Late at night, in between heated discussions and memories of the past, a family crafts a jellyfish costume for little Manuel. In the meantime, the boy is visited by a mermaid. The kid’s fantasy and the family dispute make the focus shift to the complex relationship between the women.
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Germany | 2021 | Short Film | 27 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Jerry HoffmannProducer:Stella FlickerScreenplay:Florens Huhn
Her self-chosen solitude in the thick forest comes to a sudden end for Noé, when she finds the broken body of a female android. While she slowly approaches the mechanic woman, Noé’s past is revealed and brings up questions about how alike she and the android can become.
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Serbia | 2019 | Short Film | 16 Min. | Serbian (English Subtitles)
Director:Aleksandra NestorovProducer:Snezana PenevScreenplay:Aleksandra Nestorov
Beaten up by his classmates, Nenad returns home from school with a dirty jacket. His mother then takes his - once white - jacket to the dry cleaner. But as a Romani woman, she is denied service wherever she goes. And a rather trivial errand turns into running the gauntlet, full of rejection and hostility.
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Israel | 2021 | Short Film | 12 Min. | Hebrew (English Subtitles)
Director:Gideon ImagorScreenplay:Yudit Kantor
As an orthodox Jewish woman, Rachelie not only has to undergo the monthly purifying bath (Tvilah) after her period, but also endure the degradation she suffers for allegedly being an impure woman. She decides to flee from this control and takes a small opportunity granting her more autonomy.
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Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 39 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Annelie BorosProducers:Matthias Greving, Janina Sara HennemannScreenplay:Timo Baer
Johanna’s dangerous talent is showing early - after a traumatizing loss of control she is forced to keep her powers in check. As she gets older, it’s getting harder and harder to do, so she contacts a secret group. The members want to unleash Johanna’s powers and tempt her to more drastic steps.
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Finland | 2020 | Short Film | 10 Min. | Finnish (English Subtitles)
Director:Iivo Korhonen
Caught in between infomercials of the 90ies, home videos and super hero body culture: With the right equipment only, every man can have an attractive, athletic body to bump up their positivity. But does this supposed promise hold up, even when one’s body is marked by illness?
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Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 24 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Ares CeylanProducer:Maximilian GreilScreenplay:Ares Ceylan
Two men joint by their grief: Rolf has lost his son, Çem has lost his friend. Rolf sees the handover of the belongings as a chance to learn more about his son. What started with awkward politeness turns into an evening full of revelations.
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Iran | 2020 | Short Film | 13 Min. | Without Dialogue
Director:Mehrshad RanjbarProducers:Reza Fathollah PourReza, Mojgan Rayegan
For many years, the old lady has been taking care of her sick husband and their goat. Far away from any village, the couple lives a secluded life in their house - until their silent rituals all change in one fell swoop.
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Spain | 2019 | Short Film | 10 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Rubén SecaProducer:Eduard Perisé
Welcome to the Holy Mass of the one and only God: The flying spaghetti monster! Even if some heretical pasta spurning idiots haven’t found their path to this delicious faith yet, the ever-growing community has already become a divine delicacy. Ramen!
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Germany | 2021 | Short Film | 10 Min. | Spanish, Arabic (English Subtitles)
Director:Michael Fetter NathanskyProducer:Virginia MartinScreenplay:Michael Fetter Nathansky
A mortician sends deceased people off to the afterlife to the rhythm of Spanish flamenco. Shot in an old ship lift, a flow of associations between farewell and eternity, song and silence arises from this fictitious dance film.
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Canada, Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 9 Min. | Without Dialogue
Director:Alex Beriault
A head suspended between two rods, bodies coiling around a rod and an architectural maze with an exit sign promising a way out. This experimental film comes across as an essay on the digital gaze regime, disengaging from all visual habits at a peculiar speed.
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South Korea | 2021 | Short Film | 24 Min. | Korean (English Subtitles)
Director:Sangkyu KIMProducer:Tacksu SHINScreenplay:Sangkyu KIM
North-Korean refugee Mu Taek works as a boxing coach in South Korea. At the same time he is still looking for his wife who disappeared during their flight. But help is not for free. A sparring fight against the boxing world’s rising star could help him solve all his financial problems - but he never wanted to be back inside the ring.
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Finland | 2020 | Short Film | 16 Min. | Finnish, Swedish (English Subtitles)
Director:Lauri-Matti Parppei
Laura takes the train across the Swedish border to meet her boyfriend Niklas. They have sex in the bed and in the shower. They eat takeaway pasta at candle light. This will be their last time. A musical melodrama about the end of a long distance relationship.
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Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 5 Min. | German, English (English Subtitles)
Director:Boris HadžijaProducer:Marina GhersinichScreenplay:Esther Preußler
Serving the tourist attraction at Checkpoint Charlie, Maxim puts on his GDR army uniform. It’s tiring, but that’s how he makes his money. For a cigarette, he steps over the former border and meets a waitress in front of a fast food temple who puts a smile on his face.
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Documentary Film
In this section you can find films that feature a single snapshot in time, films presenting personal portraits, or films revealing a shocking investigation. Both the short and full-length films explore current issues and touching twists of fate in their larger contexts. In this section the prizes for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short are awarded.
Best Documentary Feature
Germany | 2020 | Documentary Feature | 90 Min. | German, English, Yiddish (English Subtitles)
Director:Sharon Ryba-KahnProducer:Alex Tondowski
Sharon is a filmmaker and third generation survivor of the Shoah. Life as a Jewish woman in Germany doesn’t only impose inner conflicts on her. Exploring jewish and non-jewish voices in her surrounding demands confrontation in her circle of friends, dealing with family and transgenerational traumas within the context of German culture of remembrance.
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Germany | 2020 | Documentary Feature | 70 Min. | Vietnamese (English Subtitles)
Directors:Hien Mai, Tim EllrichProducer:Leopold Pape
When married couple Bay and Tam fled Vietnam and came to Germany 30 years ago, their children’s future was the priority. With great restraint, the film observes and reveals melancholic connections to their old home, which they sustain through video chats, boozy karaoke nights and streamed funerals.
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Mexico | 2020 | Documentary Feature | 72 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Medhin Tewolde SerranoProducer:Daniela Contreras
On her search for self-acceptance, the director fathoms her environment and that of other Black women in Mexico. Through engagement, exchange and confrontation, Medhin, Asuscena, Geidy, Helen and Mónica make a stand against not only white people’s racist resentments, but also the internalized racism within their own community.
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Germany | 2021 | Documentary Feature | 96 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Christoph EderProducer: Marcel Lenz, Guido SchwabScreenplay:Christoph Eder
At Baltic Sea resort Göhren on Rugia island, the inhabitants fight over the popular vacation destination’s future and the planned construction project in the natural reserve. The only way to protect the idyllic place they call home is to run in the communal elections - because the community council has been controlled by the “Four-off-the-rack” for many years already.
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Best Documentary Short
Germany, Syria | 2020 | Documentary Short | 9 Min. | English, Arabic (English Subtitles)
Director:Arash AsadiProducers:Antonia Kilian, Azad Evdike
An essay on war, loss, and what remains - silent images of deserted, war-torn Raqqa impressively remind us of how valuable our everyday life is, and how it hurts when it’s gone.
