Festival Programme 2024
The 36 FILMFEST DRESDEN takes place from 16 to 21 April 2024.
Admission €8.50 or by invitation or accreditation
With translation into German sign language
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 16.04. 19:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 16.04. 20:00
- 19.04. 20:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 16.04. 19:00
- 18.04. 18:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 16.04. 21:00
- 21.04. 18:00
- 21.04. 18:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 17.04. 14:00
- 19.04. 18:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 17.04. 15:00
- 19.04. 21:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 17.04. 17:00
- 21.04. 19:00
- 21.04. 19:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 17.04. 18:00
- 19.04. 19:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 17.04. 19:00
- 20.04. 18:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 17.04. 20:00
- 20.04. 19:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 17.04. 21:00
- 20.04. 17:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 18.04. 14:00
- 21.04. 17:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 21.04. 14:00
- 18.04. 17:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 18.04. 19:00
- 20.04. 14:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 18.04. 20:00
- 20.04. 21:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 18.04. 21:00
- 20.04. 20:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 19.04. 14:00
- 21.04. 20:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 19.04. 17:00
- 21.04. 21:00
Admission €9 pre-sales / €12 at box office (€9 at box office for people in drag), free admission with accreditation
In cooperation with the GrooveStation
Dates
-
GrooveStation
- 20.04. 22:00
Admission €8.50 or by invitation or accreditation
With translation into German sign language
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 20.04. 20:00
€12, in English
Dates
-
Geh8 Kunst Raum Ateliers
- 20.04. 19:00
Free admission, in English
In cooperation with Weiterdenken – Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Sachsen e. V.: This event is co-financed by tax funds on the basis of the budget approved by the members of the Saxon State Parliament.
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 20.04. 16:00
Free admission, in German
Presented by the German Institute for Animated Film (DIAF)
With the kind support of the Dresden State Capital and the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism
Dates
-
Deutsches Institut für Animationsfilm
- 20.04. 13:00
Free admission, in English
Free admission, in English
In cooperation with TALKING SHORTS
Dates
-
Scheune
- 19.04. 20:00
Free admission, in English
In cooperation with the Weiterdenken – Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Sachsen e. V.: This event is co-financed by tax funds on the basis of the budget approved by the members of the Saxon State Parliament.
Dates
-
Scheune
- 19.04. 18:00
Free admission, in English
In cooperation with Weiterdenken – Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Sachsen e. V.: This event is co-financed by tax funds on the basis of the budget approved by the members of the Saxon State Parliament.
Dates
-
Hole of Fame
- 19.04. 15:00
Free admission, in German
In cooperation with Galerie Raskolnikow and the Archiv der Avantgarden – Egidio Marzona (Dresden State Art Collections), with the kind support of the Art Foundation of the Dresden State Art Collections and the Saxon State Representative for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship
Dates
-
Galerie Raskolnikow
- 17.04. 19:00
Admission €12, in German, no dialogue in the films
Presented by the German Institute for Animated Film (DIAF)
With the kind support of the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 17.04. 18:00
Please register for the event by email to m.mager@filmverband-sachsen.de.
Free admission free, in German and Sorbian
Presented by the Saxon Film Association, Łužycafilm and the Foundation for the Sorbian People
Dates
-
Clubkino im Lingnerschloss
- 17.04. 16:00
Free admission, in English
In cooperation with Filmgalerie Phase IV
With the kind support of VG Verbrauchergemeinschaft
Dates
-
Phase IV
- 17.04. 17:00
Free admission, in English
In cooperation with Filmgalerie Phase IV
With the kind support of VG Verbrauchergemeinschaft
Dates
-
Phase IV
- 18.04. 17:00
Free admission, in English
In cooperation with Filmgalerie Phase IV
With the kind support of VG Verbrauchergemeinschaft
Dates
-
Phase IV
- 19.04. 17:00
In Kooperation mit dem Archiv der Avantgarden – Egidio Marzona und der Galerie Raskolnikow
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 21.04. 13:00
Dates
-
Programmkino Ost
- 21.04. 18:00
-
Schauburg
- 21.04. 13:00
- 21.04. 19:30
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 21.04. 15:00
- 21.04. 22:00
-
Zentralkino
- 21.04. 20:30
Dates
-
Kino im Kasten
- 21.04. 20:00
-
Programmkino Ost
- 21.04. 20:15
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Schauburg
- 21.04. 17:00
Fishbowl with, among others:
David Campesino, independent filmmaker and visual artist
Luka Golinski, Filmmaker "Pytaś a Namakaś - Search and Find"
Moderation: Grit Lemke, author and director
With invitation or registration by email to festival@filmfest-dresden.de, in German
Presented by AG Kurzfilm, the German Institute for Animated Film (DIAF), schmalfimtagen, the Filmverband Sachsen, the MOVE IT! Filmfestival and the FILMFEST DRESDEN International Short Film Festival
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 17.04. 16:00
- 19.04. 15:00
- 21.04. 15:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 18.04. 15:00
- 21.04. 16:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 18.04. 16:00
- 20.04. 18:00
Dates
-
Schlossplatz
- 19.04. 16:00
- 20.04. 15:00
Presented by European Network for Film Discourse (The END)
In cooperation with TALKING SHORTS
With the kind support of the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme
With accreditation
In co-operation with Ballroom Studios
In cooperation with AG Animationsfilm / ASIFA Germany
With accreditation
With the kind support of the Quebec Government Office
With the kind support of the FFA Filmförderanstalt
With accreditation, in German
Presented by AG Kurzfilm - Bundesverband Deutscher Kurzfilm
Free admission, in English
Presented by Filmverband Sachsen
The list of dialogue partners will be released on our website.
