64 Competition Films at FFDD23


We can finally present our competition programmes to you! A total of 64 short films from 29 countries will be screened in Dresden from 18 to 23 April 2023. From around 2,800 film submissions, our selection committees chose 30 (co-)productions for the International Competition, 26 entries for the National Competition and eight works for the Central German Competition (formerly Regional Competition). With a new jury prize, the films are now competing for 16 "Golden Horsemen" and special prizes with a total purse of 72,000 euros.

Among the total of 30 entries in the International Competition are 13 animations - including OUR PAIN by Hayashi Shunsaku from Japan, who won a Golden Rider for REMEMBER at Filmfest Dresden 2016 - eleven fictional and six hybrid works. The number of (co-)producing countries represented here is 27, including Congo, Colombia, Taiwan, South Korea, Brazil, China, India and the Philippines.

The National Competition is also international: of the 26 entries, six films were made as co-productions, among others with Ecuador, Croatia and Colombia. As in previous years, the number of independent productions (16) outweighs contributions from film schools (10). The Bauhaus University Weimar, Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB) and the Kassel Art Academy are represented here.

The Central German Competition promotes regional filmmaking. Music plays a role in some of the eight entries: in their music video MRÓČELE, the Kolektiw Klanki takes its own fresh look at Sorbian culture. Lou Wildemann created experimental imagery with CYBO for Poly Poly's track of the same name. The soundtrack (Daydreamer) for Julius Gintaras Blum's documentary CHEMKIDS was provided by Chemnitz-born Selma Juhran, who is also part of the film as a performer and voice-over.

You can see all the programmes at the Dresden venues from 13 to 23 April 2023. Be curious and come along!

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