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Switzerland | 2020 | Documentary Short | 17 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Roman Hodel
Breaking with viewing habits in the world of football: No illusion created by the wide angle, but a focus on the referee. Together with Fedayi San, we can experience the ups and downs of a football match. This doesn’t only make us understand what it means to control the energy of a whole stadium with a single whistle, but also how reality and staging diverge.
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Germany | 2021 | Documentary Short | 28 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Marc Sebastian Eils
Romeo got a major in philosophy in Germany and misses his home country Cameroon. Demian was deported back there after graduation and has been selling second hand products at the market ever since. It’s his biggest wish to return to Germany. Both of them want to live an autonomous life, but simply can’t.
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Spain | 2020 | Documentary Short | 20 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Niete Screenplay: Niete
Rafael and Juan have been living on the streets of Sanlúcar de Barrameda since the late '90s. Their unconditional friendship with each other and their love for singing carries both of them through life. Gracefully, with confidence and outside of the social structures, they create their own world.
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Germany | 2021 | Documentary Short | 20 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Felix Maria BühlerProducers:Frithjof Stückemann, Tim Van Brakel
To Suzy van Zehlendorf, all humans are crazy homo bankivas. In this portrait in documentary form, the artist shows us her process while working on a bust of Sophie Charlotte, the calming benefits of her favorite castle and the useful combination of spiked helmets and MP3 players.
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Hungary | 2020 | Documentary Short | 20 Min. | Hungarian (English Subtitles)
Director:Hanna HovitieProducers:Patricia D'Intino, Daniel Donato, Hanna HovitieScreenplay:Hanna Hovitie
One species especially fascinates this young taxidermist: Crows. With devotion, she breathes new life into these mythical creatures that seem to be from the world between life and death. A vibrant film in black and white on physicality, craft and aesthetics.
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Rwanda, Germany | 2020 | Documentary Short | 26 Min. | English, Kinyarwanda (English Subtitles)
Director:Deve Shema
Mariana is the first independent fisher woman with her own boat and employees by lake Kivu. Fishing used to be a male-dominated business, and women were only in it for selling the fish. This documentary traces Mariana’s revolution: Her persistent negotiation skills, networking meetups with other women and her fight against stigmatization.
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Russia, Portugal, Belgium, Hungary | 2020 | Documentary Short | 12 Min. | Russian (English Subtitles)
Director:Anna ArtemyevaProducer:Daphne Pascual
Due to the lack of a visa, three-year-old Grania is separated from her mother - their only contact happens through the pale light of a smartphone. It’s a tiring mantra that the corona pandemic has moved interpersonal interaction to the digital sector. But when even intimate relationships are mere tiles, this omnipresent technology gets a new urgency.
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Germany, Brazil | 2019 | Documentary Short | 30 Min. | English, German, Portuguese (English Subtitles)
Director:Denize Galiao
‘Saudade’ describes the emotion between longing, loss and joy. When her father’s health worsens, Brazilian filmmaker Denize Galiao embarks on a beautifully painful journey between two continents - searching for her roots and the feeling of belonging.
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Poland, Germany, Lebanon | 2020 | Documentary Short | 33 Min. | Arabic (English Subtitles)
Director:Mohammed AlmughanniProducer:Agata Golanska
Palestinian boy Khodor grows up in the refugee camp Shatila, close to Beirut, without any papers. While fighting for citizenship, his right to education and health care, harrowing family secrets are revealed.
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Germany, Poland | 2020 | Documentary Short | 13 Min. | Polish (English Subtitles)
Director:Jennifer MallmannProducer:Fabienne Priess
Natalia is the founder of the Polish women’s strike and one of many activists who fight against the strict abortion ban in Poland. The film accompanies the union and gives an insight into the structures of socio-political involvement, and the worldwide network of women who fight for their right to have autonomy over their bodies.
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Israel | 2019 | Documentary Short | 30 Min. | Hebrew (English Subtitles)
Director:Adi MishnayotProducer:Adi Mishnayot
Uri, an IDF soldier, takes a bullet during an offensive in the Gaza Strip. At the hospital, he and his family find themselves in the midst of a seemingly never ending heroic celebration. Caught in between feeling both overwhelmed and relieved, political criticism and questions about forming and presenting the Israeli identity awake.
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Genre Film
This section shows films that give you insight into other worlds, reviving the classic genres such as Sci-Fi, western, horror, thriller and fantasy. There is no limit to your creativity. Reach outside the limits of genre convention and breathe fresh air into them by thinking differently. Sehsüchte offers rich genre cinema for hungry popcorn-lovers.
Mexico | 2020 | Short Film | 16 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Martín MontellanoScreenplay:Heriberto Mojica, Martín Montellano
1926, the last spurs of the Mexican revolution: After the death of Mexican General Pancho Villa, his remaining supporters are ruthlessly chased by the US army. In the midst of the last fights, two old friends face each other at the border.
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Germany | 2021 | Short Film | 27 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Jerry HoffmannProducer:Stella FlickerScreenplay:Florens Huhn
Her self-chosen solitude in the thick forest comes to a sudden end for Noé, when she finds the broken body of a female android. While she slowly approaches the mechanic woman, Noé’s past is revealed and brings up questions about how alike she and the android can become.
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Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 39 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Annelie BorosProducers:Matthias Greving, Janina Sara HennemannScreenplay:Timo Baer
Johanna’s dangerous talent is showing early - after a traumatizing loss of control she is forced to keep her powers in check. As she gets older, it’s getting harder and harder to do, so she contacts a secret group. The members want to unleash Johanna’s powers and tempt her to more drastic steps.
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Netherlands, Belgium | 2020 | Animated Film | 9 Min. | Without Dialogue
Directors:Yngwy Boley, Janis Joy Epping, Diana Van HoutenProducers:Arnoud Rijken, Michiel Snijders
Movie-turned paintings capture the dystopian world of two people. They are the only ones living in a ghost town, whose makeshift traps are the only thing that protects them from the wild creatures coming from the thicket around. An almost deadly encounter with one of the animals however reveals mystical powers.
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Spain | 2019 | Short Film | 10 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Rubén SecaProducer:Eduard Perisé
Welcome to the Holy Mass of the one and only God: The flying spaghetti monster! Even if some heretical pasta spurning idiots haven’t found their path to this delicious faith yet, the ever-growing community has already become a divine delicacy. Ramen!
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Animated Film
From stop motion via animated cartoon through to CGI: Sehsüchte dedicates this section to the most inspiring animated works. In this section the prize for Best Animation Film is awarded.
Argentina | 2020 | Animated Film | 13 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Agustín TouriñoScreenplay:Exequiel Ayala Lucarelli, Matías Deon, Agustín Touriño
Gregorio lives a rather dreary life. After work in the factory, only his TV awaits him at home. One day he starts taking care of a little cockroach. But after a while, the beetle starts taking over Gregorio’s everyday life.
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Germany | 2020 | Animated Film | 5 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Anne IsenseeProducer:Lorena Junghans
Vacuuming, house plants, Brecht and the fourth wall: Amusingly, this concise tale reveals the political consequences of staying at home.