Please register and indicate the desired discussion partners by 19 April by email to events@filmfest-dresden.de.
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 17.04. 21:00
- 20.04. 19:00
In Kooperation mit dem Sicilia Queer Filmfest
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 19.04. 20:00
-
Thalia
- 20.04. 21:30
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 17.04. 19:00
- 21.04. 20:30
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung vom Bulgarischen Kulturinstitut Berlin
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 17.04. 21:30
- 18.04. 20:00
Dates
-
Kino im Kasten
- 16.04. 20:00
-
Thalia
- 19.04. 21:30
- 21.04. 20:00
Afrofuturism was born outside of the African continent. It has been infused with nostalgia for the motherland and determination to liberate the Black experience. Through access to technology, dreams, and a life finally lived in freedom. A struggle and a quest for liberation that is still relevant (and necessary) to this day.
„Afro Visions of the Future(s), Memories and Liberation“ is an ensemble of films that will be exploring the journey of several womxn filmmakers and/or womxn protagonists, from the continent or its diaspora, informing us about the current struggles of those that are fighting everyday for liberation from a violent patriarcal, capitalistic and still to this day, colonial system. A dream towards new futures and a drive towards change that resonate with the original birth of Afrofuturism, but reactualises the thematics to address the current Afro Visions of our new Futures.
We start with Ghanaian filmmaker Nuotama Frances Bodomo that takes a look into a past future. And tells us about Matha, the main protagonist of AFRONAUTS, who is training to participate into the race to space, and manages to break one of the many glass ceilings.
We then will dive into two filmic objects by visionary Afro-Brasilian-French musician, composer, illustrator and visual artist Gystère. First, WOMXN, THE NIGHTMARE OF YOU KNOW WHO, co-directed by multidisciplinary artist Eden Tinto Collins, where a superheroine is summoned from outer space by a dolphin to put an end to police violence. Secondly, in WOMXN: TIME MACHINE, Gystère and his brother Anthony Peskine challenge the violence a patriarchal society generates against any bodies that differ from the dominant (white cis-male) narrative.
Then, Nigerian filmmaker Olive Nwosus' short film MASQUERADE immerses us in a meditation on home, memory and identity through the journey of Salewa our lead character, who meets an important person from her past at a funeral back home, and is forced to set out in search of her own peace.
TERRA MATER by Rwandan filmmaker Kantarama Gahigiri, closes the program by bringing us to question our link to the earth, to the soil, and addresses the circle of what is being extracted and what is being brought back to the land. The audio visual litany exposes the ties between capitalism and eco-responsibility, denouncing a system that is violently neo-colonial. And demands the need for respect and change, in order to find healing in the future.
At the end of the journey, we realise that there are as many New Visions of the Afro Future(s) as there are filmmakers. And what could be observed here is a common ground, inherited from culture and ancestral memories, that nourishes the notions of today’s Black identity, agency and freedom through art, creative works and the need for activism: Visions of liberated futures for Black life.