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Germany, Syria | 2020 | Animated Film | 13 Min. | Arabic (English Subtitles)
Director:Jalal Maghout
Held captive in Damascus, surrounded by war, a lonely man waits for his chance to leave the country. His isolation causes him to lose himself more and more in escape fantasies and monologues. Only his dog Baroud is there to respond with silence.
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Switzerland | 2020 | Animated Film | 4 Min. | Without Dialogue
Director:Aline Schoch
A world of escalators, where remote-controlled figures follow their longing for consumption. Everything’s flowing in its predetermined rhythm, until one of the figures is pulled into a weightless room through the escalator, and a dog disturbs the megamall's monotony.
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Germany | 2021 | Animated Film | 5 Min. | English
Director:Yongxin Wang
A young woman is talking on the phone, when a puss in boots knocks on her door, dismantling the world as she knew it. A cat-tastic trip begins!
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Germany | 2020 | Animated Film | 6 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Directors:Ferdinand Ehrhardt, Elisabeth WeinbergerProducer:Malin KrügerScreenplay:Ferdinand Ehrhardt, Elisabeth Weinberger
“Those freaking 33 percent, where were they?” Lovis asks herself as she discovers a clearly right radical slogan on the regional train. She starts counting: “One, two, Nazi. One, two, Nazi.” In anger, she exits the train at the next stop. Stranded on the platform, she is confronted with the question: What now?
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Finland | 2020 | Animated Film | 9 Min. | Finnish (English Subtitles)
Director:Iiti Yli-Harja
What begins with a hippopotamus, a crocodile and a bear taking a walk in the woods, quickly turns out to be a very human conversation: A documentary about what moves (young) men, what hurts them and at the same time empowers them.
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Austria | 2020 | Animated Film | 6 Min. | English
Director:Sebastian DoringerProducer:Sebastian DoringerScreenplay:Sebastian Doringer
Tik tok - the life of people waiting in the waiting room at the doctor’s is slowly coming to an end. While some may get to experience a few more months, the unlucky ones have but a few seconds left. Is there a chance for the magician in the white coat to extend the lives of their patients?
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Netherlands, Belgium | 2020 | Animated Film | 9 Min. | Without Dialogue
Directors:Yngwy Boley, Janis Joy Epping, Diana Van HoutenProducers:Arnoud Rijken, Michiel Snijders
Movie-turned paintings capture the dystopian world of two people. They are the only ones living in a ghost town, whose makeshift traps are the only thing that protects them from the wild creatures coming from the thicket around. An almost deadly encounter with one of the animals however reveals mystical powers.
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Finland | 2021 | Animated Film | 13 Min. | Finnish (English Subtitles)
Directors:Lauri Ketonen, Konsta Verta
Three mystic figures rise from a little room in a sleepy little cabin, taking us to a lake scenery with red skies and traditional fairy tales. “Takamaan Tapauksia”, that’s hazy images of nature, mesmerizing narrators and Finnish mythical creatures.
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Lithuania | 2020 | Animated Film | 3 Min. | Without Dialogue
Director:Ieva Repeckaite
When the head is separated from the body and floats into the universe, we have to be hopeful that both parts find their way back to each other. An homage to surrealist René Magritte: We discover dancing sardines, a unicorn at the seaside and the seductive glow of the sun.
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Germany | 2020 | Animated Film | 10 Min. | Without Dialogue
Director:Elena Wiener
An octopus, sand paper, a prison: Autoimmune diseases don’t only take over your physical experience, but also the everyday life of everyone who is affected, although it often remains invisible. A moving, tactile visualization.
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Focus Production
With its section Focus Production, Sehsüchte is one of the only festivals that throws a glance behind the scenes and into the production offices. What we worship here is not only what is ultimately to be seen on the screen, but also the oftentimes long and exhausting process that led to the result. At Focus Production, filmmakers can score points with innovative financing methods, fair working conditions, convincing gender equality concepts, sustainable use of resources and much more, which is often forgotten elsewhere. In this way, students from German-speaking universities can be awarded for Best Production.
Germany, Kenya | 2021 | Short Film | 29 Min. | English, German, Swahili (English Subtitles)
Director:Simon DendaProducers:Kevin Anweiler, Felix Hultsch, Wenzel SteinmetzScreenplay:Laura Anweiler
Susanne travels to Kenya as a EU representative in order to estimate possible aid for a village that was attacked by terrorists. While the survivors hope for a collaboration on eye-to-eye level, it’s not more than a usual procedure for Susanne. She only realizes the consequences of her behaviour when it’s already too late.
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Germany, Indonesia | 2020 | Short Film | 19 Min. | Indonesian (English Subtitles)
Director:Monica TedjaProducers:Astrid Saerong, Felix Schwegler
Tim, an Indonesian, spends a family vacation with his parents on a secluded island. The islanders believe that a reincarnated deer lives by the beach. Looking at it means that you’re about to meet your soulmate, they say. Tim hopes to get a glance at the animal, but keeps the wish from his strictly Christian parents.
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Austria | 2020 | Short Film | 17 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Christoph RohnerProducer:Christoph RohnerScreenplay:Christoph Rohner
“The little death” tells about the poetic encounter between anarchist Luigi Lucheni and Austrian Empress Elisabeth, whose murder he is planning. An intimate connection between two strangers, coming to a surprisingly consensual ending in one melancholic touch.
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Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 29 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Caren WuhrerProducer:Giacomo VernettiScreenplay:Caren Wuhrer
Due to her electronic hypersensitivity, Alice lives a secluded life in a container in the forest. One day, sex worker Lucia’s camper van enters her radiation free zone and turns her life upside down.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 25 Min. | German, English (English Subtitles)
Director:Philipp StraetkerProducers:Sabrina Kleder, Mirjam WeisflogScreenplay:David Benke
Day after day, Mara, known as “Goldilocks”, helps people who have locked themselves out of their apartments. She, however, prefers to lock herself in her dark apartment, painting eggs and dreaming of California beaches - until a late night call has the potential to change everything.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 29 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Maximilian ConwayProducer:Lisa Marie Wischer
When failed jazz singer Elisabeth Gramm loses her job as a cashier in a supermarket, the next catastrophes are already around the corner. Will the friendly court officer be able to keep her from being evicted from her apartment?
Runs in:
Germany | 2021 | Short Film | 19 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Nicolas SchönbergerProducers:Jenny Kleine, Frederike Merkel, Pia MozetScreenplay:Leon Brandt, Nicolas Schönberger
Chris, in his mid thirties, successful car salesman, only knows one direction in life: Straight ahead. A life in the fast lane. He avoids his past. But when his father’s old car is brought to the car dealership for maintenance, Chris’s reality and his self-confidence starts to crumble.
Runs in:
Germany | 2021 | Short Film | 16 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Luis SütterProducer:Nadja SauerScreenplay:Pia Stummer, Luis Sütter
Lockdown. Hypochondriac Christian escapes into the solitude of the mountains in order to pursue his big passion: Dancing. But he gets disturbed by Pauline. He leaves, but Pauline breaks her leg, and Christian is forced to help her. But how, in times of social distancing and without body contact?