Kantarama Gahigiri
Dates
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Thalia
- 16.04. 20:00
- 17.04. 18:00
-
Zentralkino
- 19.04. 19:00
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 16.04. 21:30
- 19.04. 20:00
-
Thalia
- 18.04. 21:00
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 17.04. 18:30
-
Thalia
- 19.04. 16:30
- 20.04. 17:30
It is linked to this year’s masterclass (Sat, 20 April, 4pm, Schauburg).
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 19.04. 22:30
- 20.04. 20:00
Dates
-
Thalia
- 16.04. 22:30
- 18.04. 18:30
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Ballroom Studios
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 19.04. 17:00
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung des Genderkompetenzzentrum Sachsen/FrauenBildungsHaus Dresden e.V., der LAG Queeres Netzwerk Sachsen und der LAG Jungen- und Männerarbeit Sachsen e.V.
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 18.04. 17:00
- 20.04. 22:30
In this way, “fully political” accords consideration to current developments that reveal in numerous places: Politics makes waves, is life, is daily routine. For which reason, political education and information about political systems and developments are required more than ever across broad areas and in numerous – even entertaining – formats. The “‘fully political’ – Short Film Award for Democratic Culture” provides the space and framing required here.
For the second time, the Saxon State Ministry of Justice and for Democracy, Europe and Gender Equality is sponsoring the award. In this way, the democracy ministry is continuing the prize that the Saxon State Centre for Political Education (SLpB) developed and first awarded four years ago.
Five players from the political education and culture field were involved in the viewing and evaluation of the short films. They undertook a preselection of the most interesting films politically speaking from all the competition entries at FILMFEST DRESDEN.
The programme will be followed by a film discussion with filmmakers and members of the preliminary jury, inviting the audience to join in the discussion.
Christina Wittich
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung des Sächsischen Staatsministerium der Justiz und für Demokratie, Europa und Gleichstellung
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 18.04. 17:30
- 21.04. 16:00
In cooperation with the FFA funding body, German Films export body and AG Kurzfilm – the German Short Film Association
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 20.04. 16:00
5 to 8 years old, German OV/no dialogue
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Sächsischen Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien
Dates
-
Clubkino im Lingnerschloss
- 21.04. 11:00
-
OSTRALE.Basis
- 21.04. 14:00
-
Programmkino Ost
- 20.04. 16:00
-
Thalia
- 19.04. 15:00
- 20.04. 13:00
- 21.04. 11:00
-
Zentralkino
- 21.04. 16:00
8 to 11 years old, OV with German live voice-over
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Sächsischen Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien
Präsentiert vom Filmpaten KINOLINO – Filmfest für junges Publikum
Dates
-
Thalia
- 17.04. 16:00
- 20.04. 11:00
- 21.04. 13:00
-
Zentralkino
- 20.04. 16:00
10 to 13 years old, OV with German live voice-over
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Sächsischen Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 19.04. 16:00
- 20.04. 14:00
-
Thalia
- 18.04. 16:00
- 21.04. 15:30
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 21.04. 10:30
13 to 16 years old, OV with German live voice-over
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Sächsischen Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 19.04. 18:00
- 21.04. 15:30
-
Thalia
- 20.04. 15:30
From 16 years old, OV with English ST
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Sächsischen Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 18.04. 18:00
- 20.04. 18:00
-
Thalia
- 21.04. 17:30
In this tumultuous social and political landscape dominated by pain, despair, rage and frustration, the role and relevance of film festivals is under scrutiny: Can a festival truly make a meaningful impact in times of such profound suffering, and for whom? Is our celebration of art(ists) an act of solidarity in the face of global crises or merely a distraction from possible complicity in systems of oppression?
These pressingly troublesome questions demand a courageous confrontation. They compel us as mainly white programmers and festival-makers in Germany to interrogate our own positions of power, to explore the perspectives of others, to engage and to empathise with them. It is our responsibility to not only face the uncomfortable reality that our actions can perpetuate injustice, but to also speak out on and help dismantle oppressive structures.
The films selected represent one of the starting points for this enquiry. They serve as both a reflection on and a refraction of reality, capturing the complexities, contradictions and nuances of human existence. As they propel us to collectively rethink the ways in which we have always done things, “what can be” becomes not necessarily an idea of the future in a temporal sense, but relates to the possibility of seeing things differently, forging new connections and opening up unfamiliar realms of making sense of the world.
In this spirit, we aim to embrace this moment as a coming-of-age in which long-held truths are surpassed, and we hope to offer a kind of sanctuary – a space to grapple with uncertainty and seek courage in shared experiences.