Runs in:
Germany, Mexico | 2020 | Short Film | 19 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Ozan MermerProducer:Mariella Santibáñez
Lola turns 15 tomorrow. She is allowed to dress up for her quinceañera - her princess dress and the golden shoes are prepared. First, she has to help her uncle out as a waitress. But in the event’s shady atmosphere, Lola is expected to do more than just waiting tables.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Documentary Film | 81 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Alison KuhnProducer:Luis Morat
After five young actresses have experienced systemic sexual violence in Germany, they take legal action. Until now, not much about this has been made public. “The Case You” highlights what happened back then - and what it means for their lives today.
Runs in:
Future
This section of Sehsüchte features films for children from the age of zero/six onwards and for young adults from the ages twelve and up. We present exciting, entertaining and unconventional short film productions from different genres. Not only this particular target group, but people of all ages are cordially invited to join. However, the award winners will solely be selected by young judges. In this section the prize for Best Children’s Film and Best Youth Film will be awarded.
Best Children’s Film
Israel | 2020 | Animated Film | 6 Min. | Hebrew (English Subtitles)
Directors:Chani Goodman Winkler, Tali GenshaftProducers:Chani Goodman Winkler, Tali Genshaft
Daniel, Noga and Oren play together on the staircase. During their play, they discover an old coat which leads them into a world full of adventures, while using their dreams and imagination. But where is the line between reality and fantasy?
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 24 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Isabelle Caps-KuhnProducer:Michaela FinisScreenplay:Isabelle Caps-Kuhn
All of Alva’s friends are boys. Together, they spend a never ending summer full of adventures in Berlin. The ten-year-old girl is the wildest one of them all: loud, cheeky, untamed - but still the day comes when her friends don’t want to have her around anymore. Only because she is a girl.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 15 Min. | Without Dialogue
Director:Bastian EipertProducers:Lukas Schwarz-Danner, Danilo PejakovicScreenplay:Lavina Stauber
The big art competition is the right chance for Fleur to prove that she is as great an artist as her grandmother. When she notices she left her favorite paintbox at home, a fight with the blank sheet of paper begins. In this mix of feature and animated film, she escapes the pressure of the exam by using her fantasy.
Runs in:
Brunei Darussalam | 2019 | Short Film | 9 Min. | Malagasy (English Subtitles)
Director:Hanis HashimProducers:Izzuddin Jali, Rahim SofriScreenplay:Hanis Hashim
A student feels emotionally neglected by her father. She lives a lonely day-to-day life, until she becomes friends with a cat at the bus stop. The new furry addition to the family seems to have an impact on the situation between father and daughter as well.
Runs in:
Germany, Argentina | 2020 | Animated Film | 2 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Vanessa HeegerScreenplay:Vanessa Heeger
A girl discovers a shadow following her and tries everything to get rid of it. But then she realizes that there is more to the unknown shadow.
Runs in:
Spain | 2019 | Short Film | 12 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Alberto GrossScreenplay:Albert Aynés, Laura Egidos, Alberto Gross, Albert Aynés Clapés
A family is falling apart. Marcos and his little brother Sergio have to decide which parent they want to live with. While Marcos is very attached to his father, Sergio doesn’t want to let go of his mother. The fight between the grown ups turns into a fight between the two brothers.
Runs in:
Norway | 2019 | Documentary Short | 20 Min. | Norwegian (English Subtitles)
Director:Elisabeth AspelinProducers:Halvor Nitteberg, Elisabeth Aspelin
Karla is six years old. Why does she see her older brother Nordahl as her little brother at the same time? A peak into Karla’s world shows how she handles his learning disorders. The director follows her children through their everyday life, full of challenging situations and heartwarming love.
Runs in:
France | 2020 | Animated Film | 8 Min. | Without Dialogue
Directors:Sylvain Cuvillier, Chloé Bourdic, Théophile Coursimault, Noémie Halberstam, Maylis Mosny, Zijing YeProducer:Philippe Meis
A dog is abandoned by the roadside. Tied to a lamp post, he is left alone and miserable, until an aspiring astronaut and a racing cyclist discover him. Together, they make quite a special team.
Runs in:
Moldova | 2019 | Animated Film | 15 Min. | Without Dialogue
Director:Vladislav BolgarinProducer:Vladislav BolgarinScreenplay:Vladislav Bolgarin, Lucia Lupu
In a gray city, covered in fog and smog, lives a man. He’s got everything he needs to live a simple and ordinary life, but there seems to be no joy in it. He lets out one sigh after the other, without a reason, until he meets a boy with colorful balloons.
Runs in:
Australia | 2020 | Animated Film | 2 Min. | Without Dialogue
Directors:Wendy Lu, William Savage
When Marcian finishes his newspaper route, he finds himself in the street of his old friend, Alden. A photo album helps him reminisce over their friendship and their adventures that coined their childhood.
Runs in:
Spain | 2020 | Animated Film | 6 Min. | Without Dialogue
Director:Aitor HerreroProducer:Susan MilánScreenplay:Aitor Herrero
A stone age man with OCD? Toc needs for everything to be spick-and-span. Until love puts him to a test, leaving traces of organized chaos that echo until the present.
Runs in:
France | 2020 | Animated Film | 9 Min. | Without Dialogue
Director:Hervé BressaudProducer:Hervé Bressaud
Caught in the hustle and bustle of the big city, the life of a citizen is turned upside down, when he meets a strange bird in the midst of the urban surroundings. He comes to discover the existence of an unexpected urban biodiversity, and shares his discovery with the people from his neighborhood.
Runs in:
Best Youth Film
Israel, United Kingdom | 2020 | Short Film | 16 Min. | Hebrew (English Subtitles)
Director:Shira HaimoviciProducers:Yuli Shiloach, Adam Robinson, Yael ShmuelovScreenplay:Shira Haimovici
On a hot summer’s day, strong-willed teenager Gal takes a dive in her favorite pool near her vacation home. Unexpectedly, she meets a group of boys who want to claim the pool for themselves.
Runs in:
Israel | 2019 | Animated Film | 10 Min. | Hebrew (English Subtitles)
Director:Shahar ArapovProducer:Adi GreenbergScreenplay:Shahar Arapov
Tom is really unhappy. His desperate parents give him a little puppy. But his new friend suffers from an incurable skin disease and has to take meds. A special connection between the two grows, as Tom also notices that something is up with his body: He doesn’t feel right in a girl’s body.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 22 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Denise RiedmayrProducers:Philipp Link, Lillian MalanScreenplay:Denise Riedmayr
Anna and her gang enjoy the last days of summer together. Outdoor pools, parties, skating. She feels the peer pressure to finally make her first physical experiences, just like everyone else. But something just doesn’t feel right to her.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 17 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Tanja HurrleProducer:Patrick BüchtingScreenplay:Tanja Hurrle
After a depressive episode, Lou’s mother can’t get out of bed anymore. All while this was supposed to be a special birthday for the sixteen-year-old. When her crush surprises her with an invitation to a concert, Lou is torn between taking care of her mom, and following her growing feelings for Matz.
Runs in:
United Kingdom, Norway | 2020 | Documentary Short | 8 Min. | English (English Subtitles)
Director:Øyvind AamliProducer:Øyvind Aamli
Imogen’s passion for cosplay leads the thirteen-year-old to a convention in London. Her meticulously thought through costume lets her get into a different character. But the process of becoming someone else quickly triggers an inner conflict in the autistic girl.
Runs in:
Russia | 2020 | Short Film | 20 Min. | Russian (English Subtitles)
Director:Maria ProninaProducers:Sergey Anokhin, Maria Pronina, Alena SmirnovaScreenplay:Maria Pronina
Senya tries to avoid the other teenagers in the camp. To him, this place is merely a cage with gross food, weird games and kids, who he feels too mature for. A girl’s lost ring could just be his ticket home.
Runs in:
Spain, Colombia | 2020 | Short Film | 7 Min. | Spanish (English Subtitles)
Director:Juan González HenaoProducers:Juliana Ruiz Valencia, Erika Boscán ArzalluzScreenplay:Juan González Henao, Lucia Casañ Rodríguez
As a contribution to his school’s graduation video, Sergio talks about the best moment of his life, which he prepared for in a very special way. But his friends have doubts about the story, as it is about Marta, the most beautiful girl of the school.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 12 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Mark KuhlmannProducer:Mark KuhlmannScreenplay:Mark Kuhlmann
Lars and his younger brother Kai spend a hot summer’s day playing football and swimming in their garden. When the two boys’ mom comes home, an increasingly unfair duel fighting for her attention and love commences, quickly stepping over the line between fun and seriousness.
Runs in:
Germany, Portugal | 2021 | Short Film | 22 Min. | Portuguese (English Subtitles)
Director:Mariana BártoloProducer:Mariana BártoloScreenplay:Mariana Bártolo
Portugal in the year 2000: Eleven-year-old Maria lives in a small village and is exposed to the influences of her conservative upbringing. Her relationship with her family and her best friend Ana are changing. A newly discovered sensuality and desire lead her to new body sensations and interests.
Runs in:
France | 2020 | Animated Film | 8 Min. | Without Dialogue
Directors:Hugo Caby, Antoine Dupriez, Aubin Kubiak, Lucas Lermytte, Zoé DeviseProducer:Carlos De CarvalhoScreenplay:Lucas Lermytte
A polar bear mom and her cub are forced into exile due to global warming. On their journey they meet brown bears who they try to cohabitate with. But the situation is everything but simple.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Documentary Short | 16 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Nele DehnenkampProducer:Christine Duttlinger
When Hanan and her family crossed the Mediterranean Sea in a rubber raft, she didn’t know how to swim yet. The images of the sea and the fear of drowning are etched into her memory. In order to overcome her trauma, she learned how to swim and now teaches others. But she simply can’t forget the haunting images of the ocean.
Runs in:
Spain | 2020 | Short Film | 13 Min. | Catalan (English Subtitles)
Director:Clàudia VernisProducers:Clàudia Vernis, Marc MuñozScreenplay:Clàudia Vernis
Marina’s everyday life and thoughts are dominated by food. Today is Saint John, the hottest and longest day of summer. Her mother made a chocolate cake to celebrate.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Animated Film | 9 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Sabrina ReisProducer:Sabrina Reis
Twins Maria and Sabrina have spent their whole lives together. For the past 20 years, they and their lives have been connected. However, they tend to have different memories of the same events.
Runs in:
360°
The section 360° explores the possibilities of visual storytelling. The audience experiences a new cinematic environment that is not limited to the big screen. Immersive storytelling creates potential for new stories and poses challenges for filmmakers, which makes it particularly interesting for newcomers to the film industry. This section awards the Best 360° Film.
Germany | 2019 | 360° | 4 Min. | Without Dialogue
Directors:Michael Gamböck, Franziska Hauber
An immersive journey through audio-reactive worlds.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | 360° | 9 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Sandra JütteProducer:Sandra Jütte
Germany's last great natural forests can be experienced from a new perspective.
Runs in:
Germany | 2021 | 360° | 5 Min. | German, English (English Subtitles)
Director:Beatrice Aliné
A protective bunker in the last days of the Second World War, becomes a place of confrontation.
Runs in:
Poland | 2020 | 360° | 15 Min. | English
Director:Wojciech Olchowski
An atmospheric performance leads through nature and destruction.
Runs in:
Retrospektive
The section Retrospektive has been a part of the festival since 2016, and is developed out of a cooperation with the master program “Film Cultural Heritage”. The programme’s material is mostly provided by the university’s very own large film archive, displaying the film university’s production history since the 1950ies up to today. Not only does the program shed a light onto older films from the archive, but also presents their meaning and aesthetic experience in the programme’s bigger context.
German Democratic Republic | 1983 | Documentary Short | 12 Min. | German
Director:Helke MisselwitzScreenplay:Christiane Hein, Helke Misselwitz
This portrait of nude photographer Gundula Schulze shows her mission to capture the personality of the women who pose for her in her work. A vivid narration of the endeavor of fighting against restrictive beauty ideals.
Runs in:
German Democratic Republic | 1969 | Documentary Short | 29 Min. | German
Director:Winfried JungeProducers:Klaus-Dieter Dörrer, Kazimierz GorzkiewiczScreenplay:Hans-Eberhard Leupold, Winfried Junge
The iced up river Odra runs along the 160 km long border area between the GDR and Poland. Icebreakers from both countries unite every year in order to make the international waterway between Frankfurt and Szczecin free from ice again. The solidarity between the crews is put to contrast with impressive images of the landscape.
Runs in:
German Democratic Republic | 1979 | Animated Film | 2 Min. | Without Dialogue
Director:Otto SacherProducer:Ingrid TzschoppeScreenplay:Otto Sacher
An old man spends Christmas at home, sad and lonely. He would love nothing more but to celebrate it with someone else. Then he has an idea.
Runs in:
German Democratic Republic | 1974 | Documentary Short | 15 Min. | German
Director:Uwe BelzScreenplay:Uwe Belz, Georg Kilian
“Min Herzing”, is what fish saleswoman Hedwig Anke lovingly calls her customers. On her last day of work, the 72-year-old gives us an insight into her busy life. Her stories are underlined by private photos of the Baltic Sea, throwing us back to the everyday life of fishermen and fisher “gals'' in the North of Germany.
Runs in:
German Democratic Republic | 1980 | Documentary Short | 31 Min. | German
Director:Volker KoeppProducer:Frank LöprichScreenplay:Volker Koepp
Isolde Sperling and her family live in Hennickendorf in Luckenwalde county. She is an agriculturalist and head of an agricultural collective for soil improvement. The discrepancy between her ecological views and the political reality at work really gets to her. But she tries not to give up.
Runs in:
Germany | 1978 | Documentary Short | 26 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Directors:Angelika Andrees, Petra TschörtnerProducer:Manfred RengerScreenplay:Angelika Andrees
Produced as a supporting film for Roland Gräf’s ‘PS’, and prohibited until 1989, this work tells about the teenagers at the children’s home in Metin. They openly share their future visions with us, their problems and sorrows, talk about their families and how they ended up here. This causes both friction, but also tender moments while playing and dancing together.