We don’t have all the answers; yet for that, we invite you to join us in shaping this space for dialogue that, based on active listening and critical reflection, sustains dissent; a space that embraces imperfection and perhaps, hopefully, generates moments of genuine human connection that kindle solidarity and imagine a way forward.
Vincent Förster on behalf of the Selection Committee for the International Competition
Dates
-
Kino im Kasten
- 17.04. 20:00
-
Programmkino Ost
- 19.04. 18:00
-
Schauburg
- 16.04. 22:00
- 18.04. 12:00
In this tumultuous social and political landscape dominated by pain, despair, rage and frustration, the role and relevance of film festivals is under scrutiny: Can a festival truly make a meaningful impact in times of such profound suffering, and for whom? Is our celebration of art(ists) an act of solidarity in the face of global crises or merely a distraction from possible complicity in systems of oppression?
These pressingly troublesome questions demand a courageous confrontation. They compel us as mainly white programmers and festival-makers in Germany to interrogate our own positions of power, to explore the perspectives of others, to engage and to empathise with them. It is our responsibility to not only face the uncomfortable reality that our actions can perpetuate injustice, but to also speak out on and help dismantle oppressive structures.
The films selected represent one of the starting points for this enquiry. They serve as both a reflection on and a refraction of reality, capturing the complexities, contradictions and nuances of human existence. As they propel us to collectively rethink the ways in which we have always done things, “what can be” becomes not necessarily an idea of the future in a temporal sense, but relates to the possibility of seeing things differently, forging new connections and opening up unfamiliar realms of making sense of the world.
In this spirit, we aim to embrace this moment as a coming-of-age in which long-held truths are surpassed, and we hope to offer a kind of sanctuary – a space to grapple with uncertainty and seek courage in shared experiences.
We don’t have all the answers; yet for that, we invite you to join us in shaping this space for dialogue that, based on active listening and critical reflection, sustains dissent; a space that embraces imperfection and perhaps, hopefully, generates moments of genuine human connection that kindle solidarity and imagine a way forward.
Vincent Förster on behalf of the Selection Committee for the International Competition
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 17.04. 12:30
- 18.04. 22:30
- 19.04. 17:30
- 20.04. 15:00
In this tumultuous social and political landscape dominated by pain, despair, rage and frustration, the role and relevance of film festivals is under scrutiny: Can a festival truly make a meaningful impact in times of such profound suffering, and for whom? Is our celebration of art(ists) an act of solidarity in the face of global crises or merely a distraction from possible complicity in systems of oppression?
These pressingly troublesome questions demand a courageous confrontation. They compel us as mainly white programmers and festival-makers in Germany to interrogate our own positions of power, to explore the perspectives of others, to engage and to empathise with them. It is our responsibility to not only face the uncomfortable reality that our actions can perpetuate injustice, but to also speak out on and help dismantle oppressive structures.
The films selected represent one of the starting points for this enquiry. They serve as both a reflection on and a refraction of reality, capturing the complexities, contradictions and nuances of human existence. As they propel us to collectively rethink the ways in which we have always done things, “what can be” becomes not necessarily an idea of the future in a temporal sense, but relates to the possibility of seeing things differently, forging new connections and opening up unfamiliar realms of making sense of the world.
In this spirit, we aim to embrace this moment as a coming-of-age in which long-held truths are surpassed, and we hope to offer a kind of sanctuary – a space to grapple with uncertainty and seek courage in shared experiences.
We don’t have all the answers; yet for that, we invite you to join us in shaping this space for dialogue that, based on active listening and critical reflection, sustains dissent; a space that embraces imperfection and perhaps, hopefully, generates moments of genuine human connection that kindle solidarity and imagine a way forward.
Vincent Förster on behalf of the Selection Committee for the International Competition
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 17.04. 15:00
- 18.04. 17:00
- 19.04. 15:00
- 20.04. 20:00
In this tumultuous social and political landscape dominated by pain, despair, rage and frustration, the role and relevance of film festivals is under scrutiny: Can a festival truly make a meaningful impact in times of such profound suffering, and for whom? Is our celebration of art(ists) an act of solidarity in the face of global crises or merely a distraction from possible complicity in systems of oppression?
These pressingly troublesome questions demand a courageous confrontation. They compel us as mainly white programmers and festival-makers in Germany to interrogate our own positions of power, to explore the perspectives of others, to engage and to empathise with them. It is our responsibility to not only face the uncomfortable reality that our actions can perpetuate injustice, but to also speak out on and help dismantle oppressive structures.