Runs in:
German Democratic Republic | 1980 | Animated Film | 5 Min. | Without Dialogue
Director:Otto SacherProducer:Ingrid TzschoppeScreenplay:Otto Sacher
A little fire breaks out in a man’s apartment. He panically tries to call the other inhabitants in the house for help, but nobody lets him speak. Instead he is being happily pulled from one apartment into the next one, making him more and more nervous. Eventually, he runs into the streets and gets into a big group of heady-with-victory football fans.
Runs in:
German Democratic Republic | 1989 | Documentary Short | 20 Min. | German
Director:Jürgen RohneProducer:Doris NuckeScreenplay:Jürgen Rohne
Stylist Christiane Stürmer is responsible for developing and designing teenage fashion for VEB Shanty Rostock. In the style of a music clip from the 80ies, this dynamic and colorful fashion report explains the requirements the young clients have for the final product. In the end, they’ll have to pay it from their trainee's salary.
Runs in:
German Democratic Republic | 1982 | Documentary Feature | 52 Min. | German
Director:Helke MisselwitzProducer:Herbert KruschkeScreenplay:Helke Misselwitz, Thomas Plenert
Profile of coal bearers in Prenzlauer Berg: While we accompany them at work, their boss, a dynamic Berliner, takes care of her regular customers’ social problems. At the same time, a young teacher talks about her experiences in problem schools. An empathetic and pragmatic illustration of the working class in 1989.
Runs in:
German Democratic Republic | 1972 | Documentary Short | 23 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Jürgen BöttcherProducer:Dieter KönigScreenplay:Jürgen Böttcher
Working women in the GDR would have a hard time doing care work on top of their job, if it weren’t for the laundresses. But the trainees at combine Rewatex are still often unmotivated and can’t fully identify with their profession. They talk about discrepancies within their pay grade, youth culture and their relationship goals.
Runs in:
Showcase
Every year we offer both films from the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, which hosts the festival, as well as an international partner university the opportunity to present their most exciting or current films in this section. The programme will be presented outside the competition.
University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest (SZFE)
Hungary | 2018 | Short Film | 28 Min. | Hungarian (English Subtitles)
Director:Marcell TörökScreenplay:Fruzsina Danszki
Sári and her daughter Beni are on their traditional Sunday visit with her grandmother. While Beni enjoys the food, Sári silently bears all the reproaches coming from her mother. Only the appearance of a soaked stranger makes her break her silence. Suddenly the conversation shifts to the vanished grandfather, and an old family tragedy enters her consciousness again.
Runs in:
Hungary | 2019 | Short Film | 26 Min. | Hungarian (English Subtitles)
Director:Rozália SzeleczkiProducer:Miklós BosnyákScreenplay:Ádám Fekete, Zsigmond Kungl, Rozália Szeleczki
Rockstar Lóránt Bögös responds with arrogance, helplessness and charm to his 8-year-old daughter Málna’s admiration. He takes her into his world of resistance - or into the world of excess? A day turns into night in communist Budapest of the 1980ies.
Runs in:
Hungary | 2020 | Short Film | 40 Min. | Hungarian (English Subtitles)
Director:Anna KoromProducer:Bianka MarityScreenplay:Péter Dobány
Feeling hopeless and desperate, Mónika can’t seem to find her way neither in the real world, nor in her whole life. Her suicide attempt is blocked by an appearance of Virgin Mary. She announces to Mónika that she is pregnant - a true miracle for the young trans woman! A mystical modern musical, redefining the borders of reality, develops.
Runs in:
Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF
Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 27 Min. | German (English Subtitles)
Director:Christian Zipfel
Tobias missed his big sister Mitzi’s birthday. After a sundance in the dorms, an emotionally challenging encounter with a dog’s placenta and a violent tantrum in front of his family, Tobias has to secure his future as an attorney for European law.
Runs in:
Germany, United States | 2019 | Short Film | 15 Min. | English
Director:Anne ThiemeScreenplay:Anne Thieme
A solo traveler finds herself on the backseat of a police car in the South of the US. A latina of the same age is already in there. While the officers casually chatter on the front seats, the two women on the backseat come to understand that their destinies - despite all similarities - are still very different.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Short Film | 14 Min. | German, English (English Subtitles)
Director:Jannis Alexander Kiefer
For an internationally produced historical film, Uli and Didi are supposed to build a concentration camp on German soil. A bizarre culture clash between a Brandenburg village community and the world of film, while one question is ever so present: Is all this entirely normal or is it pure insanity?
Runs in:
Germany, Iran | 2020 | Documentary Short | 18 Min. | Farsi (English Subtitles)
Director:Julian DieterichProducer:Milena Schäpers
19-year-old Vahid tries to sell one of his kidneys in Teheran. He needs the money, as he has to pay blood money to a victim after a fight. Otherwise a long time in prison awaits him.
Runs in:
Schreibsüchte
Not as a pre-stage of the future film, but as its own piece of art – this category is all about innovative ideas brought to life by outstanding writing and narrative skills. Innovative stories that are brought to form through precise narrative craft have the chance to win the award Best Screenplay (German only). The nominated screenplays will be read out loud by professional dubbing actors at a scenic reading called “Kopfkino”. But also before the completion of a book, authors have the opportunity to present their ideas. Students can convince the jury and win the prize for Best Pitch (German AND English).
Best Screenplay
Germany |
Directors:Nicolai Zeitler, Marlene Bischof
Wenn es in ihm brodelt hat Lukas einfach keine Kontrolle mehr. Als er sich in der Klinik einmal zu viel etwas zu Schulden kommen lässt, wird er aus dieser entlassen und mit der Realität konfrontiert. Dabei hatte er gerade begonnen an Lilli heranzukommen - auch wenn ihm physische Nähe schwerfällt.
Runs in:
Germany |
Director:Justine Bauer
Nichts als Wiesen erstrecken sich am Horizont Katinkas ländlicher Idylle. Hinter der nüchternen harten Arbeit des Bauernlebens kommen allerdings die Probleme der eigentümlichen Landgesellschaft zu Tage, die es erschweren, das Leben einfach hinzunehmen wie es ist.
Runs in:
Germany |
Director:Filip Malinowski
Einen Volksdienst zu Ehren des verstorbenen Vaters zu leisten, ist das, was Julia stark macht. Insbesondere nachdem sie ihre Zukunft für die Mutter aufgegeben hat und ihr Freund sie verschmäht. Doch wie weit kann sie gehen, wenn die eigenen Überzeugungen, Vaterlandsverbundenheit und Freundschaft in Konflikt geraten?
Runs in:
Germany |
Director:Hilke Rönnfeldt
Die Jugendreise der 13-jährigen Hella führt sie zwischen verregnete Sandhügel und Dünen. Die Ferien mit ihrer Freundin Elham hat sie sich anders vorgestellt. Sowieso benimmt sich Elham in letzter Zeit ganz anders. Ist das dieses Erwachsenwerden?
Runs in:
Germany |
Director:Ellen Holthaus
Ein Konzentrationslager 1944: Lore und Marie, zwei junge Frauen, die als “asozial” gekennzeichnet sind, ereilt das grausame Schicksal im Lagerbordell anschaffen zu müssen. Die darin ausgelösten Traumata ziehen ihre Spuren durch die Geschichte bis in die Gegenwart.
Runs in:
Best Pitch
Germany |
Director:Johannes Oschwald
Konzept Serie
Wegen eines rechten Posts muss Ralf seinen Lehrerjob an den Nagel hängen. Zum Glück wird er liebevoll von den Wurst-Enthusiasten der rechten Szene Braunstadts aufgenommen. Darin fühlt er sich so bestärkt, dass der eigentliche Außenseiter nun nach den Sternen greift und Bürgermeister werden will.
Runs in:
Germany |
Director:Natascha Zink
Konzept Serie
Elara möchte ihrem Freund näher kommen und endlich ihr erstes Mal haben. Jedoch macht ihr Körper bei jedem Versuch komplett dicht. Mit der Diagnose Vaginismus werden Sex, Sexualität und Frausein für die Teenagerin zum identitären Konflikt.
Runs in:
Germany |
Directors:Jenny Elisabeth Kleine, Pia Mozet
Konzept Spielfilm
Die als Krake visualisierte Depression nimmt Ella Stück für Stück ein und zieht sie ins Dunkle. Immer weiter driftet die junge Anwältin von Job, Freundschaften und ihrem Partner Louis ab. Doch die Abdrücke der Fangarme lassen sich nicht so leicht beseitigen.
Runs in:
Germany |
Director:Lukas Wesslowski
Konzept Serie
Jonathan von Strickenberg ist jung, reich und gebildet. Jedoch wird er von seinem Vater auf die Probe gestellt, indem dieser ihm die Leitung einer kleinen Raststätte aufträgt. So lernt Jonathan sich mit dem Leben am Rande einer deutschen Autobahn sowie mit den Personen, die sich dort aufhalten, anzufreunden.
Runs in:
Croatia, Germany |
Director:Julia Klier
Konzept Serie
In der Woche vor Ihrer Firmung wird die junge Valentina Zeugin von einem sexuellen Übergriff auf ihre beste Freundin. Die konservative Dorfgemeinschaft sieht darüber hinweg, was Valentina dazu treibt, den Abgründen in ihrer patriarchalen Gemeinde nachzugehen.
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Exhibition: Beyond the Frame
The section Exhibition: Beyond the Frame features projects which involve the creative use of technology and novel forms of storytelling next to the traditional movies of the festival programme. These could involve for example XR, artificial intelligence, projection mapping, sensor-based systems, or web-based experiences.
Brazil | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artists:Lígia Villaron, Natália Beserra, Murilo AugustoProducers:Lígia Villaron, Murilo Augusto, Natália Beserra
"10 studies for an interactive screendance" was born from the encounter between dance and digital media. This project investigates the interactive possibilities in the field of screendance and the relation of the body with mobile devices. It is structured in 10 small studies that propose different forms of interaction and explore different aspects of dance and its possibilities, inviting the viewer to have an active stance in the creation of the narrative by touching the screen.
Runs in:
Germany, Hungary | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artists:Kiril Nagy, Theodor Hillmann
A virtual reality experience to confront you with the sinful sensation of setting things on fire.
How many times have you been told not to play with fire? Here is your opportunity without being scared of punishment. Burn. And not anything, but money. It is illegal to destroy this symbol of wealth, power, conflicts, differences, life and death, a piece of paper. Or more. Grab it and put it in the fire, set everything on fire, burn all, and hear the hidden stories crackling.
Runs in:
Germany | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Simon Stimberg
Bathing in Lightness is an interactive audio-visual installation that reflects on our relationship towards the machine, as we tend to perceive the apparati around us having a life of its own. The installation features a swarm intelligence inside a virtual - yet physical - goldfish bowl, trying to explore its inner world and communicate with the outer one. Visualized by incandescent light bulbs, the swarm imagines its own interpretation of reality, reflecting the presence of visitors moving in front of the piece.
Runs in:
Germany | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Lucas Grey
Could a piece of fine art, by beeing looked at a thousand times in his life in the museum, inherit a spark of life and could that develope in somewhat of an alive beeing? If yes, what would bring it to life and how would the liveliness manifest itself? Are there possibilities to interact or communicate with it? What could be the language or habitus of such an artpiece and how would it react if it's aware of itself and his counterpart?
Runs in:
Netherlands | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Wessel Bosscher
Water is something that keeps humanity busy all the time. Especially in the Netherlands. It’s a constant fight with the force of water but at the same time water is something that can be very peaceful too. This work tries to convey the power and magnitude that water has, and the at the same also the meditative feeling water can have. This two screen video installation is a 10 minute abstract film fully created in the Unity game engine. I wanted to see if I could use this medium that has initially a different goal (creating games) but approach it in an experimental way for film.
Runs in:
Poland | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Paulina Kalinowska
“Cathedral” combines the elegance of the gothic calligraphy with the soaring character of the gothic architecture. It is a real-time computer graphics application created to visit and walk around a gothic cathedral constructed solely in the virtual space. The whole structure is built with the Latin text of the Bible using fonts designed as part of the project, based on a modern interpretation of the medieval calligraphy. The architectural plan was inspired by cathedrals of Reims and Cologne.
Runs in:
Germany | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Director:Felicia BergströmProducer:Felicia Bergström
So sweet so painful, a love caught in violent abuse, animated with stop motion, puppets and clay. The Protagonist as well as the story is looping around the room and the audience, trapping us inside. The Cycle of Violence is an immersive video installation that completly surround the audience. The Video is Projected on for walls, 360 degrees around the audience.
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Switzerland | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Noemi Carlen
Freddy's Journey is an interactive chat story with audiovisual content for children. We accompany the fairy Freddy on his journey into the unknown and to himself. In a web app, we chat with him and watch Freddy's journey in a total of 30 animated videos. We decide what he experiences.
Runs in:
Germany | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:India Aparicio
Due to the current restrictions caused by the Corona virus, many discussions about "freedom" have been started. How much freedom do I have to give away? Is it a violation of personal freedom or the freedom of others if I follow or break certain rules? A balance between individual freedom and the freedom of the collective follows. Based on this topic, a game-like application has been developed, which resembles a kind of simulation on the one hand and a puzzle principle on the other. The game has been implemented with p5 and the p5.play library.
Runs in:
Germany | Exhibition Piece
Artists:Sarah Frede, Dennis Hoffmann
Bursting with mysterious and dreamlike imagery, this virtual exhibition shows a contemporary fashion collection navigating past and future.
Ghostly figures present pieces made from unusual material, vibrant prints and futuristic silhouettes.