The films selected represent one of the starting points for this enquiry. They serve as both a reflection on and a refraction of reality, capturing the complexities, contradictions and nuances of human existence. As they propel us to collectively rethink the ways in which we have always done things, “what can be” becomes not necessarily an idea of the future in a temporal sense, but relates to the possibility of seeing things differently, forging new connections and opening up unfamiliar realms of making sense of the world.
In this spirit, we aim to embrace this moment as a coming-of-age in which long-held truths are surpassed, and we hope to offer a kind of sanctuary – a space to grapple with uncertainty and seek courage in shared experiences.
We don’t have all the answers; yet for that, we invite you to join us in shaping this space for dialogue that, based on active listening and critical reflection, sustains dissent; a space that embraces imperfection and perhaps, hopefully, generates moments of genuine human connection that kindle solidarity and imagine a way forward.
Vincent Förster on behalf of the Selection Committee for the International Competition
Dates
-
Schauburg
- 17.04. 17:30
- 18.04. 20:00
- 19.04. 22:30
- 20.04. 13:00
In this tumultuous social and political landscape dominated by pain, despair, rage and frustration, the role and relevance of film festivals is under scrutiny: Can a festival truly make a meaningful impact in times of such profound suffering, and for whom? Is our celebration of art(ists) an act of solidarity in the face of global crises or merely a distraction from possible complicity in systems of oppression?
These pressingly troublesome questions demand a courageous confrontation. They compel us as mainly white programmers and festival-makers in Germany to interrogate our own positions of power, to explore the perspectives of others, to engage and to empathise with them. It is our responsibility to not only face the uncomfortable reality that our actions can perpetuate injustice, but to also speak out on and help dismantle oppressive structures.
The films selected represent one of the starting points for this enquiry. They serve as both a reflection on and a refraction of reality, capturing the complexities, contradictions and nuances of human existence. As they propel us to collectively rethink the ways in which we have always done things, “what can be” becomes not necessarily an idea of the future in a temporal sense, but relates to the possibility of seeing things differently, forging new connections and opening up unfamiliar realms of making sense of the world.
In this spirit, we aim to embrace this moment as a coming-of-age in which long-held truths are surpassed, and we hope to offer a kind of sanctuary – a space to grapple with uncertainty and seek courage in shared experiences.
We don’t have all the answers; yet for that, we invite you to join us in shaping this space for dialogue that, based on active listening and critical reflection, sustains dissent; a space that embraces imperfection and perhaps, hopefully, generates moments of genuine human connection that kindle solidarity and imagine a way forward.
Vincent Förster on behalf of the Selection Committee for the International Competition
Dates
-
Programmkino Ost
- 17.04. 11:00
- 18.04. 18:00
-
Schauburg
- 17.04. 20:00
- 19.04. 12:30
- 20.04. 22:30
In this tumultuous social and political landscape dominated by pain, despair, rage and frustration, the role and relevance of film festivals is under scrutiny: Can a festival truly make a meaningful impact in times of such profound suffering, and for whom? Is our celebration of art(ists) an act of solidarity in the face of global crises or merely a distraction from possible complicity in systems of oppression?
These pressingly troublesome questions demand a courageous confrontation. They compel us as mainly white programmers and festival-makers in Germany to interrogate our own positions of power, to explore the perspectives of others, to engage and to empathise with them. It is our responsibility to not only face the uncomfortable reality that our actions can perpetuate injustice, but to also speak out on and help dismantle oppressive structures.
The films selected represent one of the starting points for this enquiry. They serve as both a reflection on and a refraction of reality, capturing the complexities, contradictions and nuances of human existence. As they propel us to collectively rethink the ways in which we have always done things, “what can be” becomes not necessarily an idea of the future in a temporal sense, but relates to the possibility of seeing things differently, forging new connections and opening up unfamiliar realms of making sense of the world.
In this spirit, we aim to embrace this moment as a coming-of-age in which long-held truths are surpassed, and we hope to offer a kind of sanctuary – a space to grapple with uncertainty and seek courage in shared experiences.
We don’t have all the answers; yet for that, we invite you to join us in shaping this space for dialogue that, based on active listening and critical reflection, sustains dissent; a space that embraces imperfection and perhaps, hopefully, generates moments of genuine human connection that kindle solidarity and imagine a way forward.