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Germany | 2020 | Exhibition Piece
Artists:Firas Alshater, Nina Cavalcanti, Jannik Eckenstaler, Jonathan Ehrlich, E. T., Lisa Friedhofen, Lena Köhler, Gal Yaron Mayersohn, Marlis Roth, Ronja Selle, Benedikt Strick, Franziska Wenzel, Site-Specific Film Research Group, Sarvenaz Zolfaghar
Every year, the Site-Specific Film research group responds to a given site with spontaneous filmic works. In the 2020 project, for the first time we have not chosen a built site, but an abstract one: the book. Inspired by the book page, we decided to work with a 1-channel video in portrait format. The 13 participants could create as many print pages as they wanted, and the length and number of "embedded" films was also not fixed.
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Germany, Hong Kong | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Hou Lam Wu
“Hi Auntie Stop La Hi Hi Powerful Face” is a web browser based audio experience, which features a chatroom for people to communicate with each other through text, with their text being read by text-to-speech engines, but slowly being modified in a way that it would become difficult to understand each other. When censors are pushed to the point of suppressing freedom of speech and covering facts, they become manipulators of public opinions, serving the “ greater good” of many totalitarian states.
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Germany, China | 2020 | Exhibition Piece
Artists:Tian Wu, Xin Hu, Pengfei Yao
This work uses interactive real-time technology to collect the viewer's movement data and generate dynamic graphics of the human figure, that transport the audience into rain, clouds, snow, seabed and storms. When we face the vast universe, our consciousness is dispersed, personal gains and losses are not important, and our self-awareness is integrated with nature.
This work brings a unity of human consciousness and nature against the background of global warming emerge. As the global temperature record is constantly updated, climate problems are closely related to all people.
Runs in:
Germany | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artists:Kathrin Ahäuser, Fabian Bremser
Wie wirkt die Antibabypille auf Körper und Psyche? Neun Frauen und drei Männer im Alter von 17-82 Jahren sprechen über ihre teils gegensätzlichen Erfahrungen mit der Pille in Alltag und
Beruf.
Runs in:
Germany | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artists:Anna Eschenbacher, Rita Eperjesi, Jack Lai, Denise Bischof, Ellina Nurmukhametova, Zainab TariqProducer:Klara Otto
Remnants: kind acts of cruelty is planned as a hybrid format. The project consists of a website and an actual real life audiovisual installment where one person at a time can walk in to immerse themself in microaggressions. The aim is to raise awareness and create mindfulness about the topic, and we offer further resources to learn on our website.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Anna Eschenbacher
Sports are goal and performance oriented. We often forget about the beauty and poetic perspective of these movements. Shaped by Motion tries to capture the essence of these motions and accompanying sounds, which are mastered for perfection, and to reinterpret them through abstract art.
Runs in:
Austria | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Thomas Guggenberger
„STRANGE_FACES“ ist eine interaktive Spiegelinstallation, die mit den Gesichtern der Nutzer und ihrer Wahrnehmung gegenseitig spielt. Die Gesichter der Nutzer werden verfolgt, sodass bei einer Person immer das eigene Gesicht zu sehen ist, jedoch bei mehreren Personen immer ein fremdes Gesicht im Spiegel zu sehen ist. Dadurch will ich der Wahrnehmung von fremden Gesichtern eine neue Richtung geben.
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Germany | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Johanna Hartmann
"Stories about algorithm ethics - the BAMF case" is an interactive visualization of a case of algorithmic bias in Germany. The case is the Arabic dialect recognition algorithm for refugees, which is part of the identity management system of the BAMF. It is used to verify region of origin for refugees since 2017. How does it work? And what problems exist? In this three-dimensional web visualization the visitor is traveling along a path - the border of Germany - and finds out more and more about this case along the way.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Ellina Nurmukhametova
In a poem „There is a pain - so utter“ by using imagery and personification, Emily Dickinson conveys the idea about the power of pain. Pain can take control of every part of one’s life and therefore hard to endure. It creates a black hole that takes over the mind. That abyss needs to be covered with trance so that pain can be forgotten. In her interactive installation, Ellina Nurmukhametova seeks to represent this trance by abstract visuals. Viewers can interact with the poem using their hands and silhouette.
Runs in:
Germany | 2020 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Ula Sowa Przybylska
Traces are knitted and embroidered data visualisation pieces on the subject of labour. It contains two pieces: 1. the scarf installation “Life prognosis” is illustrating the graphs of my and my mother’s retirement financial predictions. Knitting is very often associated with retirement. It requires lots of time that during productive years is occupied by work and consumption.
2. Series of embodied photos, visualizing my daily workload at Deutscher Kuenstlerbund. I have digitally traced movements of the computer mouse and my steps - usually invisible movements.
Runs in:
Germany | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artists:Zainab Tariq, Anna Eschenbacher
This project is an interactive installation that addresses the topic of human impact on the marine ecosystem. We tackle the issue regarding the degradation of coral reefs and with it the extinction of marine species. The installation consists of a wooden structure that resembles coral plates that are layered on top of each other. Fish like organisms are projected on the horizontal area of the wooden structure. The users can interact with these organisms with their hand movements.
Runs in:
Austria | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artists:Thomas Guggenberger, Shari Ehlers, Verena Aigner
Als Performance folgt UNTITLED_11 der Logik eines Tischtennisturniers und stellt ein Spiel mit elf Punkten nach. Die übliche Spieldynamik wird dabei aufgehoben und umgekehrt, indem alle Spielelemente in ein starres Bewegungssystem eingegliedert werden. Alles Bewegliche am Tischtennisspiel ist starr. Alles Unbewegliche in Bewegung. Das Spiel gleicht dabei einem Puppentheater und überlässt die Kontrolle denjenigen, die die Abläufe von außen steuern.
Runs in:
Austria | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Balint Budai
What's Next Lounge is a virtual platform where the participants can chat and explore. The project is focusing on the phenomenon of entities based on surveys and research about people's visions. Every glitched 3d model is a reference of people’s vision. Social media posts under the starting point platform are the “digital storytelling” part of the project - The open discussion on social media platforms, about an mostly illegal rituals. Having visions is something that goes through a non-personal process and focusing on a question: is it losing a secret wisdom of a hidden culture of the psychedelics or is there an opposite surface of a consciousness which is obviously the digital connection - the created reality of our conciseness, called network?
Runs in:
Italy | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Artist:Enrico Dorigatti
Xeno is a multimedia (A/V) work based on the dense and continuous interaction between audio and images. The name is a Greek word that indicates something extraneous, alien; and it perfectly summarises the alternative, altered reality within which this work drags us. Indeed, we live and experience a world where sound is always the consequence of a physical action: Xeno tries to change our perspective by proposing a reality where it is hard, if not impossible, to understand which one of the two planes (audio o video) is cause or consequence of the other, thus subverting our certainties. Shapes and colours continue to mutate and change; sounds follow this evolution, aligning perfectly to the changes yet living their own existence and creating a completely different entity, making hazy and indistinct the relationship between audio and video: is one the consequence of the other, or vice versa? Are they related?
Runs in:
Germany | 2021 | Exhibition Piece
Director:Alexia RubodArtists:Clara Badulescu, Alexia Rubod
Creation as Self exploration. Short film and multichannel audio installation. Collaboration between Clara Badulescu & Alexia Rubod realized within the framework of the Sound Studies and Sonic Arts Master Program held at the UdK, Berlin
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