Vincent Förster on behalf of the Selection Committee for the International Competition
Dates
-
Programmkino Ost
- 20.04. 18:00
-
Schauburg
- 17.04. 22:30
- 18.04. 14:30
- 19.04. 20:00
Eventually, we extracted 23 short filmic treasures, including 12 animated contributions, consisting of narrative, experimental and hybrid formats. In these works, the local German filmmakers address current social themes, such as war, flight and displacement, migration and the search for identity, as indeed global protests against oppression, often providing surprising new perspectives in the never-ending search for a possible utopia. At the same time, they sweep us away into fantastic worlds of images, rekindling our enthusiasm for visual cinematic storytelling time and again. And this array of national filmmaking is also reflected in the four short film blocks in this year’s National Competition programme.
Compressed into just a few minutes, with a maximum of emotions and yearnings, precise but dreamy, at times quiet, at other times loud, yet with great courage in terms of their content and creative design: This represents the essence of our programme for the 36 FILMFEST DRESDEN, to which we would as always like to warmly invite you from the bottom of our hearts. Your National Competition Selection Committee.
Christian Hempel on behalf of the National Competition Selection Committee
Dates
-
Programmkino Ost
- 17.04. 20:15
-
Schauburg
- 16.04. 21:30
- 19.04. 22:00
- 20.04. 22:00
-
Zentralkino
- 18.04. 20:00
Eventually, we extracted 23 short filmic treasures, including 12 animated contributions, consisting of narrative, experimental and hybrid formats. In these works, the local German filmmakers address current social themes, such as war, flight and displacement, migration and the search for identity, as indeed global protests against oppression, often providing surprising new perspectives in the never-ending search for a possible utopia. At the same time, they sweep us away into fantastic worlds of images, rekindling our enthusiasm for visual cinematic storytelling time and again. And this array of national filmmaking is also reflected in the four short film blocks in this year’s National Competition programme.
Compressed into just a few minutes, with a maximum of emotions and yearnings, precise but dreamy, at times quiet, at other times loud, yet with great courage in terms of their content and creative design: This represents the essence of our programme for the 36 FILMFEST DRESDEN, to which we would as always like to warmly invite you from the bottom of our hearts. Your National Competition Selection Committee.
Christian Hempel on behalf of the National Competition Selection Committee
Dates
-
Programmkino Ost
- 18.04. 20:15
-
Schauburg
- 17.04. 22:00
- 18.04. 14:00
- 20.04. 13:00
-
Zentralkino
- 19.04. 21:00
Eventually, we extracted 23 short filmic treasures, including 12 animated contributions, consisting of narrative, experimental and hybrid formats. In these works, the local German filmmakers address current social themes, such as war, flight and displacement, migration and the search for identity, as indeed global protests against oppression, often providing surprising new perspectives in the never-ending search for a possible utopia. At the same time, they sweep us away into fantastic worlds of images, rekindling our enthusiasm for visual cinematic storytelling time and again. And this array of national filmmaking is also reflected in the four short film blocks in this year’s National Competition programme.
Compressed into just a few minutes, with a maximum of emotions and yearnings, precise but dreamy, at times quiet, at other times loud, yet with great courage in terms of their content and creative design: This represents the essence of our programme for the 36 FILMFEST DRESDEN, to which we would as always like to warmly invite you from the bottom of our hearts. Your National Competition Selection Committee.
Christian Hempel on behalf of the National Competition Selection Committee
Dates
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Programmkino Ost
- 19.04. 20:15
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Schauburg
- 17.04. 19:00
- 18.04. 22:30
- 19.04. 16:00
- 20.04. 16:00
Eventually, we extracted 23 short filmic treasures, including 12 animated contributions, consisting of narrative, experimental and hybrid formats. In these works, the local German filmmakers address current social themes, such as war, flight and displacement, migration and the search for identity, as indeed global protests against oppression, often providing surprising new perspectives in the never-ending search for a possible utopia. At the same time, they sweep us away into fantastic worlds of images, rekindling our enthusiasm for visual cinematic storytelling time and again. And this array of national filmmaking is also reflected in the four short film blocks in this year’s National Competition programme.
Compressed into just a few minutes, with a maximum of emotions and yearnings, precise but dreamy, at times quiet, at other times loud, yet with great courage in terms of their content and creative design: This represents the essence of our programme for the 36 FILMFEST DRESDEN, to which we would as always like to warmly invite you from the bottom of our hearts. Your National Competition Selection Committee.
Christian Hempel on behalf of the National Competition Selection Committee
Dates
-
Kino im Kasten
- 18.04. 20:00
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Programmkino Ost
- 16.04. 20:15
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Schauburg
- 17.04. 16:00
- 19.04. 19:00
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Zentralkino
- 20.04. 20:30
As the artist and filmmaker Hito Steyerl writes in her book “The Colour of Truth”, “documentary works” are “palaces of memory that, unlike archives, organise documents not only in space but also in time”. In accordance with this, short and feature-length documentaries thus create the widest possible variety of contexts from a collection of images and sounds. Following Hito Steyerl's concept of the truth in documentaries, the artist, author and director Anna Zett has combined and interwoven various sources and documents in her current film AFRAID DOESN’T EXIST to create a poetic composition that is both affective as indeed informative in character. Doing so, she is drawing our attention to an act of political self-empowerment that is barely known today – the activism by parts of the East German population shortly before the end of the GDR – and providing rarely seen insights into the political mood during the chaotic period of upheaval shortly before German reunification.
Constanze Wolpers takes a more investigative documentary approach when she returns to her home in northern Germany to investigate – in a mixture of anger and discomfort – the murder of 15-year-old Êzîden Arkan Hussein Khalaf. During the process, she learns a lot about socially entrenched racism, institutional ignorance and the gaps in her own knowledge.
Jonas Erler’s THE BOY WITH THE PEARL EARRING is a quiet and subtle film about the search for identity and the realisation of subjective utopias. In his colourful animation NOTHING TO EXPECT, aesthetically inspired by videogames from the 1990s, Franz Impler deals in a cheerfully anarchic way with the isolation caused by corona and neoliberal lifeworlds.
The second animation in the programme, the enchanting cinematic lullaby SOMNI by Sonja Rohleder, is consciously quieter. DEATH ROW, on the other hand, wakes us up again. In his homage, the director Jan Soldat has compiled film excerpts from the cult actor Danny Trejo. This American actor of Mexican origin has elevated cinematic dying to a great art – and when he dies, he never dies quietly. This tongue-in-cheek, yet always affectionate insight into genre films, B-movies and action cinema concludes our programme that is starting with the refreshingly carefree prelude to summer entitled BALCONIA from Finn Ole Weigt and Paula Milena Weise.
Sven Pötting for the Selection Committee of the Central German Competition
Dates
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Programmkino Ost
- 20.04. 20:15
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Schauburg
- 18.04. 19:30
Dates
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Schauburg
- 18.04. 21:00
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Thalia
- 21.04. 22:30
Dates
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Schauburg
- 19.04. 22:30
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Thalia
- 17.04. 22:30
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der SODEC sowie der Vertretung der Regierung von Québec
Dates
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Thalia
- 17.04. 20:00
- 19.04. 19:00
In Kooperation mit der Sächsischen Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden sowie dem Filmverband Sachsen
Dates
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Clubkino im Lingnerschloss
- 17.04. 19:00
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Schauburg
- 21.04. 18:30
Dates
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Schauburg
- 21.04. 18:00
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Thalia
- 20.04. 19:30
In this special program highlighting some of our favorite queer horror films, you’ll see shorts overflowing with queer creativity. Dystopian group dynamics, body dysphoria, transgressive creatures, dangerous, sexy relationships - get ready for a thrilling and subversive selection that upends the norm!
Sara Neidorf, Eli Lewy
In Kooperation mit dem Final Girls Berlin Film Festival
Dates
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Thalia
- 18.04. 23:30
Dates
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Thalia
- 19.04. 23:30
In Kooperation mit dem Uppsala Kortfilmfestival
Dates
-
Thalia
- 20.04. 23:30
Information about trigger warnings
FILMFEST DRESDEN publishes trigger warnings to point out particularly violent images and content. We are aware that triggers are very individual, so we focus on content that is likely to have a triggering effect on some people. Trigger warnings are used when there are explicit depictions in the film and/or the violent content is part of the main storyline.
Consequently, a corresponding warning cannot be guaranteed for all content that could have a disturbing effect, but the synopses of the films (which can be found, among other things, in the online programme) usually indicate the respective thematic focus. Furthermore, trigger warnings can be shown for every film concerned in our online programme. Please send questions and feedback to festival@filmfest-dresden.